30 Nov Philadelphia Organization Spotlight: NO EVIL EYE CINEMA

BY ERICK BARRAGÁN RAMÍREZ

The cinéSPEAK Journal publishes a monthly Philadelphia Organization Spotlight highlighting a local film or moving image focused organization, business, or collective doing unique and impactful work.

NO EVIL EYE CINEMA (NEEC) was created by filmmaker, educator, and artist Ingrid Raphaël and the independent cinematic practitioner Ruun Nuur. This nomadic cinema established and powered by Black and brown women was created in May 2019, and has opened up an eclectic cultural space for inclusive audiences. Since its inception, they have collaborated with various social justice and film organizations to host programs in a variety of one-of-a-kind settings, from underground theaters and DIY organizations to film festivals.

While NO EVIL EYE CINEMA is not exclusively based in Philadelphia, they have offered workshops and other programming here. With their orientation toward liberating film education, they are adding something unique to the Philly film community. NO EVIL EYE CINEMA will also be working with cinéSPEAK to facilitate a multi-month reflection process that will assist us in articulating our own organizational values in honor of cinéSPEAK’s 10th anniversary.

cinéSPEAK talked with Co-Founder Ingrid Rapahël about the present and future of NO EVIL EYE CINEMA.

cinéSPEAK: What is unique about your organization within the Philadelphia landscape?

NO EVIL EYE CINEMA: NEEC operates as a nomadic microcinema and is grateful to translate our organization in various spaces and places including the online realm and wherever our organization leaders reside. 

[Philly] has offered NEEC so many beautiful opportunities to engage and grow with local audiences via FILM FUTURA classes as well as workshops at Paul Robeson House in West Philly and at theaters like The Rotunda. 

cinéSPEAK: How did your organization arrive at the mission of “reimagining the traditional filmic experience to promote a realistic yet utopian vision of cinema as a space of socio-political possibilities”? Can you elaborate on the journey that led to the materialization of your mission?

NO EVIL EYE CINEMA: Ruun Nuur and I (Ingrid Raphaël) met as organizers and film enthusiasts in Columbus, Ohio where [we] grew frustrated by the lack of filmic programming that is prevalent in metropolitan cities like NYC, LA, Atlanta, etc. The microcinema was conceived as nomadic to address this frustration which has resulted in attracting audiences from different cities across the U.S. and internationally. Both co-founders opted into the creation of a manifesto to define the microcinema’s direction, inspired by the legacy of third-cinema documentary filmmakers who crafted manifestos that accompanied their films during a time of emancipatory liberation from colonial rule. By bridging the political legacy in cinema to the personal desire to craft a democratic space for film engagement, NO EVIL EYE CINEMA was born, and its programming continues to mirror the values outlined in the early envisioning of the microcinema.  

cinéSPEAK: Tell us something exciting that is coming up for your organization.

NO EVIL EYE CINEMA: We are proud to continue our accessible educational offerings via FILM FUTURA, our model of virtual learning that hosts robust, intensive educational tracks profiling cinematic legacies, traditions, and unorthodox sensibilities.

FILM FUTURA is a one-stop shop for all your alternative film school needs. More information on SHORT TERM COURSES and MASTERCLASSES will be made available in the coming months! 

cinéSPEAK: Could you share the approach FILM FUTURA takes in shaping future filmmakers?

NO EVIL EYE CINEMA: FILM FUTURA is the educational arm of NO EVIL EYE CINEMA, serving as a virtual film school for folks to join from anywhere (with access to internet) to learn about film history, ways of making, and excavating one’s filmic voice from a decolonial perspective. 

By curating an eclectic range of courses led by stellar cinematic practitioners whose politics and ways of making mirror the microcinema’s ethos, audiences are able to engage with perspectives that are historically excluded from traditional film learning spaces. 

Some participants have come into courses with a project they were developing, some have started new projects from the courses, and others have collaborated and gathered in their respective cities. NO EVIL EYE CINEMA serves as a hub for non-traditional learning that speaks to the film enthusiast interested in developing their palette, questioning history, and curious to build with others. 

cinéSPEAK: What impact do you hope your organization has in the Philadelphia community?

NO EVIL EYE CINEMA: We hope to work and build community with like-minded cinephiles and artists of all ages and backgrounds and pour into each other. 

cinéSPEAK: What are some of the programs or opportunities at your organization that folks can get involved in?

NO EVIL EYE CINEMA: [There are] many ways to connect with NEEC, including joining our film screenings both online and in person, attending our workshops in person, and applying to our online film school once our syllabus goes live in 2024!

Also, we’re always available via email or social media to connect if you have an opportunity that aligns with our mission. 

Finally, we are currently organizing a virtual symposium that will host a series of conversations, lectures, workshops, and readings with trailblazing cinematic visionaries on how we define our histories and interventions for a free Palestine and Free Global South. The symposium is slated to take place December 17th. Follow us across our social media platforms @NOEVILEYECINEMA to keep up to date.

*Featured Image: NO EVIL EYE CINEMA logo. Courtesy of NO EVIL EYE CINEMA.

Would you like your organization to be featured in a future spotlight? Please fill out the  Philadelphia Organization Spotlight form. The cinéSPEAK Journal maintains sole discretion over  the publishing of any information provided via the form. Questions: journal@cinespeak.org.

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Erick Barragán Ramírez is an immigration specialist at Catholic Social Services of Philadelphia, PA.  In addition to being an avid cinephile he serves as a board member of the Association of Mexican Business Owners of Philadelphia. With a background in law studies in Mexico, he came to the US in 2017 and actively volunteers at various organizations supporting immigrants in Philadelphia, including the Welcoming Center, the Consulate of Mexico, and the online radio Philatinos.