Tired of the action movies on tap at the summer box office? The BlackStar Film Festival in Philadelphia is offering an antidote. 
The festival, in its second year, is bringing together some of the best Black talent in the independent film scene for four days in August for film screenings, Q&A sessions and other artistic events. The highlight of the event will be a panel discussion on independent film headlined by Spike Lee. Called "By Any Means Necessary: Producing Independent Film," the discussion will inform both aspiring and established filmmakers the tricks to working outside of the studio system. Lee, of course, is arguably the foremost and certainly one of the most successful indie filmmakers in the business. His early works like Do the Right Thing and White Men Can't Jump chart on even the most legendary filmmakers' must-watch lists. 
Dubbed the "Black Sundance" by Ebony, the BlackStar Film Festival will also feature the world premiere of Wangechi Mutu’s The End of Eating Everything, the Philadelphia premiere of Andrew Dosonmu’s Mother of George and David Tosh Gitonga’s Nairobi Half Life, as well as a special presentation of Victoria Mahoney’s Yelling to the Sky, which includes a Q&A with actors Tariq “Black Thought” Trotter and Yolanda Ross.
The festival will take place August 1–4. Click here for more info and a schedule of events.
BET.com is your #1 source for Black celebrity news, photos, exclusive videos and all the latest in the world of hip hop and R&B music. 

(Photo: Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images)