Natalie Morrow will attend events in the wheelchair she’s used while recovering from a stroke
Credit: Submitted photo
Over its 22-year history, the Twin Cities Black Film Festival has grown into a premier fall event showcasing visual art written, directed, produced and starring multicultural talent from around the world.
Not even when a global pandemic forced the festival to shutter its operations temporarily was the film fest’s future ever in doubt. But that changed early this year when its founder and CEO Natalie Morrow suffered a stroke.
“Doctors prescribed that I cancel all events to heal, but I didn’t have the heart to cancel the film festival. I have to go with what the doctors say, but through the help of family and friends, we were able to honor those who submitted their films to us,” she said.
Beyond the Twin Cities Black Film Festival, Morrow founded Black Fashion Week, which launched in 2017, and coordinates events for others through her event management firm, the Morrow Group.
Working high-stress 14-plus-hour days was typical for Morrow. Until it wasn’t.
“This year I’ve discovered if you’re too stubborn to sit down on your own, God will do that for you,” she said. “I never realized how much I worked until I was told by my doctors to do nothing.”
As in years past, Morrow and her advisory group reviewed hundreds of shorts, full-length features, documentaries and multimedia projects—a staggering 479 in total but intentionally down from the usual 700 or so before Morrow’s stroke. Despite its challenges, the festival’s review panel remained committed to delivering the “best in cinema” over its four-day stretch.
This year’s event, running Oct. 10-14, features 26 films—more than half of which showcase the talents of Minnesota-based filmmakers, including “Fresh Cut” by South Minneapolis writer and director Maxie Rockymore. (Read more about Rockymore and how a 25-year career in social work influences her art, on Page 7.)
Morrow was forced this year to cancel longstanding festival events, including parties that previously drew A-list Hollywood celebrities, and will attend this year’s screenings in the wheelchair she’s used since her recovery began. But the festival remains committed to its founding tradition: providing an outlet for Minnesotans to celebrate the art and artists who tell otherwise untold stories.
“We are a very creative state,” Morrow said. “People in Minnesota know what they have to do: No matter what your focus, no matter where your talents lie, just be excellent. The Twin Cities Black Film Festival honors that.”
Cynthia Moothart welcomes reader responses at cmoothart@spokesman-recorder.com.
A full schedule, description of each film, ticket information, and viewing times are available on the Twin Cities Black Film Festival website: tcbff.org.
For the third year running, films will be screened at the Capri Theater, 2027 W. Broadway, in North Minneapolis. Oct. 11 is “Minneapolis Night,” featuring more than a dozen back-to-back short films crafted by local directors.