Charlotte Black Film Festival 2026 Schedule

Charlotte Black Film Festival 2026

Official Festival Schedule | June 5–6, 2026 | Ayrsley Grand Cinema
Virtual Screenings: June 9–14, 2026 | IOCTV Awards: Sunday, June 14, 2026

Box Office

Friday, June 5, 2026

Community • Industry • Networking Day

Time
Theater 1
Theater 2
Theater 3
10:00 AM – 1:00 PM

Youth & Seniors Programming + Youth & Seniors Panel

180 mins
Poster
Harning Speaks
Trailer
20m Documentary
Poster
Sunlight—Children Matter
Trailer
25m

Sunlight Children Matter is the inspirational story of Donald Gray’s quest to save children trapped in the darkness of economic and social despair. His team works daily to “save one child at a time,” from a cycle of poverty, drugs, violence, and family disintegration.

Poster
boxboy Jr. Cardboard Box Adventures
Trailer
00:01:32 • Animation, Short

Two classmates become instant best friends after realizing a strange ability they both have in common. The ability to physically travel through their imaginations using cardboard boxes as the vehicle to solve real world issues plaguing their small rundown town of Lake Wood. They...

Director: Alex Lanier
Writer: Alex Lanier
Producer: Alex Lanier
Poster
Magnificent Macie!
Trailer
00:10:27 • Animation, Web / New Media

Magnificent Macie is a short film based on a little girl named Macie who discovers her inner hero and her purpose in life. Macie travels around the world through a mirror portal to perform good deeds and acts of kindness. Along her journey, she discovers a new sense of pride and...

Director: Charlene Goddard, Britney Goddard
Writer: Charlene Goddard
Producer: Charlene Goddard, Britney Goddard
Cast: Charlene Goddard, Skye Gould
Poster
HAIRDOO
Trailer
00:11:00 • Short • Drama, Family, Afro-Surrealism

The night before school photos, a spirited young girl, desperately attempts to recreate the perfect hairstyle. With the guidance of an otherworldly hairstylist, she embarks on a magical journey of self-acceptance.

Director: Exodia Demosthene
Writer: Exodia Demosthene
Producer: Isis Wells, Tré Hazelwood
Cast: Skylar Ebron
Youth & Seniors Panel (45m)
Youth & Seniors Pitch Me! (40m)
Box Office
11:30 AM – 1:00 PM

Block 2: Reality & Truth

90 mins
Poster
Deliver Us
Trailer
01:21:00 • Documentary, Feature

In the United States, Black mothers are dying in childbirth at staggering rates. While the hospital establishment continues to fail them, Black midwives around the country are fighting back, opening birth centers and demanding justice for Black mothers. Deliver Us follows four vi...

Director: Randi Matthews
Writer: Jenny Callaghan
Producer: Ryan Gielen, Patrick James Lynch
Poster
Black Midwives Justice
Trailer
25m
Poster
Teaching America
Trailer
00:20:26 • Documentary • Civil Rights, Education

Teaching America is a short documentary exploring the battle around the teaching of African-American history and studies from inside the classroom, focusing on the transformative journeys of the Arkansas teachers, students and families who are part of the very first, inaugural cl...

Director: Anurima Bhargava
Producer: Anurima Bhargava, Alisa Payne, Geeta Gandbhir, Sam Pollard
Filmmaker Q&A / Reset (15m)
Box Office
1:30 PM – 3:00 PM

Block 3: Hope & Web

90 mins
Poster
Echoes of Smoke: The Erasure of Smokey Hollow
Trailer
00:17:40 • Documentary, Student

Before Cascades Park became the beautiful public park that the people of Tallahassee know, it was Smokey Hollow--a tight-knit, working-class Black community. In the late 1800s to the 1960s, the State of Florida had an idea of a “picturesque look” for the drive into the capital ci...

