The Rhode Island Black Film Festival is a platform for storytelling through the medium of film by African-American, Afro-Caribbean and Afro-Latin filmmakers. We are a catalyst for storytelling about the culture and historical contributions of people of African descent.
The 9th annual Rhode Island Black Film Festival (RIBFF) took place April 15–19, 2026, centering on the theme “Black Excellence in Film” alongside a broader creative focus on Cape Verdean and Native American focused films. The Week began with the Beyond the Lens Academy with students from the Paul Cuffee School, The Paul Crowley Campus – The Met School – Newport, Jackie Walsh School of Performing Arts
The festival serves as a high-impact platform to celebrate and empower storytellers from the African, Afro-Caribbean, and Afro-Latin diasporas.
The festival acts as a collaborative bridge to connect emerging, boundary-pushing independent filmmakers with established entertainment industry insiders.Core Venues: Screenings, panels, and community events were distributed across Rhode Island culture hubs in Providence, Kingston, and Newport.Major Honoree: Renowned actor and professional boxer Kali Reis was awarded the prestigious RIBFF Cinematic Excellence Award.Competitive Categories:
The festival evaluated global independent projects across four primary competitive divisions: Best Feature Film, Best Documentary, Best Short, and Best Student Film.Community Accessibility: To ensure grassroots engagement, the event paired its formal programming with a curated series of free community screenings to reshape how local audiences understand Black history and identity. 2027 Fil Submission portal opens September 1 2027.
Check out our schedule for upcoming events, film screenings and much more on our events page.
Check out past and present films or submit your own for consideration in this year’s festival using our online form located on our submission page.
If you’re thinking about a college major in film or as a career move, here is an opportunity to learn and get first hand knowledge from professionals inside the industry.
RIBFF is always looking for people who are dedicated to film and our mission of bringing awareness. Find out how you become a part of something great and join our team.