We equip the next generation.
The idea for the festival started when Dennis Delemar lived in Tulsa from 2014-2017. He began part of his film career in Tulsa and saw no platform for Black filmmakers to tell their stories unapologetically. Subsequently, the Greenwood Film Festival launched on June 12, 2021, during the 100-year centennial of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre. Greenwood Film Festival has since brought a dynamic experience that merges film and civic discourse to Tulsa.
Based in the home of Black Wall Street, in Tulsa Oklahoma, the festival mission is to equip the next generation of storytellers, while addressing the spiritual root that was the catalyst for the 1921 Tulsa massacre. In addition, we screen films and lead discussions that tackle issues within society in a relatable manner that inspires people to search for the Truth.
Greenwood Film Festival focuses on uplifting the individuals in the community to be who they were created to be. We invite audiences to experience riveting films that will elevate, challenge, and empower them toward healing, love, and freedom.
Founders
Greenwood Film Festival was founded in 2021 by Dennis Delemar with co-founder Danielle Sells.
Dennis ‘Yahuchasad’ Delemar is a Southern man born and raised in New Bern, North Carolina. From 1997 to 2004, Dennis faced extreme physical and mental abuse from his father. Pushed to the brink of suicide or murder, his good friend brought him a little green journal to write down his thoughts. Dennis’s pen not only helped him escape the pain, but his journal entries turned into poetry; poetry turned into many spoken word performances, scripts, and movies, and helped him forgive his father. He has since produced numerous film projects that touch on topics such as abuse, the Black American experience, and religious deception. in 2021, Dennis discovered that his great-grandfather Aaron Atkinson lived in Tulsa during the time of Black Wall Street about 1912.
Danielle Sells was born and raised in Los Angeles, CA. She graduated from Cal State University San Bernardino with a Sociology degree. From a young age, Danielle’s love of dance and art helped her later to nurture the creativity and passions within children in after-school programs. This passion is now seen in GFF’s mission which is to equip the next generation of storytellers. Danielle was instrumental in the birth of GFF, as she helped produce Black Wall Street: An American Nightmare, which was the featured film of the inaugural Greenwood Film Festival.
