Join us at the Ferndale library for screenings of two short films by celebrated director, composer, and creative Remy Styrk as we honor Juneteenth. 

"These are the stories of what it means to be the hope and the dream of the slave. Without Juneteenth, these stories wouldn't be heard. Listen as Jason and Isaac tell us how they navigate their joy and light. This is Before I.”

From Remy Styrk:

In May of 2022, I and a team of powerful black community leaders in Whatcom County, Washington made a film called I Am The Hope And The Dream. It was a public health short documentary about Juneteenth and how the community members celebrate/their relationship with the holiday. The film was shown in several schools throughout Whatcom County, even making its way into classrooms across the U.S. Since I’ve been here and had time to reflect more on the original Juneteenth film, the biggest realization I’ve had is: Sometimes it takes seeing someone who looks like you doing something you want to do to even imagine it possible. Black people are more often portrayed and represented with violence, police brutality, drugs, street crime, and anti-family language. Safe spaces and opportunities for black voices to be heard are twisted into healing moments for white people (e.g. films about slavery, trauma-forward black experiences, etc.). We are never seen in the context of light. We are never seen as humans outside of our collective trauma.

Part 2, Before I, is the next step in changing that. It is the next step in sharing our voices and sharing our light. Our trauma does not define us, though it has shaped us. My name is Remy Styrk and I'm the director of the documentaries I Am The Hope And The Dream and Before I. I'm an award-winning trans (he/him) black queer filmmaker and musician. I've worked with Microsoft for Touch Worldwide, VH1, HBO, KC Ballet, The Grammy Museum, Whatcom County Health Department, Circle Zero Eight Magazine, and Octopus Theatricals; studied with Matchbox Twenty, Fallout Boy, Sevendust, and many more; and my films have been shown in multiple film festivals all over the U.S. In addition to being behind the camera, I write and record all the scores for my original films. I am dedicated to capturing and uplifting the light of black humans.

This event is in partnership with Connect Ferndale.