A film festival weekend of screenings and events, billed as an international celebration of Black storytelling, culture and creativity, has been launched. The Bermuda Black Film Festival, founded by festival director Dana Selassie and produced through Zhyon International, has officially opened submissions for the Bermuda Black Film Weekend. It invites directors, producers and storytellers from across the African diaspora to participate.

The inaugural event is scheduled to take place from October 15 to 18 at the Bermuda Underwater Exploration Institute and additional venues across the island.

Industry film-makers, producers and actors from the United States, Britain, the Caribbean, Africa, including Nigeria's “Nollywood”, will gather in Bermuda for four days of film screenings, industry panels, workshops and creative networking, united by the theme “Connecting Voices Across the Diaspora”.

It launches in partnership with Gifted [Girls in Film, Technology, Entertainment and Design], whose Youth Film Conference will be on October 15.

Dr Selassie said: “The Bermuda Black Film Weekend is about more than film screenings; it is what happens when the voices that have been scattered across the Black Atlantic finally sit in the same room — together.

“Our confirmed industry speakers have a combined social media reach of over two million people, with their participation anticipated to help the Bermuda Black Film Weekend go beyond its inaugural year as a must-visit event on the international film circuit.

“Bermudian film-makers and student film-makers will benefit directly from the weekend's events, participating in workshops and industry discussions with our guest film-makers, and gaining access to conversations and connections that have historically been out of reach for creatives from small island nations.

“Bermuda has the talent. We have the infrastructure. What we are building here is proof of that.”

Dr Selassie describes herself as a diasporic archival film-maker, cultural curator and media strategist. She holds a PhD in Film and Television Studies, and a Master of Arts in Media Production and Multimedia Design.

Her doctoral thesis argued that Bermuda's “unique position as a site of cultural hybridity — shaped by its political ties to Britain, its geographic proximity to America and its deep cultural roots in the Afro-Caribbean — created a media landscape defined by colonial representation and resistance”.

Its conclusion was that “whoever owns the media owns the narrative”.

As a film-maker, Dr Selassie has worked to bring stories of Bermuda and the Black Atlantic to life, including an experimental short film on the life of Mary Prince produced using artificial intelligence.

She most recently served as associate producer and cultural consultant on The Clyde Best Story: Transforming the Beautiful Game.

She has also served for several years as acting commissioner on the Bermuda Film Commission Working Group.

Dr Selassie is an adjunct lecturer of media arts at the Bermuda College, founder and chief executive of Zhyon International, the founder of Gifted and founder of the Mary Prince Women's Entrepreneurial and Leadership Conference.

The Bermuda Black Film Weekend will include film screenings, industry panels, creative workshops and networking events. On October 15, the Gifted Youth Film Conference will connect Bermudian students with international and Bermudian guest film-makers.

Dr Selassie added: “Jamaica's prime minister recently declared that film is Jamaica's next goldmine, and countries across the region are making aggressive, strategic investments in film as both a cultural and economic priority.

“Bermuda has the opportunity to be part of that conversation and through the Bermuda Black Film Weekend, we are making that case with action.

“We look forward to engaging with the Department of Culture and the Bermuda Tourism Authority as we continue to grow this initiative, and we welcome the support of government and corporate partners who recognise what cultural tourism and diaspora storytelling can do for our island.

“Through our registered charity Gifted, we are also ensuring that the next generation of Bermudian girls grows up knowing that the camera, the edit suite and the director's chair belong to them too.

“We are also providing opportunities for our young men to step into the world of film, to be creative, express their voice and lead on the screen, through our acting and film workshops, partnering with Sia Spence of Frames for the Future.”

• Films can be submitted viafilmfreeway.com/BermudaBlackFilmWeekendup until the deadline of August 22. Accepted films will be announced on August 29