When the coronavirus descended on the U.S., Firelight Media, like every other organization, quickly shifted its activities online. The Harlem-based nonprofit has been supporting nonfiction filmmakers of color since 2008, helping move hundreds of films forward through its Documentary Lab and other programs, and it functioned as a production company for another decade before that. Thus when the pandemic stopped film production and real-world gatherings the Firelight team responded quickly with a range of new programs, a service made all the more critical by COVID-19’s disproportionate affect on the Black population. Then, of course, came the murder of George Floyd and the subsequent demonstrations as the nation, and even the world, has acknowledged the systemic and interpersonal racism that still exists in this country.

In response to this new situation, Firelight’s Senior Vice President for Programs Loira Limbal immediately launched the Beyond Resilience Series of weekly online events which began on June 5 and are continuing every Friday afternoon/evening through the summer. Besides her own documentary filmmaking, Limbal has a long history working for community organizations, including founding the Reel X Project, a social justice and filmmaking space for young women of color in the Bronx, in 2006. Now with this new initiative she’s facilitating conversations among Nlack, Indigenous, and POC filmmakers centering around the issues of the moment, with a vision toward the long-term future.

Read more at Filmmaker Magazine.