A Gigantic Change for Lakefront
A New Name
A New Direction
A New Date
(WASHINGTON, DC – August 19, 2022) – After the completion of one of its most successful years of programming, the Lakefront Film Festival has chosen to rebrand, remake and repurpose itself in pursuit of achieving its true destiny as the premier festival in the city of Washington, DC.
Executive Festival Director Tim Gordon stated “The name Lakefront originated from the festival’s humble beginnings in the city of Columbia, MD. When the festival was welcomed into the glorious city of Washington, DC, it became evident that using the name was no longer appropriate or relevant for the festival and community. Washington, DC has given us not only a new identity but also a new direction and purpose. Therefore, the Lakefront Film Festival must rebrand. Our new name will now be the Lightreel Film Festival.”
With a new name also comes a new purpose. The Lightreel Film Festival, in response to the nature of the town known as “Chocolate City,” will now adopt the mission of presenting the stories and films of those who are Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC). The reason for repurposing the festival as a BIPOC festival is intended to celebrate the heritage, nature, and soul of the city which the festival represents.
Speaking of heritage, while the festival will utilize a number of locations throughout Washington, DC to present programming, the base of operations for Lightreel will be the historic U Street Corridor once known as the “Black Broadway” of the city. As a result, the festival will integrate the storied history of the area with the revitalized energy of U Street and its surrounding neighborhoods and establishments including the Shaw area, Howard University, The Howard and Lincoln Theaters, and iconic landmarks like Ben’s Chili Bowl to present an all-encompassing creative, educational and artistic celebration of BIPOC achievements in filmmaking.
In addition to the new name, Lightreel Film Festival, and BIPOC programming focus, the festival is changing the dates for its main festival activities. Instead of the doldrums of August, the re-imagined festival will take residence near the beginning of the summer next year starting June 7, 2023, with its opening night festivities and closing on June 10, 2023. Submissions for the new festival will open on August 22, 2022.
As a part of its new direction, Lightreel will also engage in a year-round slate of events starting with the upcoming “One Night Frights” event scheduled for October 11, 2022 at the Angelika Pop-Up at Union Market. The event will be a hybrid event with movies screened in-person at the Angelika and in an alternate virtual experience. Each quarter will feature a new event leading up to the festival date in June.
Say goodbye to the Lakefront and hello to the Lightreel Film Festival. Stay tuned for more events and news on the LFF website at www.lightreelfilmfest.com.
About the Lightreel Film Festival
The Lightreel Film Festival is an annual showcase for cinematic talent hosted by the Foundation for the Augmentation of African Americans in Film (FAAAF) in Washington, DC. The festival serves as an opportunity to inform, collaborate, entertain and educate its audience through the cinematic achievements of a wide and diverse collection of BIPOC filmmakers and BIPOC stories from around the world. From 2017 to the present day, the Lakefront Film Festival has been a unique and immersive cultural experience for its community, filmmakers, and stakeholders.
CONTACTS:
Taunja Pegues
marketing@lakefrontfilmfest.com
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