BlackStar Film Festival's 15th edition will present several films from Africa and its diasporas, running from 6–9 August 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, with selected films also available online internationally.
The annual festival, organized by the Philadelphia-based arts organization BlackStar Projects, focuses on cinema and visual culture by Black, Brown and Indigenous artists. Its 2026 programme contains 91 films from more than 30 countries. The 17-title count covers productions from African countries, international African co-productions and diaspora films tied to African filmmakers, characters or communities.
Among feature-length works in the selection:
- "Black Lions — Roman Wolves" — Ethiopian-born filmmaker Haile Gerima's 623-minute, five-part documentary examines Ethiopia's resistance to Italy's 1935 invasion. The United States production receives its North American premiere.
- "Call of My Life" — Dammy Twitch's 110-minute Nigerian feature follows a call-centre employee whose conversation with a customer develops into an unexpected relationship. It receives its United States festival premiere.
- "The Prophet (O Profeta)" — Mozambican director Ique Langa's 94-minute Mozambique–South Africa production concerns a pastor who seeks help from obscure powers while struggling with his faith. It receives its Philadelphia premiere.
- "Bouchra" — Meriem Bennani and Orian Barki's 85-minute Italy–Morocco–United States animated feature follows a queer Moroccan jackal living in New York whose difficult telephone conversations with her mother in Casablanca begin shaping her first film. It receives its Philadelphia festival premiere.
- "Let Them Be Seen" — South African filmmaker Nolitha Refilwe Mkulisi's 75-minute South Africa–Germany production uses documentary, fiction and performance to observe daily life, belief and communal gathering in Sterkspruit, a town in South Africa's Eastern Cape province. It receives its Philadelphia premiere.
- "Variations on a Theme (Variasies op 'n Tema)" — Jason Jacobs and Devon Delmar's 65-minute South Africa–Netherlands–Qatar feature follows Ouma Hettie, an elderly goat herder in South Africa's Namaqualand region, as wartime history, financial fraud and pressure from her family intrude on her independent life. It receives its Philadelphia premiere.
The short-form programme includes:
- "Whispers of a Burning Scent" — Mo Harawe's 28-minute Somalia–Austria–Germany drama follows a wedding musician facing a court hearing, public judgment and the possible collapse of his marriage. It receives its North American premiere.
- "White Musk" — Fatima Wardy's 18-minute United States–Sudan–United Arab Emirates–United Kingdom production follows a 19-year-old who becomes the principal caregiver for her gravely ill mother. It receives its East Coast premiere.
- "God Sleeps on Sundays" — Naishe Nyamubaya's 17-minute Zimbabwean drama sends a disgraced preacher to establish a rural church on land occupied by a traditional healer. It receives its Philadelphia premiere.
- "How to Hide It" — Ramla Ali and Richard A. Moore's 13-minute British production follows a British Sudanese Muslim woman confronting the religious and personal consequences of a £184 million lottery win. It receives its Philadelphia premiere.
Additional titles include "Authors of the Estate," "Free Lyric," "To Run Is to Return," "The Aura (L'Aura)," "Nwanne M Nwaanyị," "Voicemail" and "An Afternoon with a Gnawa."
For the full programme, visit: https://blackstarprojects.org/