2026 Festival Archive
Black & Brown Femme Film Festival 2026
July 24–25, 2026
Logan Center for the Arts
915 E. 60th Street, Chicago, Illinois
Presented by Black & Brown Femme Films
The Black & Brown Femme Film Festival 2026 brought 43 films, live conversations, creative programming, and a deeply community-centered gathering to the Logan Center for the Arts in Chicago.
Across two days, filmmakers, artists, partner organizations, and audiences came together to experience stories centering Black and Brown femme voices from Chicago and around the world. The weekend was intimate, lively, generous, and filled with the kind of meaningful connection that has always been at the heart of BBFF.
On the Screen
Two Days of Black and Brown Femme Cinema
The 2026 festival presented 43 films selected from nearly 600 submissions received without a submission fee. The official selections were screened across seven curated blocks and represented an expansive range of documentary, narrative, animation, horror, comedy, drama, thriller, and experimental filmmaking.
Together, the films explored migration, ancestry, gender, queerness, mental health, identity, resilience, family, and community. While the stories crossed cultures, genres, and geographic borders, each contributed to a larger celebration of Black and Brown femme imagination.
The Spirit of BBFF
A Festival Rooted in Community
Throughout the weekend, filmmakers and audience members stayed after screenings to talk, ask questions, exchange experiences, and support one another’s work. The atmosphere was warm, honest, and deeply community oriented—a space where women and femmes could feel the care behind the festival as much as they experienced the films themselves.
During one of those conversations, filmmakers encouraged BBFF founder and Executive Director Vici Howard to consider charging submission fees. After listening, she reaffirmed BBFF’s commitment to remaining submission-free because her spirit continued to tell her that access should not depend on a filmmaker’s ability to pay.
That decision reflected the tenderness and integrity present throughout BBFF ’26: filmmakers were welcomed because of their voices, their work, and the stories they trusted the festival to hold.
Beyond the Screen
Conversations and Creative Programming
Film screenings were accompanied by filmmaker conversations and special programs that invited audiences to engage more deeply with the creative process and the experiences behind the work.
Filmmaker Q&A
Okema T. Moore and Shireen Crutchfield joined BBFF for a lively filmmaker conversation. Audience members responded enthusiastically as the filmmakers discussed their work, experiences, and creative journeys.
Pocket Cinema
Led by Coquie Hughes, the Pocket Cinema workshop encouraged participants to explore accessible approaches to filmmaking and the creative possibilities already available in their hands.
Allies Take Over BBFF
Liberated Arts Movement, Mezcla Media Collective, and Mulfy Film Productions joined BBFF for a collaborative program celebrating the organizations and creative communities supporting filmmakers of color.
Festival Honors
BBFF 2026 Award Winners
BBFF ’26 concluded by recognizing seven films and filmmakers whose work left a lasting impression on the festival community.
Grand Jury Prize
Fist at Grace
Director Tyra Michelle Williams
Best Narrative
Neutral Buoyancy
Director Faith Vera Woods
Best Documentary
Deneege Leł Ghu Kk’ots’eedeneeyh Te Heł Hoozoonh Ts’e Denots’edeneeyh
Director Brittany Woods-Orrison
Best Thriller
The Shower
Director Okema T. Moore
Best Experimental
Moksha
Director Mao Jerry
Best Performance
Behind These Pretty Things
Director Maya Bentley
Best Animation
Rangi
Director Joe Taga
Festival Gallery
Moments from BBFF ’26
Scenes from two days of screenings, filmmaker conversations, workshops, community gathering, and celebration at the Logan Center for the Arts.
Festival Coverage
BBFF ’26 in the Community
PrideIndex: Congratulations to the 43 Official Selections of BBFF ’26