afroFUTURISM849


Imagination Amplified


Afrofuturism849 is a Chicago-based organization dedicated to creating artistic and educational events and programs that support the Afrofuturist global community. We encourage the visioning of a peaceful today and tomorrow that engages the best of diverse perspectives from the ancient to the future.

We celebrate the intersection between black cultures, indigenous cultures, technology, the imagination, liberation and mysticism as we champion innovation around the world. The number 8.49 is the apparent magnitude of Sirius B, a star celebrated by the Dogon. This star inspires people around the world and we recognize it as one of many symbols of innovation, uncovered pasts and created futures.

2020 Afrofuturism Film Competition

Start working on your new short film with Afrofuturist and Black Sci-fi themes

"Afrofuturism is a literary and cultural aesthetic that combines elements of science fiction, historical fiction, fantasy, Afrocentricity, and magic realism with non-Western cosmologies in order to critique not only the present-day dilemmas of people of color, but also to revise, interrogate, and re-examine the historical events of the past."

BlackWorldCinema™- Chicago and Afrofuturism849.org are looking for films that reflect the Afrofuturist aesthetic from short to feature, animation and documentary.

Now in it's 5th year, the festival takes place the month of Sept on Chicago's South Side at the Studio Movie Grill Chatham Theater and has added a new venue, Chicago Filmmakers on the North Side and No Studios in Milwaukee.

Through our festival we want to nurture and present filmmakers working in the area of sci-fi, fantasy, horror, steamfunk, surrealist, documentary and just plain funky frames.

We will be announcing the application dates in mid-April, 2020.

Coming Soon

The Team

Floyd Webb

Floyd Webb

Partner

Floyd Webb’s background includes global work in cinema, photojournalism, publishing and advertising, all experiences that contribute to his convergence skills as a producer, designer and consultant for the Internet.

His past work includes; associate producer of the award winning Julie Dash Film, Daughters of the Dust(US 1992); local producer of the American Masters film, The World of Nat King Cole (2006); producer and director of music videos, short documentaries, and 3D animations projects.He has also worked with filmmakers John Akomfrah, St. Clair Bourne, Jean Pierre Bekolo and assisted artist Dave McKean in his early filmworks. He recently began development of a comprehensive timeline of all aspects of AfroFuturism. since the 19th Century.

Ytasha Womack

Ytasha Womack

Partner

Ytasha L. Womack is an author, filmmaker, dancer and futurist. Her book Afrofuturism: The World of Black Sci Fi and Fantasy explores black sci fi culture, bleeks, black comix, and the legacy of futurism. The book is a 2014 Locus Award Finalist in the nonfiction category.

Her book Rayla 2212 is a sci fi/ Afrofuturist novel that follows Rayla Illmatic’s travels through space and time. The book inspired the Race in Space Conference at Duke University October 2013 and debuted at the 2014 Chicago Comic Con.

Afrofuturism: The World of Black Sci-Fi and Fantasy Culture

Afrofuturism: The World of Black Sci-Fi and Fantasy Culture
by Ytasha Womack


Winner of: 2014 Locus Awards, Nonfiction Category

In this hip, accessible primer to the music, literature, and art of Afrofuturism, author Ytasha Womack introduces readers to the burgeoning community of artists creating Afrofuturist works, the innovators from the past, and the wide range of subjects they explore. From the sci-fi literature of Samuel Delany, Octavia Butler, and N. K. Jemisin to the musical cosmos of Sun Ra, George Clinton, and the Black Eyed Peas’ will.i.am, to the visual and multimedia artists inspired by African Dogon myths and Egyptian deities, the book’s topics range from the “alien” experience of blacks in America to the “wake up” cry that peppers sci-fi literature, sermons, and activism. With a twofold aim to entertain and enlighten, Afrofuturists strive to break down racial, ethnic, and social limitations to empower and free individuals to be themselves.