HBCU Film Fest Hands Out $8,500 Prize Amidst Hollywood Panels

Eighty-five hundred dollars and an internship will go to one of more than 450 applicants at the HBCU First Look Film & TV Festival. The event returns to Howard University for its fourth year on Nov. 5, 6, and 7, gathering aspiring filmmakers connected to historically Black colleges and universities.

Starz serves as a major sponsor for the gathering. Actors Nico Annan and Shannon Thornton from the series P-Valley will discuss the show's third and final season, which airs on Starz on Dec. 3. They join producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, Tony Award winner Myles Frost from MJ The Musical, and Howard alumni from A Different World including Kennedi Reece, Jade Johnson, and Jadah Clay.

The three-day program centers on the theme “How To Be The Next.” It aims to help actors, writers, and filmmakers enter Hollywood. Sessions cover legal aspects of the business, opportunities for women working behind the scenes, and Black storytelling through master classes and screenings.

Jada Evans, a graduate student at Florida A&M University, is a finalist in the HBCU First Look Challenge. Her film, Rooted in Resilience: Black Farmer Perspectives on Land, Loss, and Legacy, competes for Best Feature Film. Evans told Cassiuslife.com that being named a finalist affirmed her belief in social advocacy within fictional storytelling. She noted that her work demonstrates how her department prepares students to confront disparities through narrative.

The festival will screen clips from the film God with Us, which opens in theaters on Nov. 13, featuring director Rotimi. Bentley Kyle Evans will introduce New State of Mind, a series focused on HBCUs headed to AspireTV. An awards luncheon will honor alumni including Eva Marcille, Michael Strahan, and Tone Bell.

Saturday marks the 10th anniversary of Andscape, ESPN's platform for Black sports stories. The festival will hold a panel discussion and a closing-night gala to celebrate the milestone.