Director: Raniah Michelle Braclet
Producer: Morgan Ashlie Hutchinson
Cast: Mary Mitchell, Althemese Barnes, Aron Myers
Poster
1,2,3, F.O.U.N.T.! Overcoming Cancel Culture with Wisdom
Trailer
00:29:58 • Experimental

Get schooled on Cancel Culture with Doc D-Nice & FOUNT! Dr. D-Nice throws a knowledge party on Cancel Culture with FOUNT, featuring dance, rap, and Wizdocs (whatever those are, it sounds fun!). Jamal McCoy, a baller from abroad, joins the discussion. Plus, music from Iconic Bond....

Director: Nechael Beaugelin
Writer: Dr. D-Nice Beaugelin
Producer: Dame Dash, Chris Emrich
Cast: Phoenix Bell, Eevah Joseph, Darius Williams, Zdenn Beaugelin, Michaelle Mason
Poster
Therapy
Trailer
00:08:15 • Short, Student

Therapy is a psychological short film about a therapy session involving Claire, a young woman weighed down by a terrible secret. As she grapples with confessing, her therapist, Dr. Hale, pushes her to confront her truth, transforming the session into a tense and unsettling encoun...

Director: Braylon Dyson
Writer: Braylon Vasion Dyson
Producer: Braylon Vasion Dyson
Cast: Evin Goodwin, Morgan Fulford
Poster
The Kennel
Trailer
00:11:28 • Short, Student

Two young criminals attempt to pick up money for their boss but their night takes a turn when their debtors refuse to pay.

Director: Julian Banks
Writer: Julian Banks
Producer: Fabiana Landivar Quintela
Cast: Jai Demond, Joshua Delgado, Hannah Smith
Filmmaker Q&A / Reset (15m)
Box Office

Joseph and Simeon Block

90 mins
Poster
Joseph and Simeon
Trailer
01:03:00 • Feature

Adapted imaginatively from the apocryphal Book of Jasher and from Genesis 29-45, this screenplay imagines the fourteen months when Joseph of Egypt kept his brother, Simeon, as a hostage in Egypt.

Director: Ruphin Kalala
Writer: Margaret Blair Young
Producer: Congo Rising
Cast: Teddy Kabeya Kabeya, José Max Ntambwe
Poster
Stewards
Trailer
00:11:12 • Documentary, Short • Documentary, Human Interest, Global Stories, Style/Culture, Family

Indian-American hoteliers reflect on their identity, upbringing, and legacy as they design a lifestyle hotel that centers and celebrates South Asian culture and style. Follow Jay, Nimisha, and Anup as they work to build a space where everyone can belong.

Director: Leticia Tuset
Writer: Leticia Tuset, J'Sha Gift
Producer: Leticia Tuset
Poster
MerryGo
Trailer
00:04:23 • Music Video, Short • Action, Comedy, Horror, Campy

This hilarious action-packed music video pays homage to the campy horror film genre. Directed by John Laww, featuring Muay Thai fighters and nefarious foe, we follow "The HERo", Jessica Monroe, as she's called to protect "The Rapper", Defacto Thezpian, from a fowl flock of fiendi...

Director: John Laww
Producer: Irene Hui, John Laww
Cast: Jessica Monroe, Defacto Thezpian, Rob Foster
Filmmaker Q&A / Reset (15m)
Box Office
2:15 PM – 3:15 PM

AI in Film Master Class

60 mins
AI in Film Interactive Session
Box Office
3:30 PM – 4:45 PM

Community Impact Conversation

75 mins
Community Leaders Discussion
Audience Engagement
Box Office

Independent Voices Showcase

75 mins
Poster
The Faith of The Dreamer: One Woman’s Story of Racial Trauma and Healing
Trailer
00:51:26 • Documentary, Feature

1968: An eager, idealistic African American student at Mercer University in Macon, Georgia is denied the opportunity to receive her Studio Art degree by a racist professor who declares that “niggers aren’t smart enough to earn a degree from this department” and that her artwork i...

Director: Khary Payton
Producer: Megan Shannon DeFranza
Poster
A Song for Nia
Trailer
00:34:36 • Short, Web / New Media • Drama, Comedy, Dramedy

The death of her cousin brings a young Black woman back to Philadelphia where she must confront all the people and circumstances that she left behind.

