The African American Film Critics Association (AAFCA) is celebrating #PRIDE all month long and yours truly---Ray Cornelius---recently hosted a panel discussion about Black LGBTQ images in television, film and media.
The exclusive conversation features some of the most influential figures in the Black LGBTQ community including Native Son Now founder and media maven Emil Wilbekin; media personality, producer and author Patrick Riley; V. Scott Hamilton from Better Brothers L.A. plus Charles Stephens and Michael Ward from the Atlanta-based organization, The Counter Narrative Project.
From James Baldwin to RuPaul to groundbreaking television series like Noah's Arc and POSE to iconic movies like The Color Purple and PUNKS, the #PRIDE2020 conversation takes a look back at the cinema and pop culture images that "pushed the envelope" and gave the Black gay community a voice.
In addition to the conversation, AAFCA is also hosting a short film competition and is currently seeking projects that explore COVID-19 from the Black LGBTQ perspective. All entries should be no more than 5-minutes in length and submitted via VIMEO link to SpecialProjects @aafca.com. Smartphone videos are welcomed and submissions are due on Wednesday, June 24.
Watch the conversation below:
