Click the FilmFreeway Button Above to Purchase Tickets.

 

Premiere Pass Includes:

• Early admission to the entire six-day film festival
• Access to all post-reception events
• Six days of powerful storytelling, visionary filmmakers, and vibrant community connections

Please note: Premiere Pass does not include reserved seating; all seating is open.

After August 22, Premiere Passes increase from $100 to $125 — don’t wait!

Day Passes Include: 

• General Admission entry and ticket for full day of films
• Open Seating

 

Event Schedule

 

Tuesday, October 7 (5pm) (LOCAL Films day)

Moderator – Lana Wilson-Combs (Radio Personality - KFBK)

 

Mr. Advocate (Short Film) – Stacie McClamm (Director)

In an urban elementary school obsessed with test scores, a former corporate worker turned teacher clashes with his rigid principal as he fights to implement afternoon recess, believing unstructured play is key to improving both student well-being and academic performance.

Love is Blind (Short Film) – Parneille Walker (Director)

In the bustling heart of Los Angeles, where dating is already a challenge, Chris—a cautious germaphobe—reluctantly agrees to a blind date set up by his best friend Bobby’s no-nonsense fiancée. To his surprise, his date is drop-dead gorgeous, and for a moment, he thinks he’s hit the jackpot. But what starts as a promising evening quickly spirals into chaos.

Moses (Feature Doc) – Fran Guajarro (Director)

In San Francisco, a man enduring homelessness for two decades connects with passersby to be seen among the invisible, a skill he learned from a promising music career cut short in the 70s, and one that will ultimately transform his life.

Picture Perfect (Short Film) – Xavier Smalls (Director)

Picture Perfect is a short film that explores the complexities of troubled relationships. Frank, a man deeply affected by past trauma, turns to painting as a way to cope with his anger. He creates a portrait of the woman he plans to propose to, only to uncover a devastating secret that turns his world upside down.

Happy Birthday MikeMike (Short Doc) - Mohammad Gorjestan & BJ McBride (Director)

‘Happy Birthday MikeMike’ is a film from the 1-800 Happy Birthday project, documenting Michael Brown’s 10th heavenly birthday party organized by his mother Lezley McSpadden on May 20, 2024.

Withered (Short Film) – Alana Smith (Director)

When a clairvoyant on the run from the government steals a highly valued photo, he uses his supernatural abilities to find his family before a lunar eclipse erases everything in his memory.

VIP Reception at Oaxaca

 

wednesday, october 8 (5pm)

Moderator: Kevin Johnson (OPBFF Founder)

Headliner: Allyson Felix (Track & Field Olympian)

 

She Runs the World (Feature Documentary) – Allyson Felix (Film Subject)

The electrifying story of Allyson Felix, the most decorated Olympic track and field athlete in history, who risked everything to fight for what she knew was right.

At the peak of her career, Allyson and her husband learned she was pregnant, yet their delight was tempered by a concern that her sponsor—Nike—would financially penalize her. Their worst fears were realized; a public fight for maternal protections in sports ensued. Nike had proposed slashing her salary by nearly 70% even though it still planned to use her image widely. Although Nike eventually was willing to agree to special protection for Allyson, one of their most forward-facing women athletes, Allyson was adamant that maternal protections for all female athletes be promised by Nike, not just those few with clout. Nike refused. Instead of accepting the favorable conditions offered to her specifically and letting other women battle for themselves, Allyson refused to back down and went public with their disagreement. She walked away from the guaranteed income from Nike and launched her own sneaker brand, the first ever designed specifically for women’s feet—and went on to unprecedented Olympic glory.

Allyson had successfully turned her personal and professional battles into a movement, compelling a billion dollar industry to change. She Runs the World is a testament to how each of us can make a difference by being true to our own values.

The ReWrite (Feature Film) – Terry Dawson (Director)

A struggling screenwriter revisits the characters in his script in real life to do a rewrite of his latest draft in order to save his dying career.

Knocking on Doors: Two Cities, Two Historic Campaigns (Short Documentary) - Louis Bryant III (Director) & Williamena Kwapo​ (Producer / Director)

Submitted by Sac Observer about Dwante Early and Flo Cofer’s Run for Mayor

VIP Reception at La Venadita

 

thursday, october 9 (5pm)

Moderators: Cecil Hannibal (KCRA News Anchor) & Lanaya Lewis (Sac State Public Relations Officer)

Special Guest: Bill Cartwright (NBA Legend)

 

Proceed and Be Bold! (Feature Documentary) – Amos Kennedy Jr. (Film Subject)

How far would you go for your one true love? Would you give up all of your earthly possessions, your job, and your family? What if your one true love was a printing press… At 40 years of age, Amos Paul Kennedy Jr. abandoned the traditional American Dream to follow his own. Unsatisfied with his comfortable, middle-class life, Amos traded in his computer for a printing press and his white collar for a pair of overalls. Armed with life, liberty, peanuts, and a meager yearly income of $7,000, Amos cranked out a new, mutinous declaration of independence.

Soul of the City (Short Film) – Roger Melvin (Director)

In Los Angeles’ Leimert Park, a pedicab driver and passenger discover that judgment and prejudice can follow you anywhere.

