Actor Issa Rae (‘Insecure’) among the celebrities to attend The Blackhouse’s Killer Creativity: A New Breed Panel, sponsored by BET Networks, at Sundance 2018, seen here with BET Fellows (photo credit: Eric Umphrey Photography)
(Park City, Utah, January 21, 2018) — John Legend, Issa Rae, Debra Lee and Bevy Smith were among the guests in attendance for the first two days of programming at The Blackhouse during the 2018 Sundance Film Festival.
Filmmakers and industry insiders packed into the Blackhouse’s Sundance headquarters to listen to their peers discuss topics ranging from diversity and inclusion in filmmaking to discussions around the premiere of one the biggest films at Sundance, Monster, all before jamming to the sounds of Grammy-nominated DJ/producer Vikter Duplaix at the official Blackhouse Party.
Attendees mixed and mingled while enjoying wine and hors d’oeuvres, but the Blackhouse’s co-founder, Brickson Diamond, made it clear that while having a good time is important, Blackhouse means serious business, “It’s not about a party. It’s about the mission of expanding access and opportunity. It’s about getting our stories told, distributed and our artists heard again and again.”
The Blackhouse Foundation, an organization whose mission is to create a community for black content creators, is in its 11th year at Sundance and will be at the 2018 festival from January 19-22. Programming highlights this year include a conversation with Grammy-and-Oscar-winner John Legend and Tonya Lewis Lee about film Monster premiering at Sundance and a discussion about ways in which black women are leading the revolution featuring activist and commentator Angela Rye and sponsored by Color of Change and Planned Parenthood.
The Blackhouse Foundation welcomes and thanks the following sponsors for their continued belief and support: Comcast NBC/Universal returns as a full-year sponsor. BET sponsors the Blackhouse Fellows Program bringing 10 Howard University MFA students to the festival and serve as a Creative sponsor. Official sponsors include AT&T Hello Lab, Facebook, and 21st Century Fox Global Inclusion. Supporting sponsors include NETFLIX and HBO. Creative sponsors include CAA, Planned Parenthood/Color of Change, SAG-AFTRA, The Will and Jada Smith Family Foundation, Starz, UMC – The Urban Movie Channel, Eos and more.
