The DBWFF is a platform for films that honor, discover and share the Black, African American, and African Diaspora experience. The festival also aims to strengthen the community and create opportunities for collaboration among black women filmmakers in Dayton, nearby regions, and globally. The ultimate goal is to ensure that there is always a space for black women filmmakers to be celebrated, acknowledged, and welcomed in the film industry.
At the Dayton Black Women’s Film Festival, our awards are rooted in care, legacy, and growth. The Garden of Dreams Scholarship directly supports a Black woman film student, awarding $1,500 at the most recent festival toward her education and creative development. The Gardenia Award, created in honor of Hattie McDaniel, recognizes a Black woman filmmaker whose work embodies grace, resilience, and lasting cultural impact, paying tribute to McDaniel’s groundbreaking legacy and the doors she opened in cinema. The Bloom Award celebrates a rising voice in film, uplifting bold new vision and emerging talent. These honors have been awarded to notable Black women filmmakers including Aisha Ford, whose work has been recognized across national film and arts institutions, Selena Burks-Rentschler, an Emmy-winning documentarian, and Kailah Ware, to name a few. Together, these awards reflect the festival’s commitment to nurturing, honoring, and sustaining Black women in cinema.
