EIGHT DAYS IN AUGUST

Where can you find a celebration of cinema and culture, opening and closing night galas, after-parties and after-after parties, all packed with some of the most accomplished Black filmmakers, actors, producers, writers, and creatives in the world—woven between more than 60 film screenings over eight days on a picturesque island?

The answer is the Run&Shoot Filmworks Martha's Vineyard African American Film Festival, an Oscar® Qualifying Festival. Now in its 24th year, the festival has become one of the most anticipated gatherings celebrating Black storytelling. During the second week of August, Martha's Vineyard transforms into a place where the who's who of Black cinema mingles effortlessly with the "becoming who's"—emerging filmmakers, first-time directors, aspiring screenwriters, students, entrepreneurs, and devoted film lovers. Everyone arrives with a story. Everyone leaves with another one.

If this sounds like the kind of event that makes you want to throw a few things into a suitcase and head for the ferry, allow me to save you from making the same mistake I did.

You don't simply decide to attend the Martha's Vineyard African American Film Festival.

You prepare for it.

Our friend, filmmaker Justin Emeka, and his wife, Judge Farah Emeka, at the festival in 2023.

Accommodations are often reserved months in advance. Ferry reservations become precious commodities. Restaurant reservations fill quickly. My own plans unraveled after a simple miscommunication delayed securing lodging. Six weeks before the festival felt early—until I discovered it was already far too late. Unless sleeping under the stars is part of your festival strategy (and I don't recommend making it one), planning ahead isn't optional.

So why do people keep coming back?

Because this isn't just a film festival.

It's a reunion.

Yes, there are premieres, celebrity conversations, standing ovations, and unforgettable films. But what keeps people returning year after year is what happens between the screenings. Breakfast conversations become networking sessions. Beach encounters become collaborations. Dinner reservations turn into mentoring opportunities. Longtime friends reconnect while newcomers are welcomed into the fold. Industry veterans share space with aspiring filmmakers, and the boundaries between audience and artist seem to disappear.

The festival succeeds because it reflects something larger than cinema. It reflects the Black community at its best—gathering to celebrate excellence, exchange ideas, support one another, and imagine what's possible together.

Perhaps that's why so many people plan an entire year (or more) around those eight days in August. They're not simply attending a film festival.

Great films may be the reason to gather, but community is the reason to return.

Water gathering at MVAFF 2023 courtesy of Justin Emeka.