Michelle Matarre is in her 10th year as curator of the Harlem Film Festival. Unlike other festivals which take open submissions, the Harlem Film Festival is more akin to a group art show where individual pieces are selected to explore and indulge in a collective theme. Matarre and her producing partner Neyda Martinez have established the festival as an avenue for serious filmmakers to get their works-in-progress seen and seek out funding to complete their projects. It has also provided the opportunity for now-established black filmmakers like Malcolm Lee ('The Best Man') to transition from shorts to feature films.

In celebration of the evolution of their festival, as well as black independent film in general, they are showing 1991’s 'Daughters of the Dust' which will be followed by a discussion with cultural critic and author, Thulani Davis and 'Dust' director Julie Dash. Matarre and Martinez will also explore the theme of women’s history with 'Sisters in Law: Stories From a Cameroon Court,' a film about women lawyers and judges in Cameroon. Other festival highlights include Grant Leigh Saunders’ short film 'B.L.A.C.K. – An Aboriginal Song of Hip-Hop'. and the New York premiere of Donnie L. Betts' 'Music is My Life, Politics My Mistress: The Story of Oscar Brown Jr.'

The Harlem Film Festival ran from Friday March 3rd to Sunday, March 5th, in the heart of central Harlem at Aaron Davis Hall at City College. We got a chance to catch up with Michelle Matarre, on the eve of the festival to pick her brain about the project and the independent film world in general.

Why did you become the curator of the Harlem Film Festival 10 years ago?

"Ten years ago my partners and I had a film distribution company and we were looking for an outlet for short films we were distributing. Malcolm Lee showed a short called 'Morningside Prep' 10 years ago, the first year I was Curator, and from there got his features deal, for example.'

What exactly is the difference between a curated festival and one that is not?

'It is a curated series, which means it is not a festival because it is not an open call where people can submit films that are chosen. This is more like an art show. The benefit of doing it this way is that it shows the films in a better light. There is more of a thematic thread. But we do have first-time filmmakers. It is more a question of quality and content."

Robert Redford recently made a post-Sundance comment about how hyped his festival had become and even mentioned Paris Hilton's unwanted presence at Sundance in his quip. How do you avoid these kinds of problems? How do you keep the focus on the films?

"The way we do the festival we don't have to get caught up in the hype. We aren't dictated to by what's going to sell the tickets. We are now getting known for showing unique work. A lot of the work we show won't get seen in other places. 'Faces of Change,' a powerful documentary about media activists was screened as a work-in-progress here two years and now it’s completed."

Who is the audience for the Harlem Film Festival?

"It used to be a lot of people from the immediate Harlem community. Now it's extended to students, enthusiasts and industry people."

What are you showing this year that you have especially high hopes for?

"'B.L.A.C.K. – An Aboriginal Song of Hip Hop,' a film from Australia about how African America culture influences the world and how hip hop can interpret culture. It will get attention from US broadcasters. The Oscar Brown documentary, 'Music is My Life, Politics My Mistress: The Story of Oscar Brown, Jr.' The director John Sales ('Brother From Another Planet') is going to introduce it. Brown's music impacted a lot of people we know, like Abbey Lincoln and Amiri Baraka. It’s an important historical documentary. And films that deal with Women's History like 'Daughters of the Dust.' The nuances of a woman’s voices tends to be unique and at the same time universal.”

Go to Aaron Davis Hall's Web site for information about the Harlem Film Festival.