For eighteen years, the festival has been bringing stories and experiences by and about Black people to the big screen in the heart of Seattle’s historically Black neighborhood. Housed at the historic Langston Hughes Performing Arts Institute, the festival features film screenings, hands-on workshops, panel discussions, and in-depth chats with filmmakers, industry professionals and local community leaders.
As Seattle grows as a seat of activism, progressive ideology, innovation and technology, the Seattle Black Film Festival is a hub for filmmakers and audiences to exchange ideas with Black film as a catalyst for discussion.
The event is the culmination of a year’s worth of community-building through a series of smaller events that provide audiences with unique cinematic and cultural opportunities, resulting in the community-wide film festival. The festival focuses on established names and emerging talent in Black media and connecting audiences with filmmakers and filmmaking through interactions in and outside the theater.
Films are selected from entries screened by panels and curated from current and vintage offerings. The festival takes pride in showcasing independent film celebrating Black brilliance, from emerging and established filmmakers from around the world and in our own backyard, connecting filmmakers and the community.
