Black Theatre and Film Festivals Announce 2026 Programs

The International Black Theatre Festival, founded by Larry Leon Hamlin in 1989 in Winston-Salem, NC, returns July 27–August 1, 2026. Now called the International Black Theatre Festival, it expects 65,000 attendees. This year debuts the documentary "Holy Ground: The Legacy of the National Black Theatre Festival." Mainstage productions include three works from August Wilson's Century Cycle: "Joe Turner's Come and Gone," "Fences," and "Jitney." Musical performances feature Wynton Marsalis' "A Fiddler's Tale" with Phylicia Rashad, Allan Harris' "Cross That River," and "A Marvin Gaye Revue." The BlackStar Film Festival, organized by BlackStar Projects, runs August 6–9, 2026 in Philadelphia, celebrating Black, Brown, and Indigenous filmmakers. The Detroit Justice Center named Cozine A. Welch, Jr. as the first Formerly Incarcerated Artist in Residence for 2026–27. Welch will develop "No More Heroes," debuting March 2027. Alvin Ailey's eight-part documentary series "Portrait of Ailey" is available free online, directed by Sylvia Waters.