Help us raise $1,500 to sustain NewFest's Black Filmmaker Initiative so we can continue to offer a platform to the many talented Black queer storytellers who deserve recognition.

The Black Filmmakers Initiative was established in 2020 in recognition of the need to create more opportunities for queer Black artists. Each year, the initiative provides fee waivers to Black filmmakers to encourage submissions to NewFest. At the festival, NewFest presents three Emerging Black LGBTQ+ Filmmaker Awards, accompanied by a cash prize of $1,500, to celebrate and invest in the work of Black filmmakers.

"Receiving this award was an on-time affirmation that my work and the specificity of the stories I'm passionate about telling are not done in vain. I still can't articulate how magical that moment was for me. I'm thankful to the NewFest community and Black Filmmakers Initiative for being accomplices in the advancement of Black queer and trans filmmakers."

— Brandon R. Nicholas, 2024 Recipient of the Emerging Black LGBTQ+ Filmmaker Award

“Supporting Black filmmakers is beyond necessary to make sure that the archive of films truly reflects the breadth of the Black queer experience. Otherwise, the industry is not allowing the full story to be told. And if we are not telling the full story, the nuances of Blackness and queerness won’t be documented.”

– Sekiya Dorsett, 2024 Recipient of the Emerging Black LGBTQ+ Filmmaker Award

"If making my film made me a filmmaker, receiving this award made me a member of a community that I didn't realize I so desperately needed. NewFest is the artistic home, platform, and affirmation needed for so many Black queer and trans filmmakers. I am forever grateful to this initiative for being a turning point for me and others, with dreams of its impact to continue for years to come.”

– Miranda Haymon, 2023 Recipient of the Emerging Black LGBTQ+ Filmmaker Award

Your gift will ensure Black filmmakers never face cost barriers in submitting their work to NewFest, and provide funds to emerging filmmakers to develop and produce their next film. Thank you for your support!

Support the Black Filmmakers Initiative!

To sustain our initiative to platform, elevate, and celebrate Black queer voices