obituaries

Dejunius Hughes was a filmmaker whose art was intertwined with a sense of community and social activism.

Hughes, who founded and directed the Twin Cities International Black Film Festival after settling in the Twin Cities 16 years ago, died of pancreatic cancer at his Minneapolis home on Nov. 16. He was 71.

From 1991 to 1996, Hughes led the effort to bring independent films to Twin Cities audiences. He also began making films in the 1980s.

Hughes' films "were very much connected to his sense of community, his dedication to social justice and his involvement about people he cared about," said Robert Byrd, director of the film and video program at St. Paul's Jerome Foundation, which supports the arts. "His work was well crafted and had substantial impact on people who viewed it. His loss will be tremendous in this community."

Hughes' documentary "Chase the Shadows from Daylight" is about the Minneapolis neighborhood near Chicago and Lake Streets.

He also shot "Invocation," featuring dancers at night on the roof of a Minneapolis commercial building. "The film was included in one of the oldest black film festivals in the world, in Burkina Faso, Africa, in 1997.

He received grants for his work from the Jerome Foundation and the St. Paul Cos. His work was shown at the Walker Art Center and St. Paul's Children's Museum, to name a few.

After attending college in Albion, Mich., Hughes -- who was one of nine children -- served in the Air Force in the 1950s.

Serving in Saudi Arabia whetted his appetite to explore other cultures, and after military duty, he lived in various European and U.S. cities, always with a still camera in hand.

Some of the places he called home in the 1960s were Paris, Amsterdam and Madison, Wis., said his wife, Karen Starr, of Minneapolis.

"He lived an artist's life," said his wife. "He had an artist's pattern of travel, delving into new reality. He assumed there was always a story to tell, and always beauty and drama."

He graduated from Chicago's Columbia College with an associate degree in arts, and a technical college in Milwaukee, where he learned how to make films.

In the 1960s and '70s, he was active in the civil rights movement, notably in Oakland, Calif., always recording events with his camera.

At arts and political forums, such as at the Walker and a recent symposium at Macalester College in St. Paul, he would discuss race in America.

In addition to his wife, he is survived by his daughter, Theresa Hughes Beaumont, of San Francisco; a stepson, Patrick Starr Hagedorn, of Minneapolis; a stepdaughter, Jenny Starr, of San Francisco; a sister, Pearl Johnson of Gary, Ind.; a brother, William Hughes, of Chicago, and five grandchildren.

A memorial celebration, with speakers and screenings of his films, will be held from 7 to 9 p.m. on Jan. 5 at Intermedia Arts, 2822 S. Lyndale Av., Minneapolis. A service will be held in Albion, Mich., on Dec. 15.

Ben Cohen • bcohen@startribune.com