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Before the 2024 presidential election, Nolan Williams Jr. saw the need to increase voting among young people. With the support of his company, the NEWorks Production CEO produced “Rise Up and Fight,” an animated film commemorating the 60th anniversary of Freedom Summer. He said the piece reminds viewers that younger generations should be recognized for their contributions to many American social movements.

“Their bravery still reminds us that it’s important for us to be engaged,” Williams Jr. said. “For us to put our convictions into action and to recognize that we do have the power to have impact.”

“Rise Up and Fight” was featured Tuesday at the Syracuse International Film Festival’s second annual Honoring Outstanding Black Filmmakers event in Le Moyne College’s W. Carroll Performing Arts Center. The evening, which amplified Black culture, creativity and talent in filmmaking, was part of SIFF’s 22nd anniversary celebrations.

When Michelle DiBernardo, SIFF’s executive director and president, took on her roles two years ago, she and her team began evaluating ways to incorporate diversity programs into the organization. The team inaugurated Honoring Outstanding Black Filmmakers last year, and after receiving positive feedback from the community, established it as an annual event.

The night was organized into two categories — Best Animation and Best Short Films — with three selections for each category. SIFF also honored guest speakers Sharif Anael-Bey, a local filmmaker, actor, stuntman, action director and alumnus of Syracuse University’s College of Visual and Performing Arts alumnus, and Tyrone Jackson, a filmmaker.

“Tonight was amazing,” Charles A. Honeywood, a writer-director and one of the night’s short film awardees, said. “I’ve been to quite a few festivals, but this one felt warm. It felt like home. It felt close-knit.”

Ella Chan | Asst. Photo Editor

Syracuse International Film Festival board members and award-winners smile for the camera at SIFF’s Honoring Outstanding Black Filmmakers event Tuesday night.

SIFF presented filmmaker Derek Ham with one of the three Best Animation awards for his film “The War Torn Drum.” He said HOBF was special because it was his last time to show the film in a public setting — Syracuse was the last visit of his festival run.

His film, inspired by the Western genre, follows the journey of a drummer boy and U.S. Marshal on their quest to find an outlaw during the late 1860s. Ham said Westerns featuring Black main characters are a small percentage of the genre. When he took animation into account, he was shocked to find there were no such films.

“All the depictions I’ve ever seen of a cowboy, either in a Bugs Bunny cartoon, or anything, they’re always white men,” Ham said. “This was a challenge for me to say, ‘It’s about time someone sees this genre of a Black man.’”

The event concluded with a Q&A session for friends, film fanatics and supporters. One audience member asked, “How do you get the guts to go from a screenwriter to a filmmaker?” In Honeywood’s response, he discussed uplifting women filmmakers and creatives in the industry, specifically through his upcoming project.

As the son of a Black woman, he said he admires his mother and feels valued by her. Black women, especially, are often marginalized and disenfranchised, particularly in the film and entertainment industry. With his career, he said he wants to help “break open the door” for women in a white, male-dominated field.

“I want a woman to direct a feature on a larger scale to really show the talent that a lot of Black women have,” Honeywood said. “To show, to tell stories that need to be told, to uplift women, and a woman would be the best person to do that.”

Bey said events like Honoring Outstanding Black Filmmakers are important now, not only because of Black History Month, but because highlighting Black creativity is never-ending.

“The times we live in makes it that much more important that we tell our own story,” Bey said. “We can’t depend on anyone else to tell our story. We can’t depend on anyone else to create space for us to do it either. We have to do it ourselves.”

Published on February 5, 2025 at 2:18 am

Contact Savannah: sfstewar@syr.edu