Grab blankets, lawn chairs, and gather family and friends. Street Movies! is coming to Germantown.
On Aug. 23, Scribe Video Center, a nonprofit organization and media arts teaching institution based in West Philadelphia, will present its annual Street Movies! film screening at Vernon Park. The evening will include film, fun, discussion, and community engagement.
Since the early 1990s, Scribe has showcased independent films by talented up-and-coming local, national, and international filmmakers, directors, and artists in locations around the city including Chinatown, Germantown, Strawberry Mansion, South Philadelphia, and Kingsessing.
This yearly tradition of conversation and community in Philadelphia’s media arts began nearly 50 years ago when Louis Massiah founded Scribe in 1982.
“I always enjoyed films as a young person,” Massiah said. A North Philadelphia native, Massiah spent his days immersed in arts and culture. As a child, he frequently attended events at the Society Hill Playhouse, which closed in 2016. In the 1960s, the theater hosted an event called “Street Theater” where, out of a flatbed truck, the company showcased live performances in various communities around the city.
“It really transformed those spaces,” Massiah said. “Once a cultural event happens in a neighborhood [and] people gather, that street corner, park, or parking lot is never the same.”
In his adulthood, Massiah made occasional trips to the coast of West Africa, attending FESPACO — a film festival held in Ouagadougou — Burkina Faso’s capital, where filmmakers and enthusiasts gathered to celebrate, discuss, and honor films made by Pan-African directors, producers, and artists. When he returned, Massiah hoped to create a place where filmmakers could be showcased and honored in Philadelphia. He founded Scribe Video Center.
A decade later, inspired by Society Hill Playhouse’s mobile performances, Massiah created Street Movies!, an open call for local filmmakers to submit their work and have it showcased outdoors.
The earliest days of Street Movies! were in Mantua, North Philadelphia, and Germantown. As the event gained momentum and recognition, the festival expanded to Mt. Airy, South Philadelphia, Chestnut Hill, and areas in Chester, Delaware, and Montgomery counties. “We wanted to make sure that the works showcased could be seen in the communities where they were recorded or created,” Massiah said.
With the financial support of PECO, and through collaborations and partnerships with community groups and organizations, Scribe developed programs aimed at initiating discourse on interests and issues between attendees within various communities. “Each of the Street Movies! is in a collaboration with a community group or neighborhood organization,” Messiah said, with some groups reaching out to them to host the program in their neighborhoods. “The audience and discussion are just as important as the films.”
The films showcased at Street Movies! typically reflect researched topics and current global and national events. This year, “there’s a lot to discuss,” said Scribe field producer William Michael. This year’s selected films are “Suddenly TV” (2022), a 19-minute short about a turn of events in besieged Sudan, directed by documentary photographer and U.S. filmmaker Roopa Gogineni; “Shattered Memory” (2024), a documentary about Palestinian photojournalist Mahfouz Abu Turk’s journey and work in Jerusalem and the West Bank early in his career, by director Hayat Laban; and the “Good Grief Film Project” (2024), a collection of short films produced by SIFTMedia 215 Collective (Sisters in Film and Television), which was itself founded by documentary director Nadine Patterson, and according to the group’s website, was created to highlight “socially conscious women-identified filmmakers, particularly from Black and Latine communities.”
Last year, attendees were treated to the evocative poetry of M. Nzadi Keita, poet, essayist, scholar, and teacher. This year, attendees will enjoy Philadelphia-based spoken-word artist Ursula Rucker. “She’s a staple in the community [and] has a lot of love for Germantown,” Michael said. “We’re really grateful to be able to work with her.”
Attendees are encouraged to arrive at 7:30 p.m. to set up chairs or lay down blankets. “We want you to be comfy,” Michael said. At 7:30 p.m., Rucker will perform a poetry set, and at around 8 p.m., the first two films will screen, followed by a break for discussion and the continuation of the last three films, followed by a closing discussion.
Street Movies! is open to all ages, and Scribe encourages people of all walks of life to unite and debrief. “[We’re] intentional in prompting discussion for people to think about the works and how they relate to their own lives and neighborhoods,” Michael said. Last year’s Street Movies! screening at Vernon Park saw a turnout of about 80 people. Scribe hopes to bring in even more community members this year.
Street Movies! at Vernon Park, Aug. 23 from 7:30-10 p.m., 5800 Germantown Ave. For more information, visit scribe.org.