Director: Eboni Zamani
Writer: Eboni Zamani
Producer: EBoni Zamani, Amina Ogboro
Cast: Tasha N Holmes
Poster
Cogito, ergo sum
Trailer
00:06:00 • Animation, Documentary, Student

This hybrid documentary fuses the real-life reflections of ceramicist Malcolm Mobutu Smith with a claymation resurrection of the long-erased Black comic character Li’L Tuffy—who return to confront his origins, reclaim his stories, and ask: Who’s holding the pen now? With claymati...

Director: AHMED TAHSIN SHAMS
Writer: AHMED TAHSIN SHAMS
Producer: AHMED TAHSIN SHAMS
Cast: Malcolm Mobutu Smith
Filmmaker Q&A / Reset (15m)
Box Office
5:00 PM – 6:30 PM

Block 8: Resilience & Action

90 mins
Poster
The Battle of Henry Johnson
Trailer
01:36:34 • Feature • war

The Battle of Henry Johnson is a historical action drama, portrayed in real time. On May, 14th 1918, African American soldiers, William Henry Johnson and Needham Roberts, were stationed at a listening post where soon the heaviest fighting of World War 1 would take place. At aroun...

Director: Harrison Stengle
Writer: Harrison Stengle
Producer: Harrison Stengle
Cast: Alfred Abu JR.
Poster
Brothers in Blood: Black in Vietnam
Trailer
01:25:04 • Documentary

An in-depth chronicle of the Black experience at home and abroad during and after the Vietnam War, told by those who lived it.

Director: Joseph Puleo
Producer: Joseph Puleo, Vis Brown
Cast: Gerald Early
Poster
Through the Years
Trailer
00:34:00 • Documentary, Short

In 1985, thirty Black women forged lifetime friendships and renewed their commitment to service when they chartered the Pi Alpha Omega chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated®. It became AKA's fourth graduate chapter in Metro Atlanta as locals still questioned what it...

Director: Nicole Carr
Writer: Nicole Carr
Producer: Tolly Carr, Nicole Carr
Cast: Erma Jean Thomas, Gloria Patterson, Mary Joyce Flournoy, Marilyn Arrington, Cathy Hope, Elsie Morris, Janet Payne, Bonnie Gissenda...
Filmmaker Q&A / Reset (15m)
Box Office

Block 11: Healing & Drama

90 mins
Poster
I Gave You Power
Trailer
00:06:12 • Short, Student

Trapped by the violence it enables, a gun tells his story. Highlighting his detached yet intimate relationship with a boy who's killed his close friend.

Director: Jaden Georges
Writer: Jaden Georges
Cast: Kari Davine, Jaden Georges, Edward Flannary, Jacob Schoenberg
Poster
Skipping A Beat
Trailer
00:19:35 • Short

Tahira Scott has built her life on momentum, running a thriving business, jet-setting to new destinations, and chasing every adventure that comes her way. She feels unstoppable, convinced she’s in good health despite subtle changes in her body. What she dismisses as travel weight...

Director: Jimmie Lee Ward Jr
Writer: Taunya Lynnette Sills
Producer: Taunya Lynnette Sills, Kelley Kai Jae Smith
Cast: Amber Moore, Latisha Harrison, Denascia Salley
Poster
JULES
Trailer
00:20:00 • Short • Drama

Jules is in a relationship with Clutch, an ex-motocross racer whose career ended prematurely due to an injury during a pivotal race. As a result of Clutch’s injury, he has forbidden Jules to continue riding motocross. In an effort to keep her sanity and freedom, Jules continues t...

Director: Tiffany M Abney
Writer: Tiffany M Abney, Emalie Moniz
Producer: Tiffany Abney
Cast: Renelle Nicole, Mike Merrill, Eric C. Lynch
Filmmaker Q&A / Reset (15m)
Box Office
7:00 PM

Doors Open / Networking

Networking
Audience arrival and pre-event networking
Box Office
7:30 PM – 9:00 PM

Film & Relationships Conversation

90 mins
Audience Q&A
Industry Networking
Box Office

Global Stories Showcase

90 mins
Poster
Dorsin & Brown
Trailer
00:12:12 • Short

When an ambitious Haitian attorney’s controversial win triggers Miami-wide unrest, he must choose between his elite firm’s survival and the immigrant community he abandoned as unseen forces conspire to make him their next target. ------ Christian Dorsin, the razor-witted Haitian...

