THE BFS AWARDS

Friday, NOV 17th, 7 To 10 PM

THE GENTLEMAN’S FACTORY in BROOKLYN, NY

You are cordially invited to an evening recognizing Black leaders in Entertainment and non-fiction storytelling who expand our culture.

Open Bar | Lite Bites | CreATIVE COCKTAIL ATTIRE

This event is being sponsored by The Gotham.

Drinks provided by Uncle Nearest.

Karen McMullen, Rashid Shabazz, & Sonya Childress

Our honorees from The BFS Expanders 2022 Gala.

Multi-talented actress, writer and comedienne Daphnique Springs is a Florida native, who in a short period of time has made her mark in the Los Angeles comedy scene. Sassy, smart and sophisticated, this accomplished young woman has taken over the City of Angels with her comedic wit. With the striking looks of a leading lady, but the versatility of a character actress, Daphnique is infinitely talented and plays a wide range of intriguing characters on stage and screen. She has starred in an eclectic variety of roles on such shows as, How I Met Your Mother (CBS), Jimmy Kimmel Live (ABC), and The Comedy Get Down (BET).

In addition to her budding acting career, Daphnique's stand-up comedy routine is intelligent, dark, honest, and somehow still relatable. Ranging from personal experiences/subjects to social commentary, she has a unique blend of witty and pointed sarcasm which makes her a favorite among countless audiences. Tapping into a natural ability to make people laugh from the stage, Daphnique conveys ease and a confidence that engages audiences and leads to an unpredictable, unprecedentedly hilarious show.

Follow Daphnique on Instagram @iamdsprings

HOSTED BY:

Daphnique Springs

Honorees

Up NEXT - Narrative:

Elegance Bratton & Chester Algernal Gordon

Elegance Bratton began making films as a U.S. Marine after a decade spent homeless. Today, he holds a BS from Columbia University (2014) and an MFA from NYU Tisch (2019). His documentary, PIER KIDS, won a Film Independent Spirit Award (2021) in the Truer Than Fiction category. Elegance’s lauded debut narrative feature THE INSPECTION, held its world premiere at the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival as the opening night film and the closing night film of the New York Film Festival.

The critically-acclaimed A24 film centers around a young homeless gay man who joins the Marine Corps to win back his mother’s love, but learns how to respect himself at bootcamp. The film has garnered numerous award nominations including Golden Globes, Gothams, and Film Independent Spirit Awards, and is now available to rent.

Bratton is currently in post-production on the upcoming feature documentary, HELLFIGHTERS, which highlights the story of African American Jazz pioneer and music mogul James Reese Europe, who was a lieutenant in the 369th Infantry Regiment, known as the Harlem Hellfighters.

Chester Algernal Gordon is an award winning and groundbreaking producer on the rise. With an eye for boundary pushing content, their work is consistently cutting edge and has been featured at more than 200 US-based and international film festivals. The documentary, PIER KIDS, produced by Gordon and directed by Bratton, won a Film Independent Spirit Award (2021) in the Truer Than Fiction category.

The critically-acclaimed A24 film, THE INSPECTION, produced by Gordon, held its world premiere at the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival as the opening night film and the closing night film of the New York Film Festival. The film centers around a young homeless gay man who joins the Marine Corps to win back his mother’s love, but learns how to respect himself at bootcamp.

The film has garnered numerous award nominations including Golden Globes, Gothams, and Film Independent Spirit Awards. Gordon was a winner of the Tribeca Film Institute’s 2019, TFI All Access Grant and TFI Pond5 Program, and was a 2019 Film Independent Producing Lab & Fast Track Lab fellow. Additionally, they are also an accomplished costume designer, and were the first gender non-binary, African American costume designer to compete in competition at the Cannes Film Festival with the film, “Port Authority.”

Watch The Inspection trailer here.

Up NEXT - DOCUMENTARY:

BRIT FRYER

Brit Fryer (he/him) is a queer and trans filmmaker residing in Brooklyn, He is the director of CARO COMES OUT, which premiered on HBOMax after winning the Knight Made in MIA Award at the Miami International Film Festival. His other films include ACROSS, BEYOND AND OVER (Vimeo Staff Pick), BOTANICAL BLACK, and TRANS·IENCE.

