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Coming to AIFF’s Virtual “Best of the Fests,” Black Voices:
THROUGH THE NIGHTand 17 BLOCKS
February 12-21 & February 19-28 / Tickets: $10 & $12
In celebration of Black History Month, AIFF joins with community partner B.A.S.E. (Black Alliance & Social Empowerment) to bring two profound films about black lives in America. Through The Night is an intimate portrait of the couple who provide a 24-hour day care service for children of hard-working, underpaid parents. Over the span of two years, across working holidays, seven-day work weeks, and around-the-clock shifts, the film reveals the personal cost of rising wealth inequality in the U.S and the close bonds forged between parents, children, and caregivers.
“Through The Night will add complexity to the national conversation about issues that affect working class families and the working poor by centering the experiences of women and children of color. I want women of color to feel seen and affirmed.” Loira Limbal, Filmmaker
17 Blocks is a visceral film crafted from more than 1,000 hours of footage, much of it taken by the subjects themselves. In 1999, 9-year-old Emmanuel Durant and his family began filming their daily lives in one of America’s most dangerous neighborhoods — just 17 blocks behind the U.S. Capitol. They've been filming ever since. Made in a unique collaboration with filmmaker and journalist Davy Rothbart, and spanning two decades, 17 BLOCKS illuminates a nation's ongoing crisis through one family's raw, stirring, and deeply personal saga.
“A singular achievement in documentary filmmaking... Remarkable... intimate and uncompromising... 17 BLOCKS is the result of the Sanford family's profound act of bravery." Variety
FESTIVALS
2020: TRIBECA (WORLD PREMIERE), AFI DOCS
“A warmly, tender documentary by the Afro-Dominican film-maker Loira Limbal.” -The Guardian
Director: Loira Limbal
Producers: Loira Limbal, Jameka Autry
Running Time: 72 Minutes
Year: 2020
An MTV Documentary Films release
Cinema Eye Honors
Nominated for Audience Choice Award and Best Editing
WINNER - Woodstock Film Festival
Best Documentary Feature
WINNER - Nashville Film Festival
Audience Award for Best Documentary
"An essential viewing doc about race & class in America... A documentary with Cinema Verite sensibilities and no qualms whatsoever about the honest presentation of its subjects, 17 BLOCKS is both heartbreaking and inspiring."
- Warren Cantrell, The Playlist
Director: Davy Rothbart
Running Time: 96 minutes
Year: 2020
