On the weekend of March 25-27, the Black Arts Alliance (BAA) held the 18th annual North Carolina Black Film Festival (NCBFF). From student shorts to feature length movies, the NCBFF hosts a wide variety of films from artists around the world. Recent years have brought challenges for the festival, to say the least. With Hurricane Florence in 2018 and the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, this year saw the festival’s in-person return with a great turnout.
Abigail Celoria, Assistant Culture Editor
• February 17, 2022
Rauniyar’s career in film is built on a life-long pursuit. Through first visits to the theatre in his teenage years, he became interested in film as a means of expression. “I grew up in a society that was very racist,” said Rauniyar. “At the time, Nepal was run by a lighter skinned group. At my school, I was alone; I didn’t speak the local language; my classmates and teachers would bully me. I found that even in local films, lighter skinned actors would wear blackface to portray us on screen. No one like me was making these films. I wanted to change that.”
The premise of the film is intriguing and feels new, but the narrative is incoherent and lacks depth. As previously mentioned, aesthetics, world-building and production design are the film’s strong points. But for these elements to be effective, the film needs a deeper narrative to be able to convey these ideas and lend itself to a deeper meaning. The characters are not well-developed either, it seems like they are objects meant to simply advance the film, rather than fleshed out characters we can root for and relate to. Roxy could be an interesting character, but there is no easy way for us to connect with her character, or recognize any development for her beyond sexual desires.
“Bad Luck Banging or Loony Porn” strays from what we would expect from Western cinema to deliver a social critique of human apathy. Its themes and aesthetics are effective and present a larger universal theme about the disconnect in human empathy. After watching it, there is no mystery to why it was selected as the Romanian entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 94th Academy Awards.
Grace Hall, Contributing Writer
• November 15, 2021
The overarching narrative of family, the relationship between mother and daughter, the cycle of nature and life and the power of death, fear and otherness leave lots to think about among viewers. The Adams’ family’s relationship dynamic plays out within the movie, making it all the more memorable.
In justifying the mural, the film and its subjects examine who gets to benefit from art and who gets to be represented in art. It questions the often-elitist notion of art as luxury and instead suggests that art is crucial for misunderstood or underrepresented communities. It is necessary that they feel seen, and in a world that often chooses to look away from those standing on street corners, art can represent people as humans worthy of being admired. The audience takes home a much deeper lesson on the intersection between art, religion and humanity.
“We’re All In This Together” signals a promising future for star and filmmaker Boland. With this captivating film, Boland can surely harness her vision for characters and story to move forward in the industry as an actress and a director. All in all, “We’re All In This Together” tells a chaotic, humorous, and earnest tale of the mending of familial bonds and the unyielding devotion coming along beside it.
All in all, “Wuhan Wuhan” is a heartfelt and deeply human time capsule that deserves to be seen by many people. The film effectively shows that while the coronavirus affected people on a global scale, the human race is more than capable of overcoming it.
Sexuality is one of the largest taboos across America. It’s a catalyst for the youth’s curiosity and a component for countless ongoing debates, such as birth control and advertising. Furthermore, a more personable issue lies in society’s suppression and weaponization of sex and sexuality. Filmmaker Alex Liu’s feature-length documentary “A Sexplanation” explores the flaws in America’s sex education and offers subjective, yet convincing, thoughts on sexual behavior.
Grace Hall, Contributing Writer
• November 9, 2021
Though this festival is a continuation of an annual tradition, it never fails to introduce some of the up-and-coming names in the film and music industry, bringing light to topics needing representation in media. Whether you are a film geek, a fan of good music, or simply a festival-goer interested in modern media, Cuculorus welcomes all.
