NC Black Film Festival is About to Light Up Wilmington With Black Excellence

Mark your calendars my luvs! It's time for the 2025 North Carolina Black Film Festival, and trust me, you don't wanna miss this! From April 10th to the 13th, Wilmington, North Carolina, is gonna be THE place to be. The North Carolina Black Film Festival (NCBFF) just dropped a lineup that's straight fire!

The festival kicks off on April 10th with the CineMixer at the Wilson Center at Cape Fear Community College, thanks to Ken Weeden & Associates. We're talking live music from Village Minded, some tasty bites, and two incredible documentary shorts: "APR - AFRICAN RHYTHMS POWER" and "THE JAZZ PHOTOGRAPHER." You know I love a good doc, and these sound like must-sees!

Friday, April 11th, Jengo’s Playhouse is where it's at! They've got blocks of shorts, documentaries, and features that'll have you glued to your seat. And get this: "GHETTO CHILDREN," a coming-of-age doc about the sons of Cash Money legends, and "COTTON CANDY BUBBLE GUM," a vibrant comedy straight from SXSW, are hitting the big screen! Plus, a special community screening of "LIFE IN MY EYES" at Boseman's Shoes! How cool is that?

Saturday, April 12th, is jam-packed! Jengo's Playhouse is running films all day, starting with Black Girls Film Camp. Y'all know how important it is to uplift our young queens and their voices! Then, Isiah Donté Lee, the Visionary Award in Cinematography honoree, is hosting a Cinematography 101 workshop at Vue21North! There are family-friendly flicks in the afternoon, and then, get this, they are honoring the legendary Bruce W. Smith with a Lifetime Achievement Award in Animation! He'll be showing us clips of "HAIR LOVE" and having a fireside chat. To top it off, they're screening "OUR MOVEMENT STARTS HERE," a powerful documentary about environmental justice.

Sunday, April 13th, at the Cameron Art Museum, it's the wrap up up with the Award Ceremony. Isiah Donté Lee gets his Visionary Award, plus there will be awards for Best Doc, Short, and Feature. To close it all out, there's a screening of "MINNIE EVANS: DRAW OR DIE," about the incredible Minnie Evans.

Shoutout to the Black Arts Alliance, Inc., and all the sponsors making this happen! The Arts Council of Wilmington & New Hanover County, Ken Weeden & Associates, nCino, Dawson Med Primary & Urgent Care, Southern Documentary Fund, Wilson Center at Cape Fear Community College, Coast 97.3FM, Cameron Art Museum, Cucalorus Film Festival, and Jengo’s Playhouse – y'all are the real MVPs!

Don't sleep on this! Grab your tickets and passes on Eventbrite. The Red Carpet Premiere Pass is your VIP ticket to all the action, and there are other options for every budget. Head over to www.BlackArtsAlliance.org for the full schedule and details.

Y'all know I'll be there, soaking up all the Black excellence. See you at the movies my luvs!