Charlotte Black Film Festival

The 16th Annual Charlotte Black Film Festival: Elevating Voices, Empowering Visionaries

Now entering its 16th year, the Charlotte Black Film Festival (CBFF) stands as a premier cultural cornerstone in the Southeast, dedicated to honoring excellence in African American cinema. Our mission is to provide a powerful platform for Black filmmakers and content creators to showcase their work, celebrate their culture, and reclaim their narratives.

Since its inception in 2010 by founder Tommy Nichols, the CBFF has evolved into a dynamic four-day immersive experience. We don’t just screen films; we build careers. Through our "Vision Awards," high-impact workshops, and the newly launched Micro Film Grant program supported by the City of Charlotte, we bridge the gap between art, technology, and economic sustainability.

Why Submit to CBFF?

Legacy & Prestige: Join a 15-year tradition of excellence that has hosted industry icons like Keith David and Darrin Henson.

Industry Connection: Our jury consists of seasoned professionals, and our networking mixers connect you directly with producers, distributors, and fellow creatives.

Community Impact: We focus on the "Broad and Deep" stories of our community, ensuring that independent voices of color are heard and celebrated.

From narrative features to cutting-edge AI animation and student works, the CBFF is where the next generation of storytellers finds their home

3. Awards & Prizes

The Charlotte Black Film Festival celebrates creativity, impact, and innovation through two distinct award tiers:

The Red Carpet Vision Awards
Presented during our "Bowties & Sneakers" Gala, these prestigious honors recognize individual mastery in the craft:

Best Director

Best Actor & Best Actress

Best Composer

Trailblazer Award (Honoring career-long contributions to Black cinema)

Category Excellence Awards
Jury-selected winners in each of the following competition categories:

Best Narrative Feature

Best Short Film (Narrative, Comedy, or Drama)

Best Documentary (Feature & Short)

Best Animated/AI Film

Best Web Series/TV Pilot

Best Student Film

"My Beat, Your Movie" (music you think would be good for a film, TV, or reality show))

Audience Choice Awards
Every Official Selection is eligible for the Audience Choice Award, determined by live ballots from our festival attendees. We encourage all filmmakers to engage with their audience and promote their screenings!

Rules & Terms:

Please review the following guidelines carefully before submitting your project:

Charlotte Premiere Requirement: To maintain the exclusivity of our program, all films must be a "Charlotte Premiere." The project may not have been screened at any other film festival or public event within the Charlotte-Mecklenburg area prior to the CBFF dates.

Eligibility: We welcome submissions from filmmakers of African descent and those telling stories relevant to the African Diaspora.

Completion Date: Films must have been completed at least 24 months prior to the submission opening date.

Language: All non-English language films must have English subtitles.

Submission Format: All entries must be submitted digitally via FilmFreeway. We do not accept physical DVDs or Blu-rays for initial judging.

Judging Process: Submissions are reviewed and scored by a panel of industry professionals. All decisions made by the Jury and Festival Directors are final.

Marketing & Promotion: By submitting, filmmakers grant CBFF the right to use snippets (up to 2 minutes) and promotional stills for festival marketing, social media, and press purposes.

Technical Requirements: If selected, filmmakers must provide a high-quality DCP by the specified deadline. Failure to do so may result in disqualification.

Overall Rating

Quality

Value

Communication

Hospitality

Networking

Taunya Lynnette Sills

I was honored that my short film "Skipping a Beat" was selected and screened in-person at the Charlotte Black Film Festival. The festival was well organized and a great opportunity to network with other filmmakers. Thank you to the organizers for continuing to celebrate independent filmmakers.

June 2026

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Prisca Ogouma

Thank you for selecting RETURNEE. Communication throughout the process was clear and professional. I'm grateful to have been part of the Charlotte Black Film Festival and wish the festival continued success in celebrating diverse voices and independent filmmakers.

July 2026

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Kalere Payton

Our team had a wonderful experience at the CBFF! Our screening had a great turnout and our team enjoyed the other events at the festival as well. The festival is well-planned and our team could easily walk between venues and the hotel. The festival staff were personable and hospitable. We did walk away with the award for best documentary which was fantastic!

The social media presence leading up to the festival was rather quiet. We had several posts and stories where we tagged or requested collaborations with the festival on Instagram but none of those were accepted. After the festival, the festival’s Instagram account did share stories and posts from us. I know festivals don’t always have the staff for social media and that’s ok. The festival seems to have a strong local presence which surely helped turnout.

The 3 stars for Communication, Value and Quality are a reflection of the subpar execution of the online streaming. We had several audience members buy streaming access to watch our film (some of whom planned watch party events based on the dates listed for the streaming, June 9-14) but no emails were sent when the streaming window began. Festival staff were in communication with our team but no email was sent to those having purchased tickets until June 14. The email gave details about how the streaming service would work but failed to acknowledge the error and apologize for the delayed start. Our film has had significant demand whenever a festival has offered streaming so this was very disappointing.

UPDATE 17 June: As of today, multiple teammembers have had issues with the streaming service. I will update this review if the issue gets resolved.

UPDATE 29 June: We have sent multiple emails to festival staff including the founder and the issues with the streaming service have yet to be resolved. Our rating of the festival has been updated accordingly. If the situation is resolved, I will update the review.

June 2026

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Joshua Jackson

Great festival. People were helpful, easy to talk to, and great to work with. Thanks again!

June 2026

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Zirzeria Wright

My husband and I had a wonderful time, we were nominated for the Black Jewel of the World film. I would love to come back in the future.

June 2026

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