Hazel Joyner-Smith: founder and CEO, International Black Film Festival
With no budget and no blueprint, Hazel Joyner-Smith programmed her first film festival in just two weeks. It was a whirlwind experience, but she got it done. And she hasn't looked back since. The International Black Film Festival has been going strong here in Nashville for two decades, and this year's edition, which begins this week, showcases a range of films from features to shorts to documentaries — many of them produced in Tennessee.
Hazel grew up on a tobacco farm in North Carolina, and credits her father for instilling a tireless and exacting work ethic, which came in handy during her…
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