KARTEMQUIN FILMS DOCUMENTARY ‘UNAPOLOGETIC’ TO DEBUT IN BLACKSTAR’S NINTH FILM FESTIVAL BEING HELD AUGUST 20-26
Timely film chronicles two young, Black women activists in Chicago leading the movement against police violence targeted towards Black residents
Black women filmmakers situate the documentary amid a Black, queer, feminist movement, working to seek justice and change, and shed light on the city’s complicity
CHICAGO, July 16, 2020—Unapologetic, the directorial debut of Ashley O’Shay and producer Morgan Elise Johnson is set to premiere as the opening night film in the BlackStar Film Festival, which runs between August 20-26. The documentary focuses on the unrelenting work of Janaé Bonsu and Bella BAHHS--young, Black women organizers who take on the Chicago establishment seeking justice for Rekia Boyd and Laquan McDonald, two young Black people killed by Chicago police. Unapologetic also explores their quest to elevate a progressive criminal justice platform and center leadership by Black women and femmes within the city.
The film captures tensions between a police board led by Lori Lightfoot (now Chicago Mayor) and abolitionist organizers at Chicago Police Department Headquarters. O’Shay began making the film organically in 2015 while attending one such protest equipped with a camera-in-hand. “I never imagined that I was on the precipice of capturing what will likely be one of the biggest movements of all time,” she said. “What is so captivating to witness is the tapestry of this Black queer feminist movement that lies at the helm of fighting for all Black rights.”
Johnson concurs. “While the world witnesses this newly-infused Civil Rights Movement, I’ll argue that the blueprint can be mapped to Chicago,” she said. “This city represents a microcosm of what resistance looks like. And, the crusade is led by these young, Black feminist voices who are demanding justice for all.”
O’Shay would eventually document two powerhouse activists. Bonsu is a 24-year old who is pursuing her Ph.D. in social work while rising in the ranks of Black Youth Project 100 (BYP100), a national youth activist organization working to create justice and freedom for all Black people. BAHHS is a 22-year old “rap-tivist” who combines her music with activism to support women, like herself, who have been affected by intergenerational incarceration. Overall, the film peels back the curtain on 3 years in the lives of two young women who balance the weight of leading a mass movement with becoming scholars and further entering adulthood.
Unapologetic is executive produced by Yvonne Welbon, Gordon Quinn, and Jolene Pinder. Rubin Daniels, Jr. is editor, and music is composed by Sam Trump.
Unapologetic is produced through Chicago’s Kartemquin Films (MINDING THE GAP and HOOP DREAMS), and has received support through the Ford Foundation, the Field Foundation of Illinois, the Diverse Voices in Docs program, Firelight Media, Tribeca Industry Network, Film Independent, Bay Area Video Coalition, Sisters in Cinema, UC Berkeley's Investigative Reporting Workshop, Cucalorus Film Festival, Hedgebrook, the True/False & Catapult Rough Cut Retreat, the Perspective Fund, and Chicago DCASE Individual Artists Program.
About BlackStar Film Festival
The BlackStar Film Festival is an annual celebration of the visual and storytelling traditions of the African diaspora and global communities of color—showcasing films by Black, Brown, and Indigenous people from around the world. Ticket information can be found at https://www.blackstarfest.org.
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