Director: Vicky Plancher
Writer: Vicky Plancher
Producer: Vicky Plancher, Claudine Cinous
Cast: Jamall Johnson, Thomas Nicholson, Rosemary Manso, Nikko Harris, Ale Ruiz, Diandra Gariepy, Leanne Ofori-Atta, Amos Bohoussou, Blad...
Poster
Sisters in Destiny: Angela Davis & Gerty Archimède
Trailer
00:52:40 • Documentary

Two women. Two continents. One shared fight. From Guadeloupe to the United States, Sisters in Destiny explores the intertwined journeys of Gerty Archimède, a trailblazer of feminism and anti-colonial struggle, and Angela Davis, a global symbol of civil rights and resistance. Thro...

Director: PASCAL FREDERIC ARCHIMEDE, DIMITRY ZANDRONIS
Writer: PASCAL FREDERIC ARCHIMEDE, DIMITRY ZANDRONIS
Producer: DIMITRY ZANDRONIS, BAPTISTE BRUNNER
Filmmaker Q&A / Reset (15m)
Box Office
9:00 PM – 10:00 PM

Networking / Meet & Greet

60 mins
Filmmaker and audience networking
Box Office

Saturday, June 6, 2026

Premium Film Screening Day

Time
Theater 1
Theater 2
Theater 3
9:00 AM – 11:00 AM

PITCH Me Competition

120 mins
Adult Pitch Competition
Box Office
10:00 AM – 11:30 AM

Respect My Crown + Minority Women in Politics Panel

90 mins
Poster
Respect My Crown
Trailer
01:26:00 • Documentary

Respect My Crown: The Rise of African American Women in California Politics is a feature length documentary film, which explores the significant contributions of African American women in leadership in the areas of politics, labor, and community activism in the State of Californi...

Director: Pamela Bright-Moon
Writer: Jocelyn Y. Stewart, Alisa Bass Covington, Pamela Bright-Moon
Producer: Alisa Bass-Covington, Pamela Bright-Moon
Cast: Charisse Bremond-Weaver, Yvonne Wheeler, Alice Harris, Faith Culbreath, Hon. Diane E. Watson, Hon. Laura Richardson, Celestine Pal...
Minority Women in Politics Panel (45m)
Filmmaker Q&A / Reset (15m)
Box Office
11:00 AM – 1:00 PM

Feature Film Showcase

120 mins
Poster
Rise of the Legion
Trailer
00:60:45 • Documentary, Feature • Documentary, Feature

Prepare to be enthralled, inspired, and swept away on a rhythmic journey unlike any other.“Rise of the Legion!” is a spellbinding documentary that dives deep into the heart and soul of The Spartan Legion Marching Band at Norfolk State University—capturing their unmatched energy,...

Director: Adrian S Woodard Sr, Adrian S Woodard II
Writer: Adrian S Woodard Sr, April Woodard
Producer: April Woodard, Adrian S Woodard Sr, Adrian S Woodard II
Cast: April Woodard, Jawn Murray, Sheryl Lee Ralph, Dawnn Lewis, Kirk Franklin, Larry Blackmon Jr, Tim Reid, Dr. Cassandra Newby Alexand...
Poster
Halfway House Original Series
Trailer
00:26:06 • Television

A halfway house for ex-cons spirals into chaos when a resident is murdered, exposing dangerous secrets and power struggles.

Director: Marc Cayce
Writer: Marc Cayce
Producer: Shacola LaShaye Thompson, Carole Copeland
Cast: Sticky Fingaz, Jermaine Maino Coleman, Patrick Faucette, Damion Hall, Gary A. Sturgis, Dennis L.A. White
Poster
Gallo: Legend of the Cock Blocker
Trailer
00:13:12 • Short

When two friends’ night out takes a supernatural turn, they cross paths with The Gallo—an ancient spirit banished from heaven who feeds on lust and destroys chemistry before bad decisions are made. What begins as a regular bar hookup mission spirals into a hilarious, eerie confro...

