Billy Gerard Frank

NOVA FRONTIER FILM FESTIVAL AND LAB IS A TIMELY NARRATIVE, DOCUMENTARY AND EXPERIMENTAL FILM FESTIVAL, AND MULTI-DISCIPLINARY LAB, PASSIONATELY COMMITTED TO SHOWCASING THE WORKS OF FILMMAKERS AND ARTISTS FROM AND ABOUT THE AFRICAN DIASPORAS, MIDDLE EAST, LATIN AMERICA, AND CARIBBEAN. THE LAB WHICH IS A CORE COMPONENT OF THE FESTIVAL, FOCUSES ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF YOUTH AND EMERGING ARTISTS AND MEDIA-MAKERS FROM UNDERSERVED AND UNDERREPRESENTED COMMUNITIES, GIVING THEM AGENCY TO THEM. WE ARE STRATEGICALLY SITUATED IN BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, AND MARSEILLE, FRANCE -- CITIES THAT SERVE AS A NEXUS BETWEEN THESE REGIONS, AND ALSO TWO MAJOR PORTS OF ENTRY FOR IMMIGRANTS, CROSS-CULTURAL FERTILIZATION, AND UNDERSERVED YOUTH POPULATIONS. WITH A PROGRAM OF ON-GOING FILM SCREENINGS, WORKSHOPS, CONFERENCES, PANELS, EXHIBITIONS, AND PERFORMANCES, WE AIM TO CREATE A HYBRID FILM FESTIVAL AND LAB THAT PROMOTE INTERCULTURAL UNDERSTANDING AND INTELLECTUAL ENGAGEMENT THROUGH THE ARTS, REFLECTING AND CELEBRATING THE DIVERSITY THAT SURROUNDS US. TO THAT AIM, OUR YOUTH LAB IS CONCEIVED AS AN INCUBATOR AND HUB, A PLATFORM FOR EDUCATING AND MENTORING THE NEXT GENERATION OF EMERGING YOUNG TALENTS IN THE PHILOSOPHY, SKILL-SETS, AND DISTRIBUTION OF INDEPENDENT FILMMAKING AND NEW MEDIA. THUS A FOCUS ON YOUTH IS TO CREATE A SAFE ENVIRONMENT THAT FACILITATES THE EXCHANGE OF KNOWLEDGE, COLLABORATION AND CO-PRODUCTION, WHILE SIMULTANEOUSLY WORKING ON DISSOLVING CULTURAL BOUNDARIES (CONCEIVED AND PRE-CONCEIVED) THAT SEPARATE US -- ENGAGING IN PRODUCTIVE RATHER THAN PERNICIOUS CONFRONTATIONS. WHAT'S MORE, THE FILM LAB HELPS YOUTH TO FIND THEIR UNIQUE VOICE, UNLEASH THEIR ARTISTIC TALENTS, DEVELOP SKILLS THAT COULD LEAD TO FUTURE CAREER OPPORTUNITIES IN THE FILM AND AUDIOVISUAL INDUSTRIES. WE ARE ALSO BUILDING STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS AND COLLABORATION WITH OTHER FILM FESTIVALS, INSTITUTIONS, AND NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS THAT SHARE OUR MISSIONS, SUCH AS “IMPACT JEUNES” AND “1000 VISAGES” IN MARSEILLE.