About

Get to know us better.

Who We Are

Black Cinema Collective (BCC) is a group of multicultural artists and scholars who examine and celebrate works of African and Afro-diasporic filmmakers through programmed screenings and community discussions. With a Black global lens, we consider intersectional histories and topical stories by supporting films from local and global artists, activists, documentarians, and organizers. Our screenings and artist talks also explore radical cinematic imaginaries within contemporary art, music, performance and poetry practices. Through our work we act as custodians and students who learn and hold the broader spectrum of Afro-Diasporic cultures.

Our Roots

We were founded in 2019 by Berette Macaulay at the behest of Susan Harewood at University of Washington-Bothell. Together with founding members Mateó B. Ochoa (aka Chile Dulce) and Savita Krishnamoorthy, we organize screenings, watch parties and talks that hold space for the complex existence and storytelling inventions of Diasporians.

We have benefited from a guiding Advisory Circle lead by Susan Harewood alongside Lauren S Berliner and Cooper T. Sealy, as well as our cherished community of friends and partners who work with us to platform work otherwise unknown to Seattle audiences and beyond.

BCC is proud to be fiscally sponsored by Northwest Film Forum and is a recipient  of the Seattle Office of Arts & Culture C.A.R.E. Grant (2023), the  Seattle Foundation Creative Equity Fund (2021), the 4Culture Projects Grant (2021), the Redmond Arts Season Grant (2021), and the Simpson Center for the Humanities Graduate Research Grant (2019). BCC is currently a project of i.ma.gine | e.volve™

Our Focus

“Black art. Black life. Black joy. Black cinema. Black vision. That isn’t reductive. That isn’t flattened. That’s complicated and complex. That’s queer. That’s trans. That’s femme. That’s feminist. These are the kinds of films and the kinds of programs that the Black Cinema Collective is putting out there.”

— Thea Quiray Tagle PhD | curator, writer, scholar, educator

Meet the Team

Berette S Macaulay

FOUNDER + LEAD ORGANIZER
Partnerships, Programs, Operations + Development
“With years in the arts as a maker and curator across geographical spaces, I truly believe in a person’s right to imagine themselves into Being - liberated of fixed identities, labels or nations, and so I’m interested in supporting community and individual agency in sharing unique journeys that reverse subjective erasure. As a multicultural Black woman, I live in defiance of these erasures by my very existence, which is the motivation for sharing in a mindful and empathetic space of witnessing for fellow Black and Brown diasporans across borders, languages, nations, and regions. This what BCC is here to do, to serve the multitudes of US.”
Savita Krishnamoorthy

FOUNDING MEMBER + CO-ORGANIZER
Research, Development, + Programs
“Art for me is a way of life; it defines my identity and empowers me to educate and challenge the status quo. I value the space between arts practice and its impact on communities in affecting change + shifting the narratives of bias and judgement.”
Mateó (Chile Dulce)

FOUNDING MEMBER + CO-ORGANIZER
Media Design + Programs
“Artmaking is a testimonial tool for a lot of us. The Black. The Brown. The Queer. The Trans. The Disabled. The Poor. Yet, none of us speak from a singular place because our identities are in a constant state of convergence and dissipation. Because of this, I am pulled by how artists use testimony to remember, forget, correct, and affirm our dynamic lives.”
Em Chan

MEMBER LIAISON
Social Media, Communication & Admin Assistance
Em Chan (he/they) is an interdisciplinary arts worker.
Abbie Altamirano

CO-ORGANIZER (active 2022 - 2023)
Social Media Management + Education Outreach
Art is the one way I have been able to break out my head, the mold society sets, and a place that has continually been one of the best relationships I have with self-expression. Art has transcended the barriers, the fog, the pain, and the love. It grows and changes and it impacts. Art is such a cumulation of our paths, our makeups, and our stories. Consuming art, creating art, and preserving art has been a true gift in this lifetime.