BUSHWICK HOMECOMINGS: THE RECORD to Be Screened at Hip Hop Film Festival in Harlem

At the conclusion of her 2006 award-winning short documentary "Bushwick Homecomings" Stefanie Joshua said that "only time will tell" what the future would hold for the rapidly changing neighborhood. Now, over a decade later the Brooklyn-born filmmaker returned to her native Bushwick and the result - "BUSHWICK HOMECOMINGS: The Record' will be screened on Saturday, August 3rd during the 12pm movie block of the 2019 Hip Hop Film Festival (HHFF) at the Harlem Film House / National Black Theatre Inc., (2031 5th Avenue) in Manhattan. Admission to the screening - featured in HHFF Block #18 - is $20 plus fees and to purchase tickets and for additional information, go to: https://hiphopfilmfestival.org

With BH: TR, Joshua - who received degrees from Brooklyn Tech High School and Brooklyn College - continues her twenty-year overview of changes and rapid development in the nabe. The 96-minute film touches upon the tensions that arise when a community is in the midst of development, gentrification and change and when identities such as race, ethnicity and socioeconomic barriers come to the fore.

The film which debuted in 2018 at the Bushwick Film Festival in Brooklyn, NY features author Alan Ehrenhalt and highlights three powerful Bushwick native-born figures in the arts: writer- Vanessa Martir; visual artist- Danielle DeJesus; and musician- DJ Evil Dee. To see a trailer for the film, go to: www.bushwickhomecomings.com

The original 38-minute documentary which examined the changes in the Brooklyn neighborhood through the eyes of five local residents was created by Stefanie as part of her Master's thesis while she was enrolled at City College New York. The film appeared in several national and international film festivals and was presented on Black Entertainment Television and The Documentary Channel.

"When you think about the concept of hip-hop culture and the phenomenon of change or gentrification within a community, you can draw so many parallels in terms of change," said Stefanie. "I am excited for the film to screen at the HipHop Film festival because the film is truly about preservation, inclusion and documentation of NYC culture and narrative, which is also what hip-hop does," she added.

According to HHFF founders, the event is not a festival of hip hop movies, but a festival for filmmakers and film lovers who grew up in the Hip Hop Culture. This year's Festival (August 1-4) returns with "four days of fresh," featuring over 150 filmmakers, screenwriters, storytellers, Hollywood gurus and top independent producers in the game who represent the culture from all over the world. Special HHFF events will include the BLACK GOLD gala honoring director JOHN SINGLETON - who passed away earlier this year - benefitting Harlem Film House and their nightly ART AFTER DARK after parties featuring live music, open mics, cypher and more.

Photo credit: Gerald Peart

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