Ten Films Selected For Inaugural HBCU Week Now Student Film Festival

Ten short films created by students and recent graduates of Historically Black Colleges and Universities have been selected for the inaugural HBCU WEEK NOW STUDENT FILM FESTIVAL, premiering January 27. The films will stream on the HBCU Week NOW YouTube channel and were chosen from 36 submissions nationwide.

The festival is produced by HBCU Week NOW, a public media partnership spearheaded by Maryland Public Television, in collaboration with Black Public Media. Each selected project will receive a $5,000 award.

The winning films span multiple genres, including documentary, experimental, animation, and science fiction, and were directed by filmmakers affiliated with Hampton University, Howard University, and Spelman College.

The selected films are:

• For Me, By Me by Hannah Koonce (Spelman College ’28)

• From Rodeo to Polo: The First HBCU Polo Team by Kendi King (Spelman College ’25)

• The Hale Academy by Audra Davison (Spelman College ’22)

• Lady T by Nia Lambert (Spelman College ’25)

• One and Only by Zachary Ramseur (Hampton University ’28)

• Paralysis by Analysis by Jolene Carter (Howard University ’25)

• Shotgun by Quaran Ahmad (Howard University ’25)

• StarChild by Miya Scaggs (Spelman College ’25)

• What Is the Black Body? by Amira Barrett (Spelman College ’25)

• Whispers of White by Kennedy Rome (Spelman College ’26)

The festival lineup includes films addressing topics such as the formation of the first HBCU polo and lacrosse teams, environmental justice, artificial intelligence, femininity, and the Black body. Submissions were accepted through an open call issued by Black Public Media in spring 2025. Eligible applicants included current HBCU students and graduates from the past three years, with no requirement to be enrolled in a film or media program.

“HBCU Week NOW honors the enduring history, legacy and cultural heritage of HBCUs,” said Travis E. Mitchell, senior vice president and chief content officer of Maryland Public Television. “Our new film festival gives emerging filmmakers from these institutions a national stage and the momentum to turn student work into the next wave of public media.”

“These films prove the pipeline is strong for Black stories of our past, present and future,” said Leslie Fields-Cruz, executive director of Black Public Media.