(Photo: Black-German rapper Latash rocks the Brandenburg Gate, via BAM)

This February BAM not only salutes Black History Month, but also provides an antidote to late-winter gloom with something more inspired.

BAMcinematek and the Act Now Foundation present, in conjunction with City Council Member Letitia James, the New Voices in Black Cinema Festival, the second annual festival kicking off Act Now Foundation’s programming year and featuring five films making their New York premieres.

The festival will take place from Thursday February 16 to Monday February 20 at BAM Rose Cinemas. As the festival title suggests, theatergoers will be exposed to breakthrough filmmakers reflecting on the Black experience. With twelve feature-length films and two shorts programs, the festival aims to portray “the struggle of how African-Americans both define and present themselves” over a variety of themes, and with varying genre anywhere from drama to documentary.

Notable films showing include The Furious Force of Rhymes - chronicling the common use of hip-hop as a language for protest across the globe - and Infiltrating Hollywood: The Rise and Fall of the Spook Who Sat by the Door, a documentary following the controversy regarding the 1973 film The Spook Who Sat by the Door, repressed by the FBI during production.

Each day will feature four films or shorts program, with a special workshop for actors on Saturday; viewers to the film Love Jones on Sunday evening will be treated to a special afterparty at BAMcafe.

The Act Now Foundation is a Fort Greene-based foundation fostering creativity and interest in the performing arts, and provides a platform for independent film that speaks to the Black and Latino experience. Founded in 2005, the not-for-profit has served to keep the tradition of African diaspora alive and local. Events are volunteer-run and include screenings, productions and workshops.

New Voices in Black Cinema will take place at BAM Rose Cinemas, with tickets costing $7 for members and $12 general admission. Be sure to check out the full screening schedule, along with film trailers, at the Act Now website.