Director: Anthony Gholson, Azzie Scott
Writer: Anthony Gholson
Producer: tyquan Gholson, Dashawn Cooper, Anthony Gholson, Azzie Scott
Cast: Anissa Mayhew, Carma Anderson, Moises White, Saidah l. Dunston, Anthony Coleman, Darren Gholson, tyquan Gholson
Poster
KARLTON'S WORLD: The Animated Series
Trailer
00:05:00 • Animation, Television, Web / New Media • Animation, Comedy, Sitcom

In this animated adventure, Karlton Bailey tries to navigate through his personal life and professional life as he deals with the different people that are a part of his world.

Director: Karlton T. Clay
Writer: Karlton T. Clay
Producer: Karlton T. Clay, Josh Abrams
Cast: Karlton T. Clay, Kevin J. Stone, Shantelle Wheeler, Destin Freeman, Caranita "Bird" Harrelson, Kente Scott, Rodney "Slim" LaPrade,...
Filmmaker Q&A / Reset (15m)
Box Office
11:30 AM – 12:30 PM

PitchME Live Showcase

60 mins
Live pitch showcase
Box Office
12:00 PM – 1:30 PM

Block 4: Connection Frame

90 mins
Poster
Sanctuary
Trailer
00:16:00 • Short • Drama

A character-driven case study of the human condition. Captured through grounded performances and visual realism, the short film Sanctuary focuses a cinematic lens on a mother and daughter addressing themes of vulnerability, unresolved emotions, and the resilience of love.

Director: Timothy Richardson, Laniqua C. Richardson
Writer: Timothy Richardson, Teymbi Tannis, Laniqua C. Richardson
Producer: Lisa Santiago, Chad Chambers
Poster
Somebody Loves You
Trailer
00:19:56 • Short • Drama

A mysterious love letter forces a married man to revisit a past relationship he never fully let go of, confronting the quiet choices that shaped his life and the love he never allowed himself to choose.

Director: Timothy M Bowser
Writer: Eric Denzelle Wright
Cast: Malik J Ali, Khennedi Daniels, Shaboz Parker
Poster
Tough Cookie
Trailer
00:21:30 • Short • Drama

When a hard boiled young woman from one of the toughest neighborhoods in her city recognizes a teenage mother that’s been falling in with a dangerous group of girls from her hood, she tries to remain indifferent, only to find out that she, herself, is in danger of losing custody...

Director: Kofi Scott Tendai
Writer: Kofi Scott Tendai
Producer: Kofi Scott Tendai
Cast: Daniella Ochman, Tarryn Thomas, Trinika Janelle
Filmmaker Q&A / Reset (15m)
Box Office
1:15 PM – 2:45 PM

The Perfect Victim Block

90 mins
Poster
The Perfect Victim
Trailer
59m festival cut • Feature • Drama, Thriller

A charming church girl with big dreams hides a dark side. But when she meets someone more dangerous than herself, secrets unravel and survival becomes the only goal in this intense drama-thriller about manipulation, exposure, and unexpected justice.

Director: CoreyJon Nowell-Brown
Writer: CoreyJon Nowell-Brown
Producer: CoreyJon Nowell-Brown, Brandy "Beasy Baybie" Henshaw, Santanna Hayes, Ryan Philipe Harrison
Cast: Jane Elvire, Melody Williams, De'On Turner, Keon Taylor, Elicia Moore, Brandy 'BeasyBaybie' Henshaw, Janet Parker, Travis Lincoln
Poster
Gabardine
Trailer
00:15:54 • Experimental, Short, Other • Poetry, Experimental, Short

A Black poet haunted by the sound of fingers snapping attends therapy to address the source of his hallucinations.

