Capital City Black Film Festival is coming back to the citi for its ninth year, this year with some in-person events.
In 2020, the festival was held completely virtually out of concerns for public safety amid the COVID-19 pandemic. This year the festival, which is themed Triumph will return in a hybrid format, offering both virtual and in-person events December 3-5. CCBFF Executive Director Winston Williams and the event’s leadership team hope to highlight the love, joy, and resilience of the Black community and shift away from narratives of hardship and perils that seem to prevail in many spaces.
what connects us most is our ability to rise — collectively and individually.”
“It’s exciting to open our festival with a renewed sense of who we are and how far we’ve come,” Williams said in a statement. “Black people are not a monolith, but what connects us most is our ability to rise — collectively and individually.”
Filmmakers come from across the globe to showcase their work and learn from the industry’s best and brightest. Williams recently launched a new theatrical management company with award-winning actor Philip Spartis and acclaimed producer and casting director Cynthia Fritts Stillwell, CWP Entertainment Management. CWP recently secured a global distribution deal through Amazon Prime for CCBFF alumnus Eric Ayala’s feature film, “If I Should Die Before I Wake,” and they’re looking to do the same for other Black filmmakers in the citi.
Williams hopes that by integrating the management company into the festival, he can help create “a direct pathway for talented creatives to get their films global distribution,” he said. “I’ve worked with many talented creatives who have the desire to bring their work to life but need guidance on the appropriate path to landing distribution for their films.”
Submissions for the 2021 festival are being accepted through September 30. Categories include feature films, short films, documentaries, music videos, and animations. To be eligible for consideration, films must have been made on or after January 1, 2020 and be in English or have English subtitles.
