by WILLIAMENA KWAPO

The full range of Black films, from shorts to feature-length documentaries and narrative films, were on display at the historic Guild Theater for five days last week.

The second annual Oak Park Black Film Festival was hosted by former Mayor Kevin Johnson, who introduced the films and also offered samples of Black craft beers.

Johnson, who grew up in Oak Park, shared his love of film and the opportunities that exist for aspiring Black filmmakers, highlighting Black stories across the diaspora directed by Black filmmakers.

The festival ended with “Black Barbie”, a documentary that explores the topic of representation through the history of the famous doll.

Through intimate interviews and archival footage, director Lagueria Davis tells the story of her great-aunt, Beulah Mae Mitchell, who worked at Mattel during the development of the first Black Barbie in the early 1980s.

“I didn’t know that Black Barbie existed. I didn’t know that Black Barbie had a story,” Davis said. “I had a specific story in mind that I wanted to tell that centered Black girls and representation.”

“Black Barbie” is set to premiere on Netflix in 2024.

A short documentary, “Ifine,” shed light on the topic of skin-bleaching in West Africa. Directed by Adisa and Ebony Gilbert, it is set in the Kano district of Sierra Leone. By incorporating artistic visuals of the country’s landscape and poetry, it follows the coming-of-age story of youth amid a skin-bleaching epidemic.

“This is such a heavy topic,” Adisa said. “I’d like to take it into universities, do a curriculum around it and colorism, and try to use this as a decolonization tool.”

The festival also dedicated a day to films about the legacy and culture of hip-hop in celebration of the 50th anniversary of hip-hop. Audiences saw films like “Eve After Dark,” which chronicled the iconic 1980s teen club, owned by Alonzo Williams, that propelled the careers of some of the most influential rappers of the ’90s.

The OBSERVER also spoke to other filmmakers like Tari Wariebi, director of the short “We Were Meant To,” and Tamika Miller, director of the feature “Honor Student.” Both films won their respective categories.