Celebration of Black storytelling

It’s time to celebrate once again with the justly renowned Martha’s Vineyard African American Film Festival (MVAAFF), now in its 24th year of presenting important works of independent and established Black filmmakers. And quite a celebration it will be, with screenings daily from 11 am into the evening, from August 7 through 15 at the Martha’s Vineyard Performing Arts Center. The blockbuster lineup includes “Soul Patrol,” a documentary about the first Black special ops team in the Vietnam War. This will be immediately followed by a discussion moderated by Henry Louis (“Skip”) Gates Jr. and former Secretary of State John Kerry. The former secretary, a longtime seasonal Vineyard resident, is a decorated Vietnam veteran who led veteran protests against the war. “It’s a great piece of Black history that I didn’t know, so it’s a very important documentary on our contributions to that war,” Tavares-Rance notes.

The festival landed on the Vineyard by happenstance. Seasonal residents Floyd Rance, a cinematographer and director, and Stephanie Tavares-Rance, who has public relations and marketing expertise, initially planned to host a film festival in Barbados. However, following the Sept. 11 attacks, the husband-and-wife team pivoted to their personal “happy place,” Martha’s Vineyard — a location with deep historical significance for the Black community.

The first MVAAFF had 10 films, and just two or three sponsors. It’s grown exponentially as the couple has nurtured it from its infancy to its current nine-day stellar event. “It’s exploding. We’re just so excited about what’s to come,” says Tavares-Rance about this August’s festivities.

Just a taste of the 57 films includes extended clips from the Paramount Pictures film “Children of Blood and Bone,” directed, co-written, and produced by Gina Prince-Bythewood on opening night, August 7. The feature, set in the fictional, mystical kingdom of Orisha, stars Thuso Mbedu as Zélie, a young woman who embarks on a perilous quest to reclaim the magic violently stolen from her people. Following the special presentation, Prince-Bythewood and Mbedu will participate in a panel, one of many during the festival. The following afternoon is “Soul Patrol” and the Kerry/Gates conversation mentioned above.

There will also be a double feature of two Netflix special spotlight screenings that day. The first is the documentary short by Stephen Curry and Ben Proudfoot, “The Baddest Speechwriter of All,” which follows 95-year-old Clarence B. Jones, best known for writing Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s iconic “I Have a Dream” speech. Jones, Dr. King’s trusted lawyer and speechwriter, reflects on his role in the civil rights movement. The second is Quinn Whitney Wilson and Viridiana Lieberman’s feature documentary, “Jean-Michel Basquiat,” which examines how the artist, who died at 27 nearly four decades ago, is now one of history’s most celebrated creators. Basquiat’s sisters lead an intimate and comprehensive portrait of their brother, augmented with personal archives, never-before-seen works, and voices of those who knew him best. The screenings will conclude with a conversation featuring the film’s co-directors.

Also that night is the independent documentary “Romare Bearden: A Life in Collage” by Deborah Riley Draper. In his lifelong fight to forge a Black identity — on and off the canvas — Romare Bearden was an artist, athlete, and activist who challenged cultural gatekeepers. The film traces the unseen odyssey of one of America’s greatest artists, who traveled from Harlem to Paris and from Jim Crow to civil rights using art, community, and collective memory to challenge who holds the power in defining American history and the value of Black creativity.

On Sunday, August 9, the Roku Originals’ docuseries “Gamechangers: Mother/Athlete,” directed by Christine Turner, follows WNBA trailblazers Sheryl Swoopes, Skylar Diggins-Smith, Bria Hartley, Natalie Achonwa, and Allison Feaster as they share untold stories of motherhood while competing at the highest level of professional basketball. A discussion between Swoopes and Turner will follow this screening.

That day, there will also be Yemi Bamiro’s independent feature “Black Is Beautiful: The Kwame Brathwaite Story.” Through the lens of the 500,000 images by unsung Harlem photographer and activist Kwame Brathwaite, spanning a 60-year career, this documentary reveals the story of the man who popularized “Black Is Beautiful” and devoted his career to celebrating the joy and beauty of Black life.

The feature “Girl Dad,” by Solvan Naim, screens on August 13. Here, a guarded teenager (Marsai Martin) leaves Brooklyn for the first time to spend the summer with her estranged father (Courtney B. Vance), a struggling composer in Los Angeles. What begins as an awkward reunion deepens when a used refrigerator becomes the unexpected focal point of their conflict, forcing them to confront old wounds and rebuild what they’ve lost. A conversation with Vance will follow the screening.

Friday, August 14, features Alexandria Stapleton’s “The Brittney Griner Story,” a personal and profound odyssey following basketball star Brittney Griner from her playing career through her harrowing imprisonment in Russia and the extraordinary geopolitical battle to secure her freedom. There will be a discussion with Stapleton and executive producer Lindsay Kagawa Colas after the film.

Tavares-Rance, who is thrilled the festival will be helping the local economy in August, as usual, says, “I hope most importantly that audiences walk away with something they didn’t know about African American history. I also want people to know the Island, its history, and what it has to offer.” She concludes, “We hope to be doing this festival here for many more years.”

The 2026 Martha’s Vineyard African American Film Festival will run from August 7 through 15 at the Martha’s Vineyard Performing Arts Center. For the complete list of films, events, and tickets, see mvaaff.com/2026-festival-itinerary.