Emerging Black Filmmakers! The Luminal Theater is looking for new short films and media made by Black filmmakers for our new quarterly film series taking place in Northeast & Southeast USA. See rules and terms for more information.

FRESH BLACK FILMS' mission
This showcase will expose fresh audiences to new Black films, and Black filmmakers and creatives to each other’s dynamic work. Comedies, Dramas, Documentaries, (contained) Web Series epsidoes, Experimental Films, and New Media are all accepted.

We define "emerging" as filmmakers, regardless of age, who are fairly new to directing & producing cinema, but are not film students, and have had only intermediate success on the film festival circuit and have not had films acquired by major distribution or streaming platforms (HBO, Netflix, etc).

FRESH BLACK FILMS IS HYPERLOCAL
Submitted films should be directed or produced by Black filmmakers from or currently living in:
Northeast USA: New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maine
AND
Southeast USA: North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida and Virginia

The beauty of Fresh Black Films is our hyper local focus. Ensure that you are applying *only* if you are from, currently living in, or your film takes place in the places listed in above and in our RULES & TERMS.

PLEASE READ RULES & TERMS for MORE INFORMATION.

AWARDS
We’ll be awarding a cash (!) prize to the winner of each showcase and prizes to all selected filmmakers!

Please feel free to email us with any questions.

*preview photo from Sewra G Kidane's AS ABOVE (Fresh Black Films - 2020)*

cash award to winner of each showcase and special prizes to selected filmmakers

All films MUST comply with the following rules/regulations:

Submitted films should be directed or produced by Black filmmakers from or currently living in:
Northeast USA: New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maine
AND
Southeast USA: North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida and Virginia

You must submit evidence (or have it made plain on your film's page) that your film has Black/African-American/African diaspora director and that you are from the above states/regions. ONLY the film’s director or producer can submit.

Only films completed between Oct. 2022-January 2024 are eligible. No premiere status is needed.

Filmmakers must be between 18 and older.

Only Narrative, Documentary, Animated, and Experimental films are eligible.

Films must have a minimum of 1 minute, maximum 20 minutes running time.

Only two (2) submissions per filmmaker or filmmaking team.

Films can be in any language but we request that non-English films have subtitles in English or provide a transcript in English. NOTE: We may be able to help subsidize subtitling costs for some selected films.

Only films with original or licensed (and attributed) music may be submitted; copyright-free (but again, attributed) and music via public domain is welcome. We reserve the right to ask you and your team if your music is unoriginal or uncleared and to not choose your film based on if it is illegally used or unlicensced.

Works in progress are welcome to be submitted, but must be completed in full four (4) weeks before the screening, if/when selected.

No X-rated films may be submitted, but we do invite films that push the envelope (we do not believe in stymying your creative freedom, but we have limits on what we can show).

All SELECTED filmmakers will be paid a licensing fee to show their film.

Digital screeners only through FilmFreeway only. Please do not mail your entry.

As our live showcase is quarterly (Spring, Summer, Fall, late Fall/early Winter), submissions will be accepted through August 2024. Look out for a new call mid-2024, but please only submit once per calendar year.