Denton Black Film Festival, DBFF Institute and Panavision expand partnership

As part of an ongoing effort to support and elevate the Black storytelling community, the Denton Black Film Festival and its DBFF Institute, is expanding its partnership with Panavision, the global provider of technical and creative solutions that provide the foundation for the creative image-making process.

During the 2021 Denton Black Film Festival, 27 January – 1 February, Panavision will donate two camera rental grant packages to the winning filmmakers in the Best Narrative Feature and Best Documentary Feature categories.

To further the mission of the DBFFI, Panavision will collaborate with the Institute to curate a series of workshops that aim to educate, train, and inspire the next generation of Black storytellers. The four-part educational series for 2021 will kick off during the festival, with subsequent workshops following quarterly and covering a range of technical and creative topics that confront filmmakers from pre-production through post.

Additionally, to continue amplifying the voices of Black artists, DBFFI and Panavision have created Voice x Vision, a social video series that provides a platform to filmmakers who are telling powerful stories related to the Black experience.

“Panavision has been a tremendous partner over the years,” said Harry Eaddy, who along with his wife, Linda, help lead a team of volunteers to produce the annual film festival. “By expanding this effort, we’re able to support creatives with their projects and expose their great work to a broader audience.”

Kim Snyder, president and CEO of Panavision, added, “The Denton Black Film Festival is a wonderful vehicle for creatives to showcase their work. Panavision shares the Festival’s and the Institute’s goal of empowering individuals from the Black community who aspire to or already work in the film, television, and commercial arenas. We’re excited to build upon our partnership to support, encourage, and promote the work of Black storytellers.”