Director: Elijah Crawford
Writer: David A Gaines
Producer: David A Gaines, Elizah Turner
Cast: David A Gaines, Jaylene Clark Owens
Poster
Paralysis by Analysis
Trailer
00:19:00 • Short, Student

When an anxious, perfectionist PhD student discovers an AI app that predicts the outcome of her decisions before she makes them, her life unravels as she becomes obsessed with the app. This is a sci-fi drama about anxiety, decision-making, and what happens when you put your fate...

Director: Jolene Carter
Writer: Jolene Carter, Janae J. Carter
Producer: Savannah Summerlin, Jolene Carter
Cast: Mia del Guidice, Diron Jones, Sajda Waite, Isaac Scholssberg, Denise Savage, Tyler Brooks
Filmmaker Q&A / Reset (15m)
Box Office
1:45 PM – 2:45 PM

Free Joan Little + Social Justice Panel

60 mins
Poster
Free Joan Little
Trailer
00:38:00 • Documentary

FREE JOAN LITTLE tells the story of the 1975 groundbreaking case of Joan Little who was the first woman in U.S history to be acquitted for using deadly force to resist sexual assault. Joan was a Black incarcerated woman in North Carolina who killed her white prison guard who was...

Director: yoruba Richen
Producer: Christalyn Hampton, Bonnie Bertram
Panel Discussion (22m)
Box Office

Actor Idol Youth & Adults Competition

60 mins
Live competition
Box Office
3:15 PM – 4:15 PM

Distribution: Hulu, Netflix & Beyond

60 mins
Industry Master Class
Box Office
3:30 PM – 5:00 PM

Block 12: Documentary & Legacy Stories

90 mins
Poster
The Sight Unseen
Trailer
00:40:00 • Documentary, Experimental, Short, Student • Drama, Documentary, Short, Student, Black Narrative, Experimental, Sci Fi, Faith...

Logline - In 1971, a six-year-old girl in the Bronx discovers a glowing cross in her bathroom window, igniting awe and doubt across her community. Fifty years later, she returns to confront the mystery that shaped her faith—and her understanding of miracles. Synopsis - The Sight...

Director: Shawn Antoine II
Writer: Shawn Antoine II, Sharon Wilson-Antoine
Producer: Shawn Antoine II, Korstiaan Vandiver, Sultan Ali Jr., Tim Mendonca
Cast: Jared Kemp, Sharon Wilson-Antoine, Sean Gullette, Sherrell Johnson, Lathan Ava, Mister Fitzgerald, D. Malik Beckford, J Nycole Ral...
Poster
Against the Current
Trailer
00:42:45 • Documentary, Short

Chicago community organizer, Kyla, travels throughout the state of Illinois to learn about Black resistance across time and place, coming to understand that in communities across the world Black people have always found ways to resist oppressive currents. Synopsis In the document...

Director: Joshua Jackson
Writer: Joshua Jackson, Asif Wilson
Producer: Asif Wilson
Cast: Irene Robinson, Don Patton, Billy "Che" Brooks, Abdul Alkalimat, Mikala Stokes, Dawn Anderson
Poster
Dreams in Black: With Love from the South to Los Angeles
Trailer
01:01:20 • Documentary, Feature

Dreams in Black: With Love from the South to Los Angeles profiles three creatives and Historically Black College and University alums from Alabama, North Carolina, and Georgia who all relocated to Los Angeles to pursue their dreams of joining the entertainment industry and their...

Director: Destiny D. Owens
Writer: Destiny D. Owens
Producer: Destiny D. Owens
Cast: Tevin Giddens, Symone Crews, Chelsea Samuel
Filmmaker Q&A / Reset (15m)
Box Office
4:00 PM – 5:30 PM

Block 15: Comedy, Drama & Memory

90 mins
Poster
Furious and Fat Cat: Homecoming
Trailer
00:22:00 • Animation, Television, Web / New Media

After taking different paths in life, two childhood best friends, one a former Wall Street playboy, the other a virginal, video game loving former correctional officer, reunite as roommates on the South Side of Chicago where it all began. Now in their late 20's they learn to live...

