The Martha's Vineyard African American Film Festival is a film festival annually held in Oak Bluffs on Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts, every August. It screens films with a curatorial focus on Black storytelling.
In addition to films, the festival hosts panels like the Color of Conversations series and throws events such as the annual White Party, Director’s Brunch, the Black Excellence Brunch, and the Women's C-Suite lunches.
History The festival was founded by Stephanie Tavares-Rance and Floyd Rance in 2002. Before then, Rance had been a filmmaker leading Run & Shoot Filmworks, while Tavares-Rance worked in marketing; In 2001, both of them were working on a film together in Barbados, after which Tavares-Rance thought about possible events to host there. A film festival was one of them, but Barbados withdrew itself from consideration as a site after the September 11 attacks. By 2002, they decided on Martha's Vineyard, which "was actually Plan B"; however, Tavares-Rance and Rance ultimately found it to be "the right plan" after all, given Martha's Vineyard's significance to the Black community. It was also inspired by a film screening at a house party in Martha's Vineyard organized by Tavares-Rance during the Fourth of July weekend in 2000.
The very first festival, in August 2002, was held in a local high school on Martha's Vineyard with ten attendees; the following year, it was moved to the Mansion House Inn. Since then, the festival has annually screened over 60 films, at the Performing Arts Center in Edgartown, and attracted numerous community and industry leaders in the Black community. Notable attendees include Barack and Michelle Obama, Eric Holder, Loretta Lynch, Charles Ogletree, Henry Louis Gates Jr., Khalil Gibran Muhammad, Slick Rick, Spike Lee, Jennifer Hudson, Natasha Rothwell, Gayle King, Ketanji Brown Jackson and Jasmine Crockett. Annual turnout is usually over 2,000 attendees.
As of 2018, Tavares-Rance also hosts a sister festival in Washington, D.C. The couple had also briefly hosted a spinoff festival in Charlotte, North Carolina for two years.
In 2020, the festival was hosted virtually on Facebook due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
During the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike, the festival showcased the perspectives of choreographers and authors.
Starting in 2023, the Library of Congress began hosting on-site events and programming at the festival, largely based around the preservation of African American history and cinema, as well as the promotion of its Of the People program.
As of 2025, other festivals also held in Martha's Vineyard aimed at Black audiences during the first two weeks of August include the Martha's Vineyard Comedy Fest (since 2010) and the Black Book Festival (since 2024).
Criteria Films submitted to the festival qualify for screening if they are either created by a writer, director or producer who self-identifies as a person of color; or if they cast people of color in prominent roles.
Awards Every year, the festival gives out prizes: Best Feature, Best Short Film, and Best Documentary.
As of 2018, the festival has been accredited by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences as a qualifying festival for the short film category at the Oscars.
Winners
2010
The Roe Effect Joy Road Good Intentions Race
2024
Best Feature: Albany Road Best Short Film: Rebel Girls Best Documentary: A King Like Me
Programming There are many events that take place in addition to the screenings. The festival hosts numerous events each year, both official and off-site. Color of Conversation After film screenings, dialogue events are held, in which filmmakers and cast members speak about the preceding film amongst each other and answer questions.
White Party At the festival, a White Party is thrown outdoors wherein guests must wear all-white.
Other activities As of 2025, other activities at the festival include culinary events, theater, workshops, and children's programming.
Notable films featured
2002
The Murder of Emmett Till
2003 Source: 30 Years to Life Cuban Roots/Bronx Stories Crazy as Hell The Murder of Emmett Till
2006
Idlewild
2009
The Princess and the Frog
2010
Breaking Up Is Hard to Do Everyday Black Man Tinker Bell
2014
The Knick Black-ish A Ballerina's Tale Little White Lie
2015
Mavis! Chi-Raq 3 1/2 Minutes, 10 Bullets Finding Samuel Lowe: From Harlem to China
2016
The Birth of a Nation Southside with You Insecure
2017
Marshall Detroit Crown Heights Rodney King She's Gotta Have It Insecure
2018 Source: Bruce!!! BlacKkKlansman United Skates Evolutionary Blues: West Oakland's Music Legacy The Carter Effect Mr. Soul! The Hate U Give Greenleaf Insecure If Beale Street Could Talk
2019 Source: The Black Godfather Godfather of Harlem First Wives Club Brian Banks Greenleaf Just Mercy David Makes Man The Remix: Hip Hop X Fashion The Apollo
2021 Source: Respect The Wonder Years Don't Go Tellin' Your Momma Passing I Promise Summer of Soul Blood Brothers: Malcolm X & Muhammad Ali All Boys Aren't Blue My Name Is Pauli Murray The Legend of the Underground Death of a Telemarketer The One and Only Dick Gregory Obama: In Pursuit of a More Perfect Union Our Kind of People
2022 Source: Power Book III: Raising Kanan Descendant Eve's Bayou Reasonable Doubt A Jazzman's Blues Aftershock From Scratch The Best Man: The Final Chapters Bel-Air Black Mothers Love & Resist Remember Me: The Mahalia Jackson Story Honk for Jesus. Save Your Soul. Katrina Babies The Hair Tales Till The Woman King
2023 Source: Ladies First: A Story of Women in Hip-Hop Stamped from the Beginning Black Barbie: A Documentary Fight the Power: How Hip-Hop Changed the World Rustin Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project Swagger The Changeling Young Love
2024 Source: Sing Sing Abbott Elementary She Taught Love How to Die Alone Stax: Soulsville U.S.A. The Supremes at Earl's All-You-Can-Eat The Emperor of Ocean Park Luther: Never Too Much Albany Road Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist Cross
2025 Source: Highest 2 Lowest Love, Brooklyn The Disappearance of Miss Scott Invisible Beauty Sinners Magic City: An American Fantasy The Perfect Neighbor The Gilded Age Dave Chappelle: Live in Real Life Victory Forever Solo Traveling with Tracee Ellis Ross
References