WATERPROOF
A look into the polarizing attributes of Water as a conduit in the Black experience. Water can be all things catastrophic—a burial, an ending, humanity's evolving transporter through time and space—while cradling life as we know it. Water's vitality remains a touchstone for Black filmmakers, often channeling a spiritual connection centered between scenes. Waterproof visualizes Water's historical importance to Black life, reframed by these filmmakers and concluding with an essay film compiled by Melissa Lyde.
Guest programmed by Melissa Lyde, co-presented by Alfreda's Cinema.
TOWARDS THE COLONIES by Myriam Charles. 2016. 5 min.
WATER RITUAL #1: AN URBAN RITE OF PURIFICATION by Barbara McCullough. 1979. 6 min.
MAMAN BRIGITTE by Ayanna Dozier. 2021. 3 min.
SHE GATHER ME by Miatta Kawinzi. 2021. 11 min.
WATERFALLS by F. Gary Gray. 1995. 4 min.
NEGRO BAPTISM filmed by Reverend S. S. Jones. mid-1920s. 1 min.
FOR OUR GIRLS by Imani Dennison & Michele Stephenson. 2021. 10 min.
Thanks to Third World Newsreel.
Post-screening DJ set by Jon Jon Hernandez next door at Rockaway Brewing Co. until midnight.
Our Sponsors
Rockaway Film Festival would like to thank VBX™~Vernam Basin Terminal for generously hosting us at the Arverne Cinema in addition to BBX™~Barbadoes Basin Terminal for contributing to such.
RFF also thanks Rockaway Artists Alliance and the National Park Service for hosting us in Fort Tilden.
RFF is proud to be sponsored by Blundstone®, Istic Illic Pictures, and NYC Ferry. The festival is made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature, and the National Endowment for the Arts. Additional support provided by FRANC.