(2018)
Synopsis
Part dance film, part documentary, Black Stains depicts the reality of living while black in the United States, and persistently asks the question: why do we not see black men as human?
Inspired by the personal experiences of Trent D. Williams, Jr., an African American choreographer, Black Stains addresses the systemic pattern of racial profiling by the police. Interviews with black men encompassing a broad spectrum of age, background, and experience illustrate personal human stories that bring abstract issues into sharper focus. Woven together with robust athletic dancing, the film invites a conversation about how to best navigate complex racial issues in a country that refuses to make amends for its troubled past.
Black Stains is currently available to view on Coreocinema.
Awards
Best Film Under 15 Minutes, NewGrounds: Dance Film Collection
Best Dance Documentary, Screen Dance International (2021)
Attention Grabber Audience Award, kNOwBox Dance Film Festival (2020)
Visionary Jury Award, kNOwBox Dance Film Festival (2020)
Best Film, Experimental Dance & Music Festival (2020)
Jury Award, ScreenDance Miami (2018)
Screenings
-2021-
January 2021 Denton Black Film Festival, Denton, TX
March 2021 Screen.Dance–Scotland's Festival of Dance on Screen, Scotland
April 2021 Flick Fair On Demand Film Festival, online
May 2021 Idaho Screendance Festival, Boise, ID
May 2021. Utah Dance Film Festival, Orem, UT
September 2021 Screen Dance International, Detroit, MI
September 2021 I Will Tell International Film Festival, London, UK, Florida, USA, Trinidad/Tobago
-2020-
February 22, 2020 Queens Underground Black & Brown Film Festival, NY, NY
May 1-June 1, 2020 Rogue Dancer On-Line Screening: Black & White Showcase
May 22, 2020 EnCore: Dance on Film, Decatur GA
July 7, 2020 Experimental, Dance & Music Festival, Toronto, Canada
September 10, 2020 Mexico City Video Dance Festival, Mexico City, Mexico
September 23, 2020 Charlotte Film Festival, Charlotte, NC
October 10, 2020 Fuselage Dance Film Festival, Seattle, WA
October 2020 Portland Dance Film Festival, Portland, OR
November 2020 InShadow–Lisbon Screen Dance Festival, Lisboa, Portugal
December 2020 South East Dance, Brighton, England
December 2020 KnowBox Dance Film Festival, Dallas, TX & Seoul South Korea
-2019-
July 17, 2019 Moving Body Festival, Varna, Bulgaria
September 19, 2019 London International Screendance Festival, London, England
-2018-
January 20, 2018 ScreenDance Miami, Miami FL (Jury Award Winner)
April 7, 2018 Moving BROWN body – Moving Image Festival, NYC
April 14, 2018 Dance Camera West, Los Angeles CA
April 19, 2018 Langston Hughes African American Film Festival, Seattle WA
July 7, 2018 Movies by Movers, American Dance Festival, Durham NC
Oct 14, 2018 San Francisco Dance Film Festival, San Francisco CA
Oct 21 & 24, 2018 Sans Souci Festival of Dance Cinema, Boulder, CO
Oct 21, 2018 Coco Dance Festival, Port of Spain, Trinidad
November 4, 2018 University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Greensboro, NC
November 10, 2018 Greensboro Dance Film Festival, Greensboro, NC
CAST & CREW:
Co-Directors: Trent D. Williams Jr. & Tiffany Rhynard
Choreographer: Trent D. Williams Jr.
Cinematographer: Tiffany Rhynard
Editor: Heather Mathews
Composer: Farai Malianga
Cast: Jerel Hercules, Taariq Lewis, Daniel Morimoto, Michael “Mikell” Pinkney, Larry Rosalez, Ersom Williams, Trent D. Williams Jr., George Whitehead.
Producers: Heather Mathews, Tiffany Rhynard, Trent D. Williams Jr.