His most recent film, THE SCRIPT, co-directed with Noah Schamus, examines the intricate dynamics between the trans and nonbinary communities and medical practitioners. As a producer, his credits include Lydia Cornett’s BUG FARM, Noah Schamus’s KIND OF, Crystal Kayiza’s REST STOP, winner of the Short Film Jury Award for US Fiction at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival.

He is grateful to have shown work at CPH: DOX, Blackstar, NewFest, BFI Flare, Inside Out, and MIX NYC. He has received essential support from organizations, fellowships, and residencies such as The Sundance Institute, PBS, Creative Culture, Yaddo, GLAAD, Film Fatales, BRIC, and The Gotham Film and Media Institute.

He is currently in development on his first feature film.

TRAILBLAZER:

Markuann Smith

Markuann Anthony Smith is the creator, executive producer and plays a supporting role on the American crime drama television series, The Godfather of Harlem, starring Forest Whitaker.

Markuann has been working in the entertainment industry for almost twenty years. While in high school, Markuann’s brother, Father MC, received a record deal with Uptown Records - one of the most popular Hip Hop and R&B labels in the early 1990’s - at the start of the New Jack Swing era. Smith began touring with his brother and was exposed to the likes of Tupac, Toni Tony Tone, Digital Underground and Boyz II Men to name a few. Markuann has always had a passion for acting. Through the years, he worked very hard and landed roles on the Chapelle Show, as well as films, such as Juice, Poetic Justice, Code Blue, and the award-winning short film A Good Day to Die.

DAY ONE :

YABA TUFFOUR

Yaba Tuffour is an Emmy honored filmmaker for her work on the 2013 American University short documentary “JFK: Building Peace For All Time.” Yaba began her film journey at American University as a Film and Media Arts major.

After graduating she moved to London. There she honed her skills and knowledge as a freelance filmmaker by working on various short film and new media projects. She currently works in NYC as a DGA 2nd Assistant director. She has been a Black Film Space member since 2015.

Her previous work in film and television include HBO’s The Gilded Age, Apple TV’s Dear Edward, Netflix’s Mr. Harrigan’s Phone, Starz’s Power: Raising Kanan, and NBC’s Law & Order: SVU. Yaba encourages artists to challenge social norms and create work that explore different perspectives.

Prodigy:

Preston MUtanga

Preston Mutanga was born on 8th October 2008 in Minnesota to immigrant parents, Theodore Mutanga and Gisele Bih Atanga from the North West Region of Cameroon.

His body of work include animation recreation of movie trailers, portraits, illustrations and posters (unpublished). Preston started art at a very tender age of 4 years.

By age 7, he began experimenting with animation using Blender - a freely available 3D modeling and animation software, after he had seen his father, a medical physicist, use Blender for a project at work.

Preston self -taught himself animation skills using YouTube videos. Preston posts his animations regularly on his YouTube Channel and ultimately, he was noticed by Oscar winning Hollywood director Christopher Miller and producer Christina Steinberg who invited him to animate in the Spider-verse sequel.

Preston currently lives with his parents in Toronto, where he currently attends High School. He aspires to attend university after high school to study animation and directing.

ADVOCATE:

JORDAN E. COOPER

Jordan E. Cooper is an award winning performer/playwright who was recently one of OUT Magazine's "Entertainers Of The Year". He starred in a sold out run of his play Ain't No Mo' which was a New York Times Critics Pick. Jordan also created a pandemic centered short film called Mama Got A Cough that's been featured in National Geographic and was named 'Best Of 2020' by The New York Times. He is the creator and executive producer of The Ms. Pat Show, an R-rated 'old school' sitcom on BET+. He can also be seen recurring as “Tyrone" in the final season of FX's Pose.

BFS & CLIVERD 9K GRANT WINNER ANNOUNCEMENT

Black Film Space partnered with cliveRd, a media company founded by venture capitalist and artist Danielle Bennett to offer a $10,000 Proof of Concept short film grant. One member of our community will be awarded live at our awards!

BUILD BLACK CINEMA

The BFS Awards is a ticketed fundraiser to support the ongoing programming efforts of Black Film Space, including its mentorship program, grants, screenwriting accountability groups, workshops, community screenings and more. Serving an active community of 4000 emerging filmmakers nationwide, Black Film Space sees collective growth as key to expanding opportunities, creativity, and representation on all screens.

Our goal is to raise $25,000 by December 15th to support our 2024 programming.

If you’re unable to attend The BFS awards and would still like to support our mission, click here.