All The Ladies Say
Directed by A. “Rokafella” Garcia
International House, 7:00PM

Screens with The Big Pay Back and Scene Not Heard

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All The Ladies Say is a film that highlights the lives of six iconic female street dancers from San Jose, Atlanta, Miami, and Chicago, who have carved a niche in the physically challenging, male-dominated breakdance world. Discussions about motherhood, sexual tension, femininity versus masculinity, and the rap industry/mainstream images are a few of the themes explored by the documentary’s main characters. International dancers not only make appearances but also add their two cents about life as a B Girl in the Hip-hop world.

The director, B Girl Rokafella, is a veteran female breakdancer who co-founded Full Circle Producutions, Inc. in 1996 with her husband Kwikstep.  For over a decade, their mission has been to present uplifting Hip Hop dance performances and provide educational Hip Hop dance programming through out NYC. In 2005, Rokafella felt the timing was perfect to introduce a national introspective discussion series, bringing the community together to address issues on personal and professional levels that can be resolved with sensitive and open dialogue.

She wrote a grant proposal to the Ford Foundation to fund this series of discussions called “The B Girl Sitdowns”. In 2006 she curated a six city series of discussions and activities that would be organized and hosted by female street dancers in their respective cities, extending an invitation to all Hip Hop artists, male and female alike.  The archival footage began to develop a story of its own and so began the quest to produce a documentary about the journey of B Girls. Full Circle has recently received a film production grant from Bronx Council on the Arts, which adds to Rokafella’s continuous fund raising efforts.

More info on Rokafella and the film can be found at:

• alltheladiessay.com
• fullcirclesoul.com

Scene Not Heard: Women in Philadelphia Hip-Hop
Directed by Maori Karmael Holmes
International House, 7:00PM

Screens with The Big Pay Back and All The Ladies Say

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Philadelphia is often referred to as the mecca for American soul music, however its contributions to hip-hop have often been overlooked despite its mass proliferation of artists, many of whom have made landmark contributions as emcees, graffiti artists, dancers, and most notable as deejays. Despite this, the City of Brotherly Love has continued to churn out some of the most innovative hip-hop artists of the current generation. Perhaps one of the most unique aspects to the scene is the abundance of powerful female voices that it has produced as artists, promoters and writers. This film seeks to tell the story of these women—the legends, the famed, and the ingénues—as they struggle to succeed in a male-dominated industry in a city that has been left behind in the national consciousness. Scene Not Heard features interviews with some of the originators of hip-hop such as Lady B, Schoolly D, Monie Love and Rennie Harris, with vanguards chiming in including Bahamadia and Ursula Rucker, and presents current talents such as the Jazzyfatnastees, Ms. Jade, and Lady Alma, and emerging talents such as Versus, Keen of Subliminal Orphans and Michele Byrd-McPhee of Montäzh, as well as scholars, critics and local promoters.

The Big Pay Back
Directed by Leah Keturah Caesar and Nicole Victorious Harris for Leah Nicole Productions
International House, 7:00PM

Screens with Scene Not Heard: Women in Philadelphia Hip-Hop and All The Ladies Say

The Big Pay Back is a short documentary made up of stories uniquely narrated by female pioneers and the leading ladies of new school Philly hip hop. This film provides an in depth look into the life of Philadelphia women of hip hop by way of exclusive interviews, exhibitions of their craft, archives and classic locations. Philly’s history in Hip Hop is deeply rooted, yet unknown. These stories will be told by the people who lived it. The directors’ goals for the film are to record the untold testimonies of these powerful Philly women as they serve as key advocates in the progression of our culture. The Big Pay Back is part of the feature-length Raw Talent Philly which will highlight The Philadelphia experience by introducing our style and rich history in hip hop dance, dating back to late 70′s all the way to present day. This documentary will cover our originality in stepping/ break dancing, popping, locking, house, old school 90s to our own native dance the “Wu-Tang”.Raw Talent will also capture the connection that graffiti art and djing have to the dance community. We are presenting exclusive archives, interviews, pictures, footage, and classic locations. These stories will be told by the people who lived it, along with the legendary pioneers and new school prodigies. Philadelphia Premiere.