BlackStar Projects celebrated its 14th annual film festival and is proud to announce the jury and audience award winners.
The 2025 edition of the festival continued to break ground and push boundaries by spotlighting genre-defying films and hosting critically incisive conversations with an expansive community of filmmakers, artists, panelists and festival goers, all of whom met the moment with enthusiasm as this year's festival welcomed thousands of attendees and record-breaking sales, including sold out screenings of Louis Massiah and Monica Henriquez's TCB - The Toni Cade Bambara Schoolof Organizing on opening night, Kahlil Joseph's BLKNWS: Terms & Conditions on Friday and multiple other films throughout the weekend.
From the 93 films screened, juried awards were given for Best Feature Documentary to TCB - The Toni Cade Bambara School of Organizing, directed by Louis Massiah and Monica Henriquez; for Best Feature Narrative to Sugar Island, directed by Johanne Gomez Terrero; for Best Experimental film to The River, directed by Herrana Addisu; for Best Short Documentary to Correct Me If I'm Wrong (201TFTE), directed by Hao Zhou and for Best Short Narrative to The Last Harvest, directed by Nuno Boaventura Miranda. The Philadelphia Filmmaker Award was given to Talking Walls, directed by Marcellus.
In collaboration with Blackbird, BlackStar hosted the sixth annual BlackStar Pitch at the festival and announced the winner as Hysterical, a forthcoming project from filmmaker Kya Lou. Jamil McGinnis' Wahnish Keeps Me Free was selected as the pitch runner-up. Lou will receive $75,000, mentorship from Multitude Films and other benefits, while McGinnis' production will receive $25,000.
Winners were announced at the annual Director's Brunch and Awards Ceremony, celebrating all of the festival's directors.
BlackStar also invited its audience to select awards in Favorite Feature Narrative (Love, Brooklyn), Favorite Feature Documentary (TCB - The Toni Cade Bambara School of Organizing), Favorite Short Narrative (Food for the Soul), Favorite Short Documentary (Talking Walls) and Favorite Experimental (Untitled (How High the Moon) categories.
To view the full list of award recipients, please visit the link HERE.
The BlackStar panel series saw audiences overflow from The Daily Jawn Stage co-sponsored by NEON, with panelists and moderators engaging in lively conversation, inviting global perspectives and challenging dialogues on various topics, including a spotlight conversation with Killer of Sheep director Charles Burnett.
Notable guests and speakers at this year's festival included Letitia Wright, André Holland, Kahlil Joseph, Cauleen Smith, Elegance Bratton, Adam Piron, Kevin Jerome Everson, Rachael Abigail Holder, Stanley Nelson, and Meg Onli.
Beyond film, the festival's activation of the city provided wonderful opportunities for artists, filmmakers, and film enthusiasts to engage at sold-out parties and events throughout the weekend. BlackStar is committed to furthering this international communal experience as it looks ahead to next year's film festival, which will take place from August 6-9, 2026.
Festival Support
This year's festival was presented with major support from Open Society Foundations. Other sponsors include American Friends Service Committee, Andscape, Black Public Media, The Chamber of Commerce of Greater Philadelphia, Color Congress, Criterion, Critical Minded, Eventive, Firelight Media, Hyperallergic, Impact Partners, Independence Public Media Foundation, ITVS, Kashif, Monarch Yoga, NEON, PECO, Philadelphia Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated, Philadelphia Foundation, Philadelphia Museum of Art, Pillars Fund, Runway, SAGIndie, State Representative Rick Krajewski, Story Corps, Ten to One Rum, Twenty43, University of Pennsylvania Department of Cinema & Media Studies, Visit Philadelphia, Xfinity and WORLD Channel.
BlackStar Projects and its year-round programs are generously supported by Bloomberg Philanthropies, Critical Minded, Department of Community and Economic Development, Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, Ford Foundation, Independence Public Media Foundation, John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Mellon Foundation, Nathan Cummings Foundation, NEO Philanthropy, The Pew Center for Arts and Heritage, Pop Culture Collaborative, Ruth Foundation for the Arts, Surdna Foundation, Wallace Foundation, William Penn Foundation and Wyncote Foundation, in addition to its board of directors, community partners and a host of generous individual donors and organizations.
Image credit: Deonté Lee/BFA
