The first annual BlackStar Film Festival is being held at the International House in West Philly (3701 Chestnut St.) this weekend. The mission of the new festival is to showcase films not always featured in other festivals by celebrating “the visual and storytelling traditions of the African Diaspora and to showcase independent film and video works by and about black people from around the world.” The four-day festival includes forty films of all genres, including documentaries, music videos, and experimental films along with traditional narratives. Tickets ($8) are available online.

One of the films being featured at the festival is FunkJazz Kafé: Diary of a Decade, a documentary chronicling the evolution of black and popular music told by musicians themselves – old, current and future. Famous faces in the film include: Roy Ayers, Erykah Badu, Jill Scott, George Clinton, Dick Gregory, Chuck D, Dallas Austin, Cee Lo, and many others. The film was written, directed, and produced by Jason Orr. There will be a Q&A session with him after the screening, which is tomorrow (Aug 4) at 8 p.m. Check out the trailer below.

– Kelly Lawler