Virginia Black Film Festival Screens 56 Movies Juneteenth Weekend

Amid a summer in which many Americans are worried about war in the Middle East, the Virginia Black Film Festival (VBFF) experienced a boost in submissions and attendees.

The 2nd annual event selected and screened 56 independent feature and short films over the course of the Juneteenth holiday weekend from June 19 through June 22.

That’s compared to 30 films that were selected and screened in 2024.

“We had hundreds of submissions this year and under one hundred submissions last year,” said VBFF founder Bryan G. Thompson. “We proved that we can put on a high quality festival. We became the biggest film festival the Hampton Roads community has ever seen."

Thompson produces the festival annually in partnership with the City of Hampton where screenings take place at both the American Theatre and in the student center of Hampton University in Hampton, Virginia.

During the festival, the U.S. struck three sites in the Middle East on June 21, targeting Iran's alleged nuclear program against Israel.

“What I’m finding is that because of some of the chaos going on in the world right now, more and more writers and filmmakers are centering themselves and focusing their project on ‘how do we make the world a better place’,” Thompson told Patch. “I think that’s the most significant difference.”

Thompson is also a local actor who starred in “Blowback,” which premiered at the American Theatre the night of June 21. Actor Clifton Powell, whose best known for roles in "Dead Presidents" and "Menace II Society," played King who is the long lost father to Thompson’s character in “Blowback.”

Accomplished guest speakers included Powell and Hollywood star Tim Reid as well as music supervisor Bill Stephney, local entertainment leader BK Fulton and Hampton University film professor Rel Dowdell. Reid is known for starring in the television sitcoms "WKRP in Cincinnati" and "Sister, Sister" with the twins Tia and Tamera Mowry.

Among the movies that screened were “Deadly Obsession,” “We Remember 1619,” “Waiting to Process,” “Wall Street,” “Someplace in the Middle,” “Mosiah,” “Necessary Evil,” “City of a Million Dreams,” “Eroding History,” “Sins of a Father,” "Don't Play With Demons," and “The Dichotomy of Hattie McDaniel.”

"The festival is trying to establish Hampton, Virginia as a filmmaking capital and I believe in that vision," said Jasmine Deanne Andrews who directed "Don't Play With Demons" and worked as a line producer on "Blowback." "I really like this festival. I enjoyed it last year."

Wykesha King played the late Hattie McDaniel in the feature film “The Dichotomy of Hattie McDaniel.”

“I learned a lot about Hattie McDaniel and especially that time period,” King told Patch. “It’s not something we think about and her name is almost forgotten but we need to speak about Hattie McDaniel a lot more because she opened doors in Hollywood for the black actresses who are thriving in the industry today.”

McDaniel was the first African-American to win an Oscar for her supporting role as Mammy in “Gone with the Wind” in 1939. Whoopi Goldberg subsequently won Best Supporting Actress in 1991 followed by Octavia Spencer who won Best Supporting Actress in 2012. Halle Berry won in 2002 for Best Actress.

The festival also has an exposition showcasing black-owned businesses from throughout Hampton Roads.

“We have a black baker, black hair care products, Scratch Bakery, Midnight Oil cookies,” Thompson added. “We also have an herbal tea company and our partner for the expo is an organization called Buy Black Hampton Roads.”

The festival’s closing event is the Awards Gala taking place at the American Theatre (125 East Mellen Street) starting from 6pm on Sunday June 22. Tickets can be purchased on TicketMaster.