DC Black Film Festival Returning For Third Year

WASHINGTON, DC — The third annual D.C. Black Film Festival returns next Thursday, and plans to showcase numerous projects and voices over the festival’s three-day run. The festival kicks off Aug. 15 and continues through Aug. 17.

The DCBFF is dedicated to exhibiting quality film, web series and television content by and about people of African descent. In addition to being held at The Miracle Theatre on Barracks Row, Festival founder and director Kevin Sampson told WTOP Radio the festival is expanding to The Mayflower Hotel this year.

The festival also grew in number of submissions — 125 the first year to 250 this year, according to Sampson. The only stipulation is that one above-the-line creator must be of African descent.

Tickets are $15 per film. If attendees need a place to stay during the event, festival organizers partnered with The Mayflower Hotel to offer discounted lodging.

Here is the festival’s 2019 film lineup:

Thursday, Aug. 15

5 p.m.: Solace - Sole, 17, distracts herself from her father’s cancer with future college plans. But when he dies, she’s forced to move away to Los Angeles to live with her estranged grandmother Irene. Sole secretly finds refuge in food numbing the pain of her father’s death and the discomfort of Irene’s overbearing ways. She desperately searches for an escape, finding it in a performance art grant that would take her back to New York. Location: The Miracle Theatre

7:30 p.m.: Third Annual Making Black Lives Matter Through Film Panel - DCBFF's opening night film line-up includes short films and documentaries that make black lives matter by telling unique and universal stories. Location: The Miracle Theatre

Friday, Aug. 16

9 a.m.: The Connection - This block of films showcase connections to our history, Africa and the disconnect that exists between the two. Location: The Miracle Theatre

11:45 a.m.: Wait…What? - This block of films showcases unconventional characters and storytelling. Location: The Miracle Theatre

2 p.m.: Smiles & Tears - This block of films showcases stories that will make you laugh or make you cry. Location: The Miracle Theatre

7:30 p.m.: Never Back Down - The festival will screen films of activists who don’t know the word quit. Location: The Mayflower Hote l- State Room.

Saturday, Aug. 17

9 a.m.: One Child Left Behind: The Untold Atlanta Cheating Scandal - Directed by Emmy Nominated Producer Jodi Gomes, this harrowing documentary brings the accused, whistleblowers, cheaters, and innocent together on film for the first time to tell the real story. The US Education debate takes a front seat in this investigative film that will leave many wondering how our education system could be so blind. Location: The Mayflower Hotel - Chinese Ballroom.

9 a.m.: Portraits - A glance into the minds and lives of beautiful people or characters. Location: The Mayflower Hotel - District Ballroom.

11:30 a.m.: We’ve Been Here - This block of films showcases a variety of LGBTQ+ themed films highlighting the humanity behind the community. A Q&A with filmmakers then a panel discussion will follow in collaboration with the National Black Justice Coalition. Location: The Mayflower Hotel - Chinese Ballroom.

11:30 a.m.: Family-Friendly Screening Block - For every parent or guardian that purchases a ticket, a child (age 17 and under) can attend for free. Location: The Mayflower Hotel - District Ballroom.

2 p.m.: Owned: A Tale of Two Americas - “Owned” is a fever dream vision into the dark history behind the US housing economy. Tracking its overtly racist beginnings to its unbridled commoditization, the doc exposes a foundational story few Americans understand as their own. Location: The Mayflower Hotel - District Ballroom.

2:15 p.m.: Una Great Movie - A diverse movie about a black American woman traveling to Mexico slowly turns into a romantic comedy with an all-white cast. This film shows the absurd reality of chasing a dream. A panel discussion will follow in collaboration with L.I.M.A (Latinos in Media & Arts Coalition). Location: The Mayflower Hotel - Chinese Ballroom.

4:15 p.m.: Black Love - A showcase of stories of lessons in dating, marriage, or love in a black family. Location: The Mayflower Hotel - District Ballroom.

7:30 p.m.: For The Love of Music - What would you do for love…or the love of music? These films may have the answers. Location: The Mayflower Hotel- District Ballroom.