Mission

Our mission is to preserve and promote African American & African Diaspora Cinema.  Our motto is “Spotlight on African American and African Diaspora Cinema.”  Our goal is to continue to be a world class film festival, and leader in the area of African American and African Diaspora cinema arts.

About the festival

San Diego Black Film Center is a not-for-profit 501c3 entity.

​​Established in 2002 and held each year during the last week of January, the San Diego Black Film Festival has grown to become one of the largest black film festivals in the country.

We screen over 100 films each year: Comedy, Drama, Documentaries, Animation, GLBT, Horror, Religious, Foreign/African Diaspora, Shorts, Feature Films and music videos.

​​As the first and largest black film festival of the year, numerous other festival reps scout new films from us for their event.  Simply put, each year the San Diego Black Film Festival will premiere a large percentage of the independent black films that will prove successful throughout the year at other film festivals.

Opening Day Films

The Dichotomy of Hattie McDaniel w/Costume Royalty

The Dichotomy of Hattie McDaniel: USA, 2024 feature drama, 75. Mins., Dir. Vincent Victoria.  Actress Hattie McDaniel faces personal and professional challenges as she readies to attend the 12th Annual Academy Awards. Costume Royalty: USA, 2024 short documentary, 11 mins., Dir. Edward Morrison. The legacy of black fashion designers who helped shape fashion and culture against all odds.