We are excited to invite you to join us as we launch the inaugural Melanated Movie Night Film Festival, an initiative designed to celebrate and amplify black voices and black stories in cinema.

From Oscar Micheaux to Julie Dash, from Nia DaCosta to Ryan Coogler, Black cinema has been shaped by the manifestations of Black genius. Visionaries with a desire to put into the world a point of view that is often excluded from the cinematic landscape. Black filmmakers have time and time again created masterpieces that ultimately become fixtures in the culture as must-see classics. Robert Towsend gave us Meteor Man. Mario Van Peebles gave us New Jack City. Kassi Lemmons gave us Eve’s Bayou and the list goes on. Even when the name of the filmmaker escapes the mind, the work lives on indelibly.

In a climate where the past and present of the Black experience is under the active threat of erasure, it is the art by black creatives that will reflect our times and be the catalyst for the resistance that black resilience has always been. Black filmmakers will be on the frontline and the Melanated Movie Night Film Festival wants to platform as many of them as we can.

Our aim is to provide a safe space for the cinematic creative collective to build connections, discover opportunities, and gain inspiration to fuel their prowess. More than that, the Melanated Movie Night Film Festival wants to unite the movie lovers and movie makers from across the country, bringing them to P.G. County, a hub for black wealth and excellence.

James Baldwin famously said, “The place in which I’ll fit, will not exist until I make it.” Too often black filmmakers are denied a seat at the mainstream table. The remedy to this is to build a table that corrects that. So, the Melanated Movie Night Film Festival has joined the line of film festivals that are centering black stories and the filmmakers who are telling them. We need as many platforms as we can have to amplify black voices making a difference through film. More than being just about the silver screen, relationships are being forged and impact is being made. Melanated movie magic happens here, and we can’t wait to share it with you.

Awards & Prizes

MMNFF Awards
Each category will receive the following award distinctions:
Best Short Film
Best Short Narrative Film
Best Short Documentary Film
Best Web Series Pilot
The Walter Goodwin Jr. Leap Award ($500)

Rules & Terms

Official Rules & Terms
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Submission Requirements
All films must be through FilmFreeway

Films must include English audio.

Submissions are considered final once entered; replacements will not be accepted after the deadline unless specifically requested by festival staff.

Eligibility
To qualify for consideration:
The majority of the creative team (director, writer, producer, and or actors) must be Black.

Films must have been completed between 2025 and 2026

All submitted films must meet the category runtime requirements:
Short: 20 minutes or less

 Premiere Status
The festival does not require premiere status; films may have screened elsewhere.
However, preference may be given to films not widely distributed or publicly released.

 Content Requirements
Filmmakers must hold all necessary rights for music, footage, images, performances, and intellectual property.
The festival is not liable for any copyright disputes.
Films promoting hate, discrimination, or illegal activity will be disqualified.
AI-generated films are allowed only if AI is used minimally (e.g., color grading, minor VFX). Fully AI-generated narrative films are ineligible.

Submission Fees
Submission fees are non-refundable, regardless of selection status.
Fees must be paid in full at the time of submission to be considered.

Selection Process
All submissions are reviewed by a diverse panel of screeners and judges selected by Stalina Goodwin and the festival’s programming team.
The judges’ decisions are final, and no feedback is guaranteed.
Finalists will be notified by email.
Winners will be selected based on storytelling, creativity, technical quality, cultural resonance, and festival theme alignment.

Winners’ Showcase Screening
Because the festival’s in-person showcase is limited to 4 hours, the following apply:
The festival reserves the right to adjust screening order or determine which films will be screened based on runtime.
Selected winners must deliver a high-quality screening file (1080p minimum) within 7 days of notification.
Failure to provide a playable file may result in forfeiture of the screening slot (award remains intact).

Awards
The festival presents the following awards:
Best Short Film
Best Short Narrative Film
Best Short Documentary Film
The Walter Goodwin Jr. Leap Award ($500)

Marketing & Promotion Consent
By submitting, filmmakers grant the festival permission to use:
clips (up to 30 seconds),screenshots, stills, poster images, and filmmaker bios
for promotional purposes related to the festival’s marketing, social media, and press campaigns.

The festival will never release the full film without permission.

Liability
The festival is not responsible for technical issues arising from failed uploads, faulty links, or incompatible file formats.
The festival is not responsible for travel, lodging, or other expenses related to participation.

 Rule Changes
The festival reserves the right to amend or update these rules at any time. Any updates will be posted on the festival’s primary submission platform.