Ways to Fly (Short Film) – Kirby Marshall-Collins (Director)

When her barrettes mess up her pirouettes, an excitable, hyper-focused Black girl must power through the distractions – and her mother’s expectations — to fly like the ballerinas do.

The Ohio, Texas Remix (Short Film) – Ya’Ke Smith (Director)

Based on a true story, a mother travels from Ohio to Texas to kidnap her son from her estranged ex-husband.

Untold Secrets: The Flip Side (Short Film) - Dwayne Ricardo Brown (Director)

The film centers on a man living on the streets due to mental health-related complications and the woman who recognizes him, takes him to a café, and learns his story and helps get him back on his feet.

Don’t Hang Up (Short Film) – Diamond Batiste (Director)

A small-town Missouri woman’s peaceful Sunday is upended by a call from someone she once taught. As buried memories resurface, both must face their troubled past to prevent tragedy.

VIP Reception at Butterscotch Den

 

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 10 (5PM)

Moderator: Brandi Cummings (KCRA News Anchor)

Special Guest: Nate Parker (Actor and Filmmaker)

 

Love Offside (Feature Film) – Dale S. Lewis (Director)

When an undervalued physical therapist secretly takes on a famous rugby player’s recovery using a bold mix of Jamaican herbal remedies and modern therapy, she risks her career—and her heart—in a fight to prove her worth.

Can You Stand the Rain (Feature Film) – Eden Marryshow (Director)

A group of lifelong friends reunite after the sudden death of their childhood anchor, only to confront buried dreams, hidden tensions, long-held regrets — and the truth about who they’ve become… and who they still might be.

VIP Reception at Oak Park Brewing Co.

 

saturday, october 11 (5pm)

Moderator: Melanie Townsend (Fox 40 News Anchor)

 

Jules (Short Film) – Tiffany M. Abney (Director)

Jules is in a relationship with Clutch, an ex-motocross racer whose career ended prematurely due to an injury during a pivotal race. As a result of Clutch’s injury, he has forbidden Jules to continue riding motocross. In an effort to keep her sanity and freedom, Jules continues to go to the motocross track and ride behind Clutch’s back. While there Jules meets Rome, an attractive racer with a newfound relentless affinity towards Jules. Rome not only rides motocross but he also pushes Jules to do the same. Clutch catches wind of Jules’ disobedience which leads to Jules finding herself caught in a love triangle between Clutch and her own freedom.

Zeke (Short Film) – Kerry Codett (Director)

Zeke is a dark satire about a trusted barbershop owner who betrays a loyal client, forcing him to confront the culture of silence that pervades their Brooklyn community.

Laundry (Short Film) – Alterik Miller (Writer)

After his son’s tragic accident, a husband struggles to save his marriage and himself, until a chance encounter at a laundromat shows him that even in grief, hope and healing can all come out in the wash.

ADO (Short Film) – Sam Henderson (Director) and Starring Jenifer Lewis 

Ms. Hopkins is rehearsing Much Ado About Nothing with her middle school theatre class when it is interrupted by a school shooter.

Goodnight, My Love (Short Film) – Chyna Robinson (Director) and featuring Marla Gibbs and Hal Williams

A 90 year old woman reflects on the ups and downs of her 65 year marriage, not at all the happily ever after she imagined as a young woman.

The Late Night Creep (Feature Film) – Jamal Dedeaux (Director

An unhappily married man sneaks out of the house to go on a date with his college crush and ends up having the night from hell.

VIP Reception at Fixins Soul Kitchen

 

sunday, october 12 (1pm)

Moderator: Courtney Dempsey (Good Day Sacramento News Anchor)

Special Guest: Shaka Senghor

 

Shaka Senghor: How to Be Free

New York Times bestselling author Shaka Senghor takes the stage to present “How to Be Free: A Proven Guide to Escaping Life’s Hidden Prisons.” 

When Shaka received his second parole denial after 18 years behind bars, he had a choice to make: surrender to despair or transform himself from within. He chose hope.

Using daily practices like journaling, meditation, mindfulness, and creative expression, he turned his vision into action and discovered how to break free from everything holding him back so he could step into his true potential. And when he did, he realized his greatest barriers existed within his own mind—past narratives, survivor’s remorse, fear, and the inability to forgive.

This awakening led him to discover universal truths about freedom that apply far beyond prison walls and transform every aspect of life—from deepening our relationships to achieving career success.

Wait Until Tomorrow (Feature Film) – Osato Dixon (Director)

An intimate, urgent portrait of race, wealth, and opportunity in America, told through the eyes of Black families striving for more in cities across the nation.

Black Voices from the Ivory Tower (Short Documentary) – Khalid White (Director)

We center the expertise and experience of Black educators to advance equity, inclusion, belonging, and systems change.
These are the Black Voices from the Ivory Tower.

Outdoor School (Feature Film) – Ime Nyong Etuk (Director)

A tree can be a home and a forest can be a school, but raised in the wilds of 90’s Portland, Vin must first learn to be a child. OUTDOOR SCHOOL – A transformative true story about the search for shelter and the power of being seen.

Awards Presentation

NO VIP Reception