Opening Friday night is the second edition of the Halifax Black Film Festival. It runs through Sunday with screenings, workshops, andevents planned at a variety of downtown locations. You can visit the website for more detail, screening times, and tickets. The festival’s opening film at the Spatz isThe Rape of Recy Taylor.  It’s a documentary about a young black woman in 1944 Alabama who was gang-raped by a group of white men. They threatened her to keep her quiet, but instead she sought legal help and got support from Rosa Parks, who at the time was a caseworker for the NAACP.  If the story sounds familiar, it’s because Oprah Winfrey addressed it during her barn-burning speech at the Golden Globes in January. I don’t often review documentaries here, but I’ve seen the film, and it’s fascinating—it feels like one of those docs that really deserves a feature film treatment. Also worth mentioning is the closing film at the festival is Cory Bowles’ feature Black Cop.

Also this weekend is Women Making Waves, a conference put together by the good people at Women in Film and Television – Atlantic. Go here for all the particulars. It’s been running for a few years and offers opportunities to hear from industry leaders, participate in workshops, and take part in panels discussing the art and business of film and TV. And it’s for everyone, not just people who identify as women.