BLACK STAINS

Documentary (2018), 13 minutes

Synopsis

Part dance film, part documentary, Black Stains depicts the reality of living while black in the United States, and persistently asks the question: why do we not see black men as human?

Inspired by the personal experiences of Trent D. Williams, Jr., an African American choreographer, Black Stains addresses the systemic pattern of racial profiling by the police. Interviews with black men encompassing a broad spectrum of age, background, and experience illustrate personal human stories that bring abstract issues into sharper focus. Woven together with robust athletic dancing, the film invites a conversation about how to best navigate complex racial issues in a country that refuses to make amends for its troubled past.  

Black Stains is currently available to view on Coreocinema. 

Awards

Best Film Under 15 Minutes, NewGrounds: Dance Film Collection

Best Dance Documentary, Screen Dance International (2021)

Attention Grabber Audience Award, kNOwBox Dance Film Festival (2020)

Visionary Jury Award, kNOwBox Dance Film Festival (2020)

Best Film, Experimental Dance & Music Festival (2020)

Jury Award, ScreenDance Miami (2018)

Screenings

-2021-

January 2021 Denton Black Film Festival, Denton, TX

March 2021 Screen.Dance–Scotland's Festival of Dance on Screen, Scotland

April 2021 Flick Fair On Demand Film Festival, online

May 2021 Idaho Screendance Festival, Boise, ID

May 2021. Utah Dance Film Festival, Orem, UT

September 2021 Screen Dance International, Detroit, MI

September 2021 I Will Tell International Film Festival, London, UK, Florida, USA, Trinidad/Tobago

-2020-

February 22, 2020    Queens Underground Black & Brown Film Festival, NY, NY

May 1-June 1, 2020 Rogue Dancer On-Line Screening: Black & White Showcase

May 22, 2020                EnCore: Dance on Film, Decatur GA

July 7, 2020               Experimental, Dance & Music Festival, Toronto, Canada

September 10, 2020 Mexico City Video Dance Festival, Mexico City, Mexico

September 23, 2020 Charlotte Film Festival, Charlotte, NC

October 10, 2020 Fuselage Dance Film Festival, Seattle, WA

October 2020 Portland Dance Film Festival, Portland, OR

November 2020 InShadow–Lisbon Screen Dance Festival, Lisboa, Portugal

December 2020 South East Dance, Brighton, England

December 2020 KnowBox Dance Film Festival, Dallas, TX & Seoul South Korea

-2019-

July 17, 2019            Moving Body Festival, Varna, Bulgaria

September 19, 2019      London International Screendance Festival, London, England

-2018-

January 20, 2018      ScreenDance Miami, Miami FL (Jury Award Winner)

April 7, 2018             Moving BROWN body – Moving Image Festival, NYC

April 14, 2018               Dance Camera West, Los Angeles CA

April 19, 2018               Langston Hughes African American Film Festival, Seattle WA

July 7, 2018               Movies by Movers, American Dance Festival, Durham NC

Oct 14, 2018             San Francisco Dance Film Festival, San Francisco CA

Oct 21 & 24, 2018   Sans Souci Festival of Dance Cinema, Boulder, CO

Oct 21, 2018             Coco Dance Festival, Port of Spain, Trinidad

November 4, 2018   University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Greensboro, NC

November 10, 2018 Greensboro Dance Film Festival, Greensboro, NC

CAST & CREW:

Co-Directors: Trent D. Williams Jr. & Tiffany Rhynard

Choreographer: Trent D. Williams Jr.

Cinematographer: Tiffany Rhynard

Editor: Heather Mathews

Composer: Farai Malianga

Cast: Jerel Hercules, Taariq Lewis, Daniel Morimoto, Michael “Mikell” Pinkney, Larry Rosalez, Ersom Williams, Trent D. Williams Jr., George Whitehead.

Producers: Heather Mathews, Tiffany Rhynard, Trent D. Williams Jr.