Stateless / Apátrida, the documentary film by Michèle Stephenson (American Promise) was the winner of the Best Documentary Award at the 9th annual edition of the BlackStar Film Festival.
In 2013, the Dominican Republic’s Supreme Court stripped the citizenship of anyone with Haitian parents, retroactive to 1929. The ruling rendered more than 200,000 people stateless, without nationality, identity or a homeland. In this dangerous climate, a young attorney named Rosa Iris mounts a grassroots campaign, challenging electoral corruption and advocating for social justice. director Stephenson’s new documentary Stateless traces the complex tributaries of history and present-day politics, as state-sanctioned racism seeps into mundane offices, living room meetings, and street protests.
Filmed with a chiaroscuro effect and richly imbued with elements of magical realism, Stateless combines gritty hidden-camera footage with the legend of a young woman fleeing brutal violence to flip the narrative axis, revealing the depths of institutionalized oppression.
Last year’s festival gave the Best Feature Documentary Award to The Infiltrators, directed by Cristina Ibarra and Alex Rivera.
The 9th edition of the Philadelphia-based BlackStar Film Festival, screening 90 films, including 24 world premieres, took place August 20-26 online.
