Hip-hop/film

"For many years I had been interested in creating two documentaries," says Philly filmmaker Maori Karmael Holmes. "One on the history of women in hip-hop, and the other on Philadelphia's contributions to hip-hop, which I feel have been often overlooked." Finally, for her master's thesis at Temple University, she decided to combine the ideas. The result is Scene Not Heard, an examination of the relationship Philadelphia women have had with the hip-hop culture, concentrating on their struggle for respect. While conducting nearly 50 interviews for the film—including Bahamadia, Ursula Rucker, Rennie Harris, DJ Ultra Violet (pictured) and Monie Love—the issue became personal to Holmes. She turned her thesis into a 45-minute independent documentary with funding from WYBE-TV 35's Philadelphia Stories and the Leeway Foundation. With hopes that the project will be picked up by a distributor and shown at film festivals, Holmes is focused on bringing the topic to dinner tables across the nation. "I want viewers to question if equal opportunities really exist in the commercial music arena and whether or not there are a variety of images and personas in hip-hop and if there should be."

Fri., Jan. 13, 8 p.m., $5-$7, International House, 3701 Chestnut St., 215-895-6542. Scene Not Heard after-party, 10 p.m., $5 (free with movie stub), 18+, with DJ Ultraviolet, Bubble Lounge, 3404 Sansom St., karmalux.com/network.htm.