AI predicts Delaware’s future at the Dirty Popcorn Black Film Festival

Delaware’s first Black film festival returned to Wilmington last weekend, this time with an injection of AI.

Wilmington filmmaker Jet Phynx brought back the Dirty Popcorn Black Film Festival to the Delaware Art Museum on August 10, with a mission to make the First State a filmmaking hub for the community.

“Welcome to Delawood,” an interactive AI-generated exhibit, imagines Delaware as a global center of cinema and creativity, complete with a red carpet. 

It’s more than a theme or a narrative, Phynx said. What he and filmmaking partner OZ are building is something to give Delawareans hope. Instead of feeling like they’re stuck and need to go somewhere else to thrive creatively, Phynx and OZ want to see a local renaissance, where the only shooting is from behind a lens.

“They don’t have to leave out of here, they can be whatever they want to be,” Phynx said. His goal is to transform Delaware through filmmaking and make picking up a camera as common as picking up a basketball in the state’s Black neighborhoods. 

The day-long event included panels, local soul food, music and, of course, film screenings. Governor John Carney also made an appearance, and Mayor Mike Purzycki, who was featured in one of the screened films, sent a video message of support.

Here’s some of what we saw: 

➡️ Read more: 

• Jet Phynx believes Delaware is the next big thing 

• What will it take for Delaware to become a creative hub? 

• On nurturing Delaware’s creative economy