Zinzun: Winner of SF Black Film Festival Jeff Adachi Award Featured at Durban Int'l Film Festival

DURBAN, South Africa - July 28, 2022 - PRLog -- Posted Courtesy of Wright Enterprises San Francisco Dallas Community Spotlight~~~

The San Francisco Black Film Festival collaboration with the Durban International Film Festival began in 2020 before the world knew the impact of the worldwide Coronavirus pandemic.  Both organizations learned quickly to pivot and were able to carry on the new relationship virtually: https://www.einnews.com/pr_news/521952379/sf-black-film-festival-xxii-virtually-possible-thru-august-30th-via-atlanta-ga-san-diego-ca-durban-south-africa.

The San Francisco Black Film Festival is pleased to extend its reach throughout the African Diaspora by featuring its winner of the Jeff Adachi Social Justice Award, "Zinzun: A Revolutionary" during a panel discussion at the Durban International Film Festival, Friday, July 29, 2022; joining with NOSACONN (New Orleans South Africa Connection), that recently held its "Celebrate Africa Week 'Essence of Africa' NOLA Edition in July, simultaneous amid the Essence of Culture Festival.

The Durban International Film Festival Panel:  The Power of Cinema to Create Social Justice Change,  Friday, July 29   7 a.m. PDT  9 a.m. CDT and 10 a.m. EDT; 4pm SAST- featuring San Francisco Black Film Festival Jeff Adachi Social Justice Award Winner: ZinZun: A Revolutionary.

Click on either link to view the panel:

https://www.facebook.com/IsiphethuProgramme

https://www.youtube.com/c/CentreforCreativeArts

Before Rodney King, before George Floyd, Michael Zinzun was beaten to the point of being blinded in one eye.  His fight against police oppression fueled Zinzun to travel the world as an activist, not just against police abuse, but against human abuse as he was in Haiti during their unrest in 2005, just a year before he passed away in his sleep. Michael Zinzun opened his home to the public at 11 a.m. every day so people could come, talk, read or meet with other like-minded people to bring about social justice change. "Zinzun: A Revolutionary" is a documentary film that heralds the grassroots warrior to effect change in Pasadena and the world as he used local media to decry injustice.  The film will be the foundation of the conversation: The Power of Cinema to Create Social Justice Change, that can be viewed virtually.

The Jeff Adachi Social Justice Award was named after the late Japanese American San Francisco Public Defender, filmmaker and friend of the San Francisco Black Film Festival. He's included in a clip by historian and photographer Johnnie Burrell of International Media TV  at the premiere of "Restored Me" that can now be seen on Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV: https://youtu.be/mCvWjxePVTc?t=32.



"The San Francisco Black Film Festival has a legacy of cultivating understanding, tourism, and new careers for emerging filmmakers, actors and technical artists along with being a platform for established industry giants like our dear friend San Francisco native, actor, producer and humanitarian Danny Glover," said Cree Ray, San Francisco Black Film Festival Executive Director. "I am fortunate that this legacy started with my family; but it is upheld by our many friends, sponsors and talented people like Dennis Haywood and James Farr, who we are able to highlight at the Durban International Film Festival.

"Our team is so proud to be a part of this San Francisco Film Festival family legacy that is making a difference worldwide," said Dennis Haywood, director, producer and writer of "Zinzun: A Revolutionary" and founder & executive director of the Pasadena African American Film Foundation.

"To receive the SFBFF Jeff Adachi Social Justice Award is an honor that is aligned with the spirit of the man, Michael Zinzun, who had an impact in Pasadena and in Africa as well, said James Farr, Filmmaker  award winning journalist, producer and film documentarian and host of "The Conversation Live." (https://www.facebook.com/TheConversation.Live)

NOSACONN's founder, Damon Batiste of NOLA's Royal Family of Music, the Batistes will also be among Friday's panelists that include San Francisco BayView Newspaper editor, Nube Brown.  "It's great to be once again cross-promoting culture, tourism and business exchange with the San Francisco Black Film Festival, now in Africa where we recently launched a plan to assist BIPOC artists in the U.S. and Africa: https://www.prlog.org/12912240-royal-families-of-africa-and-the-us-converge-for-epic-bipoc-grammy-celebration-and-launch-of-over-500-million-usd-music-film-tourism-project.html (http:///12912240-royal-families-of-africa-and-the-us-converge-for-epic-bipoc-grammy-celebration-and-launch-of-over-500-million-usd-music-film-tourism-project.html).

In related news, the San Francisco Black Film Festival presented its inaugural " Kali O'Ray My Dad is My Hero" Award to The Alameda County Father's Corps: https://www.prlog.org/12921730-san-francisco-black-film-festival-xxiv-presents-first-kali-oray-my-dad-is-my-hero-award.html (http:///12921730-san-francisco-black-film-festival-xxiv-presents-first-kali-oray-my-dad-is-my-hero-award.html).  "My Dad Is My Hero Contest" began during the leadership of Kali O'Ray.

The San Francisco Black Film Festival founded in 1998 by arts impresario Ave Montague was led from 2010 through 2020 by Montague's son Kali O'Ray after her death in 2009. The leadership fell to Montague's grandchildren, executive director Cree Ray and technical director Kali Ray Jr. when their father died August 7, 2020 unexpectedly due to an undetected heart problem.  He was in the midst of the collaboration with the Durban International Film Festival that gave an international platform for  the late Taheim Bryant's "Equal Standard" with rapper and actors, Ice-T and Treach of "Naughty by Nature": https://www.prlog.org/12838487-black-lives-matter-takes-stage-at-durban-international-film-festival-with-equal-standard.html (http:///12838487-black-lives-matter-takes-stage-at-durban-international-film-festival-with-equal-standard.html)

The generational family leadership is a rare occurrence in San Francisco these days since the out-migration of the Black population that began in the '90's.

Sponsors for this year's San Francisco Black Film Festival included: San Francisco Arts Commission; California Arts Commission; SF GIANTS; Dolby Laboratories, Inc.; The Academy of Art University; Durban International Film Festival; Durban FilmMart; NOSACONN; Hotel Nikko and others.  For a complete list of sponsors visit www.sfbff.org.  Sponsorships are still available as they are yearlong through the upcoming 25^th Anniversary San Francisco Black Film Festival, June 15-18, 2022.  Email creeray@sfbff.org for the San Francisco Black Film Festival Sponsorship Package.

The mission of the San Francisco Black Film Festival is to celebrate African American cinema and the African Cultural Diaspora and to showcase a diverse collection of films – from emerging and established filmmakers. This is accomplished by presenting Black films, which reinforce positive images and dispel negative stereotypes, and providing film artists from the Bay Area in particular and around the world in general, a forum for their work to be viewed and discussed. The San Francisco Black Film Festival believes film can lead to a better understanding of and communication between peoples of diverse cultures, races and lifestyles, while simultaneously serving as a vehicle to initiate dialogue on the important issues of our times.

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