NEW YORK — Out of over 5,000 festivals in the world, Hip Hop Film Festival (https://hiphopfilmfestival.org) is the only festival to focus on writers, directors, and producers who grew up in the global culture of hip-hop. The world tour is well underway, after recently completing successful stops in South Africa, Italy, Kenya, and West Africa. The main festival is headquartered in New York City during the first week of August every year, as the last stop of the world tour. From Thursday, August 6, 2020 to Sunday, August 9, 2020, the festival will be centered in Harlem, New York, highlighting filmmakers worldwide. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and social distancing, this year's festival will be held online. All access passes are available via Eventbrite at https://hhff2020.eventbrite.com, upon $40 donation to Harlem Film House, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.
Over 200 filmmakers from around the world — including such diverse countries as France, Brazil, Saudi Arabia, Canada, United Kingdom, Russia, Switzerland, South Africa, India, Japan, Portugal, Argentina — will present stories across genres, including drama, sci-fi, action, thriller, and more. The theme of this year's festival is "stories that matter", proclaiming itself as "four days of fresh". This year's prestigious G.O.A.T. (Greatest of All Time) Award honors the legacy of rapper, actor, producer, director, and writer Ice Cube. Actor and poet Omari Hardwick will receive this year's Icon Living Award for his contributions to the industry. This year's Best Festival winner receives a meeting with NBCUniversal for the opportunity to direct a national television episode. The winner of the Best Web Series competition receives an acquisition meeting with BET Networks. Revolt TV is offering acquisition and licensing meetings for the Best Feature Documentary and Best Short winners.
Harlem Film House is the production arm of Hip Hop Film Festival, operating year round workshops, theatre productions, and live events. While also offering business consulting to filmmakers and content creators in underserved communities around the world, Harlem Film House creates an economic ecosystem, by providing filmmakers various services and resources to ensure career longevity in film, theatre, and related entrepreneurial pursuits.
Founded by filmmaker and philanthropist CR Capers, Hip Hop Film Festival features every genre from filmmakers worldwide. It is also the only film festival that shares the profits from the festival with the filmmakers selected to participate. Although the festival is titled "Hip Hop", that does not necessarily mean all films will be about hip-hop. Rather, the term is used in reference to the filmmakers who grew up in the elemental culture of hip-hop and the wide-ranging narratives they project to the screen, as a result of being incubated by such culture.
"We're proud to give local filmmakers a worldwide platform to display their talents with this tour," says CR Capers.
Media personality Shefik (https://shefik.info) of the multiple award winning, syndicated radio show "Shefik presents Invocation" (https://invocation.co) is hosting a new video series titled "Conversations from the Culture" for Hip Hop Film Festival. Although episodes of the series will be available for viewing on-demand via exclusive broadcast on 24/7 Films (http://247films.tv) at a later date, the series itself will be broadcast live during the festival at https://hiphopfilmfestival.org/conversations/, on Thursday, August 6, 2020 (1 p.m. to 6 p.m. EDT); Friday, August 7, 2020 (1 p.m. to 6 p.m. EDT); Saturday, August 7, 2020 (1 p.m. to 6 p.m. EDT); and Sunday, August 9, 2020 (1 p.m. to 1:45 p.m. EDT). Comprised of key selections and finalists of Hip Hop Film Festival, Season 1 of "Conversations from the Culture" highlights a variety of filmmakers, who were selected to sit down with Shefik to discuss film, politics, and more. The complete festival schedule can be viewed at https://hiphopfilmfestival.org/schedule/.
"I am excited to conclude the 2020 world tour in my hometown of New York City," says Shefik.
Shefik is a Professional Member at the New York Chapter of National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (New York Emmys), as well as a National Associate Member at the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (Primetime Emmy Awards). The organizations are dedicated to the advancement of the arts and sciences of television and the promotion of creative leadership for artistic, educational, and technical achievements within the television industry. They recognize excellence in television with the coveted Emmy Award.
As a multiple award winning videographer and producer, Shefik's work has been featured in television broadcasts and video productions for TIME magazine, The Washington Center, "Unsung" (TV One), Broadway World, and a major news station in New York City. Additionally, his photography has been featured in print and online publications, such as Daily Mail, Harvard Kennedy School Magazine, Playbill, and China Press. Shefik currently serves as a Technical Lead at NBCUniversal, where he is leading the development of business critical applications and web-based technology for the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan; the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, China; as well as other major sporting events throughout the world for NBC Sports.
Media Contacts
Shefik
All Knight Access
+1 (914) 548-5033
shefik@allknightaccess.com
Toni Knight
All Knight Access
+1 (914) 645-4830
toni.knight@allknightaccess.com
Hip Hop Film Festival
press@hiphopfilmfestival.org
Last Updated: May 30, 2021