Director: Kevin L Reeves, Pierre Sutton Jr
Writer: Kevin L Reeves, Pierre Sutton Jr.
Producer: Kevin L Reeves, Pierre Sutton Jr.
Cast: Kevin L Reeves, Pierre Sutton Jr, O'Neil Cespdes, Ashford J Thomas, Michael O'Hagan, Leah Reynolds
Poster
Way of War
Trailer
00:13:00 • Short • Drama, Fighter, Live Action

Two aspiring professional MMA fighters relentlessly chase their dreams of success, while battling their demons in and out of the cage.

Director: Tyla Barnes, Joshaun Anderson
Writer: Osinor Kakhu, Stefan Liner
Producer: Joshaun Anderson, Osinor Kakhu
Cast: Osinor Kakhu, NaSwana Moon, Torri Tillman, Symone Porter
Poster
A Mess of Memories
Trailer
40m festival cut • Feature

When their childhood home is threatened by their mother Jovita’s hoarding, estranged siblings Deja, Riley, Mylo, and Brooke are forced to reunite. As they sift through years of clutter, buried memories resurface, tensions ignite, and long-held secrets unravel. What begins as a de...

Director: Ebony Blanding
Writer: Ebony Blanding
Producer: Mandy McCowan, Hunter Barcroft, Brandon Williams
Cast: Cynthia D Barker, Brittany Inge, GeffriMaya, Jason C. Louder, Sherry Richards
Poster
The Woods Maiden
Trailer
00:18:16 • Short • Horror

A lonely farmer meets a mysterious woman in the woods, who carries a dark and terrifying secret.

Director: Devin E Haqq
Writer: Devin E Haqq
Producer: Korey Jackson
Cast: Grantham Coleman, Margaret Odette
Filmmaker Q&A / Reset (15m)
Box Office

Hoop Street Feature Block

120 mins
Poster
Hoop Street
Trailer
62m festival presentation • Feature

Barred from his high school basketball team due to his temper, a hot-head, street-baller battles demons from his past and present to earn a spot on a summer league team and his last shot at a college basketball scholarship.

Director: Princeton James
Writer: Teresa Dickerson
Producer: Jordan Danelz, Mark Williams
Cast: Benjamin Holmes, Jeremiah Roberts, Kenneth Farmer
Poster
Agent of Justice
Trailer
00:43:16 • Television

Joseph Mukendi, an upright police officer, secretly harbors a dream of escape: to become a professional MMA fighter in Singapore, far removed from the burden of a legacy tainted by rumors surrounding his grandfather—an influential general—and his late father. When the Nyanza, an...

Director: Micah Senga
Writer: Micah Senga
Producer: Micah Senga, Joseph Pelendo
Cast: Stratiote Sisi, Albert Muka, Jérémie Mavambu, Tehila Vin's, Peter Kitoko, Stéphie Mvuama, Mboa Walker, Bebukya Muhindo
Poster
Humble in the Jungle
Trailer
festival presentation • Documentary • biogra

In 2005 Mike G., a member of the legendary hip-hop group the Jungle Brothers moved from New York City to North Carolina, where he becomes a licensed plumber and meets the film’s director Ricky Kelly who is also a plumber. They became great friends and decide to make a film explor...

Director: Ricky Kelly
Writer: Ricky Kelly
Producer: Cherie Kelly, Micheal Galinsky, Suki Galinsky, Kool DJ Red Alert
Cast: Mike Small
Filmmaker Q&A / Reset (15m)
Box Office
5:30 PM – 6:30 PM

Official Selection Spotlight Block

60 mins
Poster
A New Day Begun: The Black National Anthem
Trailer
00:21:00 • Documentary, Short

A New Day Begun: The Black National Anthem is a 21-minute documentary that traces the 126-year legacy of “Lift Every Voice and Sing.” From its origins in a segregated Florida School at the turn of the 20th century to its recitation at the inauguration of America’s first Black pre...

Director: Keith Michael Brown
Producer: Keith Michael Brown, Carol Johnson-Green, Robert Pini
Cast: Kim Westin, Imani Perry, Tiffany Cross, Ed Gordon
Poster
Tobacco Road
Trailer
00:18:40 • Short, Student

This short coming-of-age drama explores the relationship between Alonzo, a young single father and his budding daughter, Ruth who have packed their city life into a truck and are heading south to return to the rural community where he was raised. During their trip, Alonzo makes s...

