Ten films selected for inaugural HBCU Week NOW student film festival

BALTIMORE — Black Public Media and Maryland Public Television have partnered to launch the first HBCU Week NOW Student Film Festival.

Ten short films by students and recent graduates of Hampton University, Howard University and Spelman College will begin streaming January 27 on the HBCU Week NOW YouTube channel.

HBCU Week NOW Festival highlights new HBCU storytellers

A panel selected the films from 36 submissions nationwide. Each winner receives a $5,000 award and a featured slot in the festival. The lineup spans documentary, experimental, animation and sci‑fi genres.

Selected films include:

• For Me, By Me by Hannah Koonce (Spelman ’28)
• From Rodeo to Polo: The First HBCU Polo Team by Kendi King (Spelman ’25)
• The Hale Academy by Audra Davison (Spelman ’22)
• Lady T by Nia Lambert (Spelman ’25)
• One and Only by Zachary Ramseur (Hampton ’28)
• Paralysis by Analysis by Jolene Carter (Howard ’25)
• Shotgun by Quaran Ahmad (Howard ’25)
• StarChild by Miya Scaggs (Spelman ’25)
• What Is The Black Body? by Amira Barrett (Spelman ’25)
• Whispers of White by Kennedy Rome (Spelman ’26)

Stories explore culture, identity and innovation

The slate features true stories about the first HBCU polo and lacrosse teams, along with fictional narratives about environmental justice, AI risks, femininity and the Black body. The films reflect the creative range of emerging HBCU filmmakers.

Black Public Media opened submissions in spring 2025. Eligible applicants included current students and recent graduates within three years, regardless of major.

Leaders underscore the strength of the pipeline

“HBCU Week NOW honors the enduring history, legacy and cultural heritage of HBCUs. Our new film festival gives emerging filmmakers a national stage and the momentum to turn student work into the next wave of public media,” said Travis E. Mitchell, MPT senior vice president and chief content officer.

“These films prove the pipeline is strong for Black stories of our past, present and future,” said Leslie Fields‑Cruz, BPM executive director.

HBCU Week NOW expands during Black History Month

The HBCU Week NOW partnership includes:

• Maryland Public Television
• PBS North Carolina
• South Carolina Educational Television
• WXXI Rochester
• Louisiana Public Broadcasting
• WABE Atlanta
• Howard University Television
• WORLD

In February, the initiative will broaden its reach with new programming. Becoming Thurgood: America’s Social Architect returns to PBS stations nationwide. Two new shorts, Bayou Magic: The Alvin Jazz Institute and Wall of Sound , will debut on the HBCU Week NOW YouTube channel, extending the project’s mission to honor Black excellence across platforms.