> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://hyperallergic.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Indie Film From the Global Majority: BlackStar Celebrates 15 Years of Cinema for Liberation - URL: https://hyperallergic.com/indie-film-from-the-global-majority-blackstar-celebrates-15-years-of-cinema-for-liberation/ - Published: 2026-07-13T14:15:20.000Z - Updated: 2026-07-13T14:15:20.000Z - Description: The world’s most significant and groundbreaking filmmakers of color will gather to showcase their work in Philadelphia August 6-9. - Author: BlackStar Film Festival - Tags: Announcement, Film Festivals, BlackStar Film Festival, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Sponsored BlackStar Projects has announced the full schedule of events for the 2026 [BlackStar Film Festival](https://bit.ly/45Tn644?ref=hyperallergic.com), taking place August 6–9 in Philadelphia and streaming online around the world. Featuring 91 films from over 40 countries worldwide, the lineup includes the North American premiere of Haile Gerima’s *Black Lions—Roman Wolves* (2026) on closing night and the world premiere of *West Side Familia* (2026), from Taylor Hosking, on opening night. The festival is an annual celebration of independent cinema from the global majority and a one-of-a-kind gathering centered on connection, discussion, and learning. Notable guests and speakers at this year’s festival include Sky Hopinka, Michèle Stephenson, Cybil St. Aude-Tate, Felicia Pride, and Alile Sharon Larkin — who will be [in conversation](https://blackstarprojects.org/festival/2026/events/spotlight-conversation-a-different-image?ref=hyperallergic.com) with Melissa Lyde on August 9, after a retrospective screening of the new 4K restoration of Larkin’s highly acclaimed 1982 film, *A Different Image*. ### Festival Highlights --- ### [***West Side Familia***](https://blackstarprojects.org/festival/2026/events/west-side-familia?ref=hyperallergic.com) — Dir. Taylor Hosking **Opening Night Film** *West Side Familia* follows a legendary Puerto Rican biker crew and community elders on Manhattan’s Upper West Side as they fight to preserve their neighborhood’s culture, history and traditions in the face of gentrification and erasure. | World Premiere --- ### [***Call of My Life***](https://blackstarprojects.org/festival/2026/films/call-of-my-life?ref=hyperallergic.com) — Dir. Dammy Twitch ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/51/f8/51f871d8-b6be-4a73-b958-0ca4fff0110a/content/images/2026/07/BSFF26_Call-of-My-Life-1.png) Photo courtesy **Call of My Life*, 2025 Soluchi, 31, is a radiant and thoughtful call center agent, still carrying the scars of a long relationship with Kalu, a man whose neglect left her questioning her worth. When loneliness threatens to swallow her, a routine customer call connects her to Eli, a magnetic man whose kindness and attention awaken feelings she has long buried. | U.S. Premiere (Festival) --- ### [***An Incomplete Calendar***](https://blackstarprojects.org/festival/2026/films/an-incomplete-calendar?ref=hyperallergic.com) — Dir. Sanaz Sohrabi Forgotten songs and archives tell a different story of the developing world’s political calendar of liberation movements and the fight for oil sovereignty. | North America Premiere --- ### [***The Store***](https://blackstarprojects.org/festival/2026/films/the-store?ref=hyperallergic.com) — Dir. Fahamu Pecou ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/51/f8/51f871d8-b6be-4a73-b958-0ca4fff0110a/content/images/2026/07/BSFF26_The-Store-1.png) Photo courtesy **The Store*, 2026 In a forgotten corner of the city, there exists a bodega like no other — a gateway to ancestral wisdom and untold possibilities. When patrons step inside looking for something ordinary, a veil between worlds reveals an alternate reality where Black people thrive. | World Premiere --- ### [***Treasure Island (L'île aux trésors)***](https://blackstarprojects.org/festival/2026/films/treasure-island-lile-aux-tresors?ref=hyperallergic.com) — Dir. Miryam Charles ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/51/f8/51f871d8-b6be-4a73-b958-0ca4fff0110a/content/images/2026/07/BSFF26_Treasure-Island-1.png) Photo courtesy **Treasure Island*, 2026 Summer 1993\. Marthe, 12, convinces her brother to run away from home and from the Haitian heritage they both reject. Joined by their cousins in a park, they debate what their future might hold. But as the hours pass, the children begin to realize that what they’re trying to escape is also what binds them together most deeply. Charles will also participate in a [panel discussion](https://blackstarprojects.org/festival/2026/events/on-ayiti?ref=hyperallergic.com) on August 7. | World Premiere --- ### [***Black Lions–Roman Wolves***](https://blackstarprojects.org/festival/2026/films/black-lions-roman-wolves?ref=hyperallergic.com) — Dir. Haile Gerima ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/51/f8/51f871d8-b6be-4a73-b958-0ca4fff0110a/content/images/2026/07/BSFF26_Black-Lions-1.png) Photo courtesy **Black Lions — Roman Wolves*, 2026 **Closing Night Film** Haile Gerima’s *Black Lions — Roman Wolves* is a five-part epic on Ethiopian resistance to Italy’s 1935 invasion, revealing a war fought with arms, memory and culture and honoring a nation that refused to kneel. | North America Premiere --- To learn more, visit [blackstarprojects.org/festival](https://bit.ly/45Tn644?ref=hyperallergic.com).