Youth Yoga Documentary/Program then headed to Africa
(Isstories Editorial):- Oakland, California Oct 12, 2023 (Issuewire.com) – ‘I AM HOPE’ directed and produced by Oakland native, ‘Artivist’, and filmmaker ShakaJamal will screen at the 46th Annual Mill Valley Film Festival on October 13 2023 10:30 am and 4:30 pm. Both shows at the Smith Rafael Film Center are SOLD OUT.
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Multi-disciplinary cultural creative ShakaJamal’s passion for film and music grew while traveling and living in South Africa. The former Saybrook University Presidential Fellow ShakaJamal’s work reveals the inspiring achievements of Pan-Afrikan change makers whose stories often go untold.
This desire to tell those stories was part of the impetus behind the feature documentary, ‘I AM HOPE’. A 200-hour Certified Trauma-Informed Yoga Teacher, ShakaJamal, sought to address issues he had recognized across cultures and continents having to do with youth of color and trauma through film. Namaste Ready is his organization providing yoga and self-care healing practices to activate and support the healing powers of the Black Community. “My hope for our students is that they can take what they’ve learned and apply it to any aspect of their life at any point in time. This benefits them first, but as a consequence their family, community, and ultimately this entire world.”, states ShakaJamal.
A Producer and Director of documentaries, short films, and music videos for over 2 decades, ‘I AM HOPE’ is a bridge connecting today with ShakaJamal’s history with South Africa, his time as a rural Peace Corps Volunteer and his independent work with local urban entrepreneurial artists. The first Oakland filmmaker to receive the Game Changers Fellowship, ShakaJamal’s work has premiered both nationally and internationally, on television, and in numerous film festivals.
All screenings will be followed by a Question and Answer session with the director and special guests.
The 10:30a Q&A will host former Black Panther Mama C aka Mama Charlotte Hill O’Neal, poet, visual artist, musician, longtime community activist in the Black Panther Party and co-director of the United African Alliance Community Center (UAACC) based in Arusha, Tanzania. Called a ‘one woman Diaspora’, once taboo for women to play a Kenyan lyre called a nyatitii, Mama C is now one of a handful of women who perform with the instrument.
The 4:30p Q&A will host Mama Ericka Huggins who has a long list of accolades among them educator, Black Panther Party member, former political prisoner, human rights advocate, and poet. She also supported innovative mindfulness programs for women and youth in schools, jails and prisons. For 50 years, Ericka has used her life experiences in service to the community.
Award winning stand-up comic, TV host, executive producer, and author, W. Kamau Bell is a Peabody Award winning director. He hosts and executive-produces the Emmy Award winning CNN docu-series United ‘Shades of America with W. Kamau Bell’. Kamau executive produced the four-part Showtime documentary, ‘We Need To Talk About Cosby’, is the CLU Celebrity Ambassador for Racial Justice, serves on the board of directors of Donors Choose, and advisory board of Right To Be (formerly Hollaback!).
District 3 Oakland Unified School District Board Member VanCedric Williams is a 20 year educator and a driven and committed advocate for young students. His goal to figure out an equitable way so all students can navigate the school system successfully is fueled by having close relationships with students who come from a wide variety of backgrounds and circumstances.
ShakaJamal will be continuing the program aspect of ‘I AM HOPE’ to South Africa and Tanzania with the intent to screen the film and host q&a’s and workshops at multiple locations.
Organized by the California Film Institute, the Mill Valley Film Festival takes place each October in Mill Valley, California and welcomes more than 200 filmmakers, representing more than 50 countries, each year. Screen International has named Mill Valley Film Festival a Top 10 US film festival.
This article was originally published by IssueWire. Read the original article here.
