REEL UNITY PAIR: Breathe. / First Week Out

2021 BIBFF Official Reel

The 8th Annual Black Film Festival features over 80 films from 16 countries on October 6-11, 2021. We are proud to bring this amazing group of "Official Selections" to Baltimore City both in our Virtual Theatre and at the SNF Parkway Theatre in Baltimore's Station North Arts District. Enjoy the films and be sure to use the unique pairs and shorts programs to have you own #ReelUnity moment.

Breathe.

With the recent political, racial, and global unrest occurring throughout 2020/2021, writer and performer, Philicia Saunders, wrote a one-woman live theater show based on her life-changing personal journey towards activism after a chance trip to a Civil Rights monument during a civil rights tour in Alabama, and mentorship by a luminary of activism in Watts, California, Sweet Alice Harris. Unfortunately, no one ever saw that live theater version of the show because of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, necessity is the mother of invention, and Saunders knew that this story would educate, inspire, and transform those who see it. Thus came Breathe. Directed by award-winning playwright/performer Roger Q. Mason, this film is art activism - fusing live performance, cinema, performance art and artistic swimming in a hybridized narrative that could only be born during these challenging, yet galvanizing times.

This film is not just a reflection of Saunders' own experience of racism, but it is also a glimpse into the myriad ways that racial bias affects millions of people of color around the world. 

First Week Out

In 1979, Larry Williams entered prison and was released 42 years later.

FIRST WEEK OUT follows Larry’s pivotal first week of freedom. Follow Larry in his first week out as he tries to make sense of his past, navigates life in a re-entry home, reunites with an old prison friend, applies for a job, meets with a new mentor, and forges a path forward.

Research has shown that the first week out of prison for formerly incarcerated men and women will define their future success or failure. After serving their sentences, it is vital for individuals to have an opportunity to become a functioning member of society.

Every week there are more than 10,000 people in America like Larry experiencing their first week out of prison. Within three years, two out of three won’t make it and will end up back in prison. We wanted to tell Larry’s story to encourage viewers to join the thousands of people and organizations across the country helping individuals like Larry beat the odds.