Director: Kiara Danae Mangum
Writer: Kiara Danae Mangum
Producer: Sea Mahsati, Aiyana McRae
Cast: Debrinja Watts, Detron Phillips
Poster
Shades of Us
Trailer
00:20:55 • Short, Other

Submission for Episode 4 (of 5) in Season 1. Unlisted Preview of Episode 1 - https://youtu.be/6cnPa8MT57M Shades of Us" is a powerful, introspective drama series that explores the complexities of identity, ambition, and connection within the Black experience in modern-day America...

Director: CJ Murr
Writer: CJ Murr
Producer: CJ Murr, Shawn E Jackson, Alejandro Garcia, Karim Singleton
Cast: Jonathan c James, Donna April, Joseph Adu, Tavis Foster, Tom Peck, Abdullah Al-Amin, Megan Massaro, Soren Peterson
Poster
The Deadly Type
Trailer
festival presentation • Feature

Erin Cambridge catches the eye of Lance Reynolds, the city's most eligible bachelor. While she wants to keep it casual, he sees a future. But there’s something in his past that could be deadly for both of them.

Director: Mike Berry
Writer: Mike Berry
Producer: Tina Hobbs
Cast: Mark Taylor, Erica Hubbard, Omar Gooding, Sarah Alaina
Filmmaker Q&A / Reset (15m)
Box Office
6:30 PM – 7:00 PM

Audience Transition to Vision Awards

30 mins
Networking and theater transition
Box Office
7:30 PM – 9:30 PM

Red Carpet Vision Awards Gala

120 mins
Awards Ceremony
Filmmaker Recognition
Box Office

Virtual Screenings — June 9–14, 2026

All official selections will also screen virtually June 9–14, 2026 through the CBFF virtual platform and IOCTV streaming network.

Sunday, June 7, 2026 — Filmmaker Prayer Breakfast

9:00 AM
Host Hotel: Embassy Suites by Hilton Charlotte Ayrsley
Buffet Breakfast: $15.00 Per Person

Sunday, June 14, 2026 — IOCTV Awards

6:00 PM: Virtual Red Carpet & Networking
7:00 PM – 9:00 PM: IOCTV Awards Show
9:00 PM: Audience Choice & Closing Celebration

CBFF 2026 Official Disclaimer

Program Changes & Scheduling
The Charlotte Black Film Festival (CBFF) reserves the right to modify the schedule, including film blocks, panel discussions, start times, and theater locations, without prior notice. While every effort is made to adhere to the published program, technical issues, filmmaker availability, or other unforeseen circumstances may result in changes or cancellations.

Admission & Seating
Purchase of a ticket or festival pass does not guarantee a seat in a specific screening if the theater has reached legal capacity. Seating is available on a first-come, first-served basis. We recommend arriving at least 15 minutes before your scheduled screening.

Photography & Filming Notice
By entering the festival premises (Ayrsley Grand Cinema), you acknowledge that you are entering an area where photography, audio, and video recording may occur. By your presence, you consent to being photographed, filmed, and/or otherwise recorded and to the release, publication, exhibition, or reproduction of such recorded media for news, web casts, promotional purposes, telecasts, advertising, or any other purpose by CBFF and its affiliates/representatives.

Content Warning
Films screened at CBFF are not always rated by the MPAA. Some films may contain adult language, themes, or violence. Viewer discretion is advised.

Limitation of Liability
CBFF is not responsible for lost or stolen personal property. Attendees assume all risks and dangers incidental to the festival, whether occurring prior to, during, or after the event.

Festival Notes:
Every standard screening block includes a dedicated 15-minute Filmmaker Q&A / Reset. All films will also screen virtually June 9–14, 2026. All panel discussions are scheduled for 1 hour minimum. All in-person screenings conclude before the Vision Awards Gala. Theater closes nightly at 10:00 PM.