FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Heidi Durrow

Phone: 213-293-7077

Email: heidi@mixedremixed.org

Website: www.mixedremixed.org

Twitter: @mixedremixed

Instagram: mixedremixed

#mixedremixed

FESTIVAL CELEBRATING MIXED-RACE FAMILIES REVEALS 2017 SCHEDULE

LOS ANGELES, CA, May 08, 2017 — The Mixed Remixed Festival, the nation’s largest gathering of mixed-race and multiracial families and people, will take place at the Los Angeles Theatre Center in downtown Los Angeles (514 S. Spring Street), June 10, 2017.

The Festival celebrates stories of multiracial Americans and families, the fastest growing demographic in the U.S. A free public event, the Festival brings together film and book lovers, innovative and emerging artists, and multiracial and multicultural families and individuals for workshops, readings, performances, and film screenings.

The Mixed Remixed Festival attracted close to 1,000 people from across the country last year and featured dozens of writers, scholars and performers including TV and film star Taye Diggs. This year the Festival–now in its fourth year–celebrates the 50th Anniversary of Loving v. Virginia, the Supreme Court decision that allowed people of different races to marry nationwide.

The Festival, a non-profit arts organization — is produced by The New York Times best-selling writer, Heidi Durrow, and a talented team of entertainment professionals and artists.

“It’s exciting to finally see mixed people and families in mainstream media and to connect with each other on-line,” says Durrow, who calls herself an Afro-Viking because she is African-American and Danish. “But the Festival is the only nationwide cultural arts event where we get to meet each other and share stories.”

The event is free and open to the public. Registration is now open. The complete Festival schedule can be found online at www.mixedremixed.org.

FESTIVAL HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE:

• The Festival hosts the largest West Coast Loving Day Celebration, Saturday, June 10, 2017, at 6:30 p.m. with the annual Storyteller’s Prize presentation and live show. The Festival will present the Storyteller’s Prize to film star David Oyelowo as part of a dynamic live show featuring comedians, musicians and spoken-word poets.

• Families can enjoy interactive craft activities, free face-painting and storytelling events led by the beloved Santa Monica bookstore, Books and Cookies, as part of the family activities.

• The Festival will feature a special program featuring a family for whom the Loving decision came too late. Recently, a young law student in Virginia, Katrina Callsen, uncovered her own side of the story, with the help of modern science – a genetic test from 23andMe. Katrina and her father share her discovery and the ripple effect it’s had on the family.

• The Festival will present several notable short films including the award-winning Silences (dir. Octavio Warnock-Graham). Immediately following all the screenings there will be Q & A with the filmmakers and scholar-led discussions that connect a humanities perspective to contemporary storytellers’ work.

• The Festival includes author readings by New York Times bestselling author Julie Lythcott-Haims (How To Raise An Adult: Break Free of the Overparenting Trap And Prepare Your Kid for Success, and the forthcoming memoir Real American) and award-winning writer May-lee Chai and many others.

• More than a dozen esteemed panelists will speak on diverse topics related to the mixed-race and multicultural experience, including one of the youngest TED Fellows, musician/filmmaker Kayla Briet; and Tehran, comedian and host of the popular shows Comedy Bazaar and All-Star Comedy at The Laugh Factory.

Festival sponsors and funders include: 23andMe, Mixed Chicks, Buntoppers, Final Draft, Wood Ranch BBQ & Grill, Six Flags, the Leo Buscaglia Foundation, and the Puffin West Foundation. This project was made possible with support from California Humanities, a non-profit partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Visit www.calhum.org. Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this exhibition do not necessarily represent those of California Humanities or the National Endowment for the Humanities.

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