HBCU Student Film Festival Goes Live

A ugust 23-24 marked the inaugural in-person HBCU Student Film Invitational in Detroit, MI .While there was a virtual festival and award show in 2022, these two days were a culmination of six years of planning by founder Bruce Clifton and provides a platform for future arts events .The 25 short films were created by students from the nation's Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) .At stake for the student filmmakers was the $10,000 Jury Award .The event was hosted by Autumn Sun, a grassroots organization dedicated to young, Black artists .In addition to film screenings, the two days were filled with panel discussions and entertainment .It concluded with the Autumn Sun Invitational Awards presentation and postawards gala ."Creating a focus where these filmmakers can feel seen and showcase their talents," says Kennedi Fuller, communications director for the festival and a graduate of Howard University DC, an HBCU institution ."Being in person is huge .It's giving the students that chance to be celebrated .We want them to start having those networking opportunities ." Creating OpportunityClifton began envisioning the film festival in 2018 after educators at two HBCUs, North Carolina A&T State University and Alabama State University, spoke to him about their students wanting to pursue storytelling through film ."The professors were seeing that there were not a lot of opportunities for students in film," says Fuller ."Bruce Clifton being a film director, he decided to go ahead and start creating the framework ."Oftentimes, outside of Howard or some of the bigger schools that are known for entertainment, there aren't that many direct pipelines," she adds ."Looking to bring those resources to those campuses and provide opportunities for HBCU students because a lot of time it is lacking and they don't get that same funding as someone who goes to a UCLA or an NYU (both have renowned film programs) ."In addition to communications, Fuller serves as a leadership coach for Spelman College GA (the top HBCU institution) sophomores .She leads a required three-credit career accelerator program, in which she guides the students on how to brand themselves for their desired careers and hone their leadership skills, resumes, LinkedIn profiles, and interview skills .She understands the drive of today's student filmmakers and their need to build networks .