Otherwordly Videos: Women of Power

The film is Y: The Last Man Rising [Fan Film], starring Kent King and Travis Quentin Young. It is based on a critically-acclaimed comic of the same name about a plague that has wiped out all the men on the earth except one, Yorick (Young). Special Agent 355’s (King) job is to protect his life […]

Moving on the Wires: Party, Festival and Raffle

* THEESatisfaction is hosting a party on July 28th in Brooklyn. The name of the party, The Black Weirdo, is from their tour name. Read below for more information: Littlefield 622 Degraw Street Brooklyn, NY 11217 11pm – 4am Sponsored by Bklyn Boihood Black Weirdo & ELIXERTickets $7 ADV $10 Door Jams By: DJ Rimarkable […]

A Speculative Tribute to Harriet Tubman

Yesterday, I wrote a post about historical revisionism, which included the whitewashing of Harriet Tubman in Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. Today, I want to showcase artists who have created speculative fiction with Harriet Tubman. * Pierre Bennu of Exit the Apple‘s Black Moses Barbie mock commercials: #1 #2 #3 These commercials “for a Black Moses […]

The My-Stery: Problematic Historical Revision

With the release of Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter and the upcoming Django Unchained, it is important that we discuss the practice of historical revision, given the political climate we live in today. First, nothing is inherently wrong with historical revision. As we learn more about the past, we revise history. Sometimes we do it as […]

Otherworldly Videos: Invisible Universe

Invisible Universe: A History of Blackness in Speculative Fiction documentary trailer (dir. M. Asli Dukan) A history of blackness in speculative fiction explores the relationship between the Black body and popular fantasy, horror and science fiction literature and film and the alternative perspectives produced by creators of color. This documentary features interviews with major writers, […]

Moving on the Wires: Film, Films, Films

* One of the inspirations for starting this blog was watching this clip from John Akomfrah’s The Last Angel of History. I remember looking everywhere to find out where to watch the whole film, until a supporter of the blog eventually shared it with me. Still, I know there were others who looking for it, […]

Otherworldy Videos: Yellow Fever

Ng’endo Mukii is a filmmaker and animator who recently graduated with a masters from Royal College of Art in London. Her thesis film, Yellow Fever, confronts the topic of skin bleaching including her and her niece’s perceptions of and experiences with it, and the the influence of history on why people of color bleach.

Modern Griots Review: Beasts of the Southern Wild

How does one celebrate life amidst impending doom? Or for this, how does one review a movie that she had high expectations for, but was a bit of a letdown? Appreciate the specks of wonder in it. Lessons learned from the film, Beasts of the Southern Wild. An adaptation Lucy Alibar‘s play, “Juicy and Delicious,” […]

Moving on the Wires: Janelle Monae and the Black Camera

*At the Toronto Jazz Festival last week, Janelle Monae performed two new songs that might be on her upcoming album: “Dorothy Dandridge Eyes’ “Electric Lady” * Indiana University’s Black Camera, a film journal, is requesting papers for their fall 2013 special Afrosurrealism in film/video. This is the description of the issue: In the conceptual space […]

Moving on the Wires: Afrofuturism and Beyond

Cherie Ann Turpin, assistant professor of English at the University of the District of Columbia and blogger of Afrofuturism Scholar, recently premiered her radio show, At the Edge: An Afrofuturism Salon on Blog Talk Radio. The first episode was with Afroerotik owner, Scottie Lowe (be careful, not safe for work and kids). BBC recently did […]