The Social Justice Now Film Festival (SJNFF), hosted by the Film Life Foundation, has announced its official lineup of narrative features, documentaries, and short films for the upcoming event. Scheduled to take place from February 22nd to February 24th, 2024, the festival will be held at Sony Pictures Entertainment’s studio lot in Culver City, with Sony Pictures serving as the Founding Sponsor.
The festival aims to challenge, motivate, and inspire change through storytelling and discussions on pressing social justice issues. Among the featured films is “Kemba,” a BET+ Original Film directed by Kelley Kali and written by Christine Swanson, which draws inspiration from the life story of criminal justice reform advocate Kemba Smith. Additionally, documentary shorts such as “How to Sue the Klan,” “Underwater Projects,” and the world premiere of “848: The Criminalization of America” will be showcased.
With a mission to encourage action and reflection, the SJNFF provides a platform to address critical topics including racism, criminal justice reform, equity, education, and immigration rights within Black and Brown communities. The festival offers opportunities for engagement with filmmakers, activists, authors, and academics through post-screening discussions.
Melanie Sharee, Festival Director, expressed the belief in the transformative power of film, stating, “We believe in the power of film as a vehicle for social change.” She extended gratitude to Sony for their support in amplifying marginalized voices and fostering community engagement.
The festival’s schedule includes screenings of narrative features, documentary features, and short film collections. Highlights include “The Fight for Black Lives,” “848: The Criminalization of America,” and two collections of impactful short films addressing various social justice themes.
For more information and tickets, visit the festival’s website or access Eventbrite. Follow SJNFF on social media @socialjusticenowfilmfestival.
About The Social Justice Now Film Festival: The SJNFF, presented by the Film Life Foundation, is dedicated to showcasing content that confronts racism and raises awareness of social and economic issues affecting Black and Brown communities in the United States. Sony Pictures is the festival’s founding sponsor.