13th Annual Baltimore International Black Film Festival
October 8 - 12, 2026
When A Witness Recants
Location: Pikes Studio Cinema – Theatre 1 & 2
Friday, October 9, 2026, 7:30pm
Synopsis
In 1983, noted author Ta-Nehisi Coates remembers learning that a 14-year old boy was murdered in the corridor of his Baltimore middle school. Revisiting the case as an adult, he learns the truth about the three innocent teenagers who were convicted and sentenced to life. After 36 years in prison, it was revealed that false testimony led to their imprisonment. WHEN A WITNESS RECANTS explores the collateral damage the handling of this case had on the community, the wrongfully accused, and the young witnesses pressured to betray them.
Director’s Bio: Dawn Porter
Dawn Porter is an acclaimed American documentary filmmaker and founder of Trilogy Films, known for her storytelling on social justice, history, and cultural icons. Her celebrated documentaries, including Trapped, John Lewis: Good Trouble, and The Lady Bird Diaries, air on platforms like HBO, Netflix, Amazon, Apple, CNN, PBS and others. Another film from Porter’s recent work, Luther: Never Too Much, highlights the life and legacy of Luther Vandross. Produced with Sony Music Entertainment, Jamie Foxx’s Foxxhole, and Colin Firth’s Raindog Films, this intimate portrayal of the Grammy-winning artist was recently released in theaters and premiered on CNN/MAX on January 1, 2025.
Porter’s recent work, The Sing Sing Chronicles won the Best Documentary Emmy at the 46th annual News & Documentary Emmy Awards. Porter’s
achievements are widely recognized. A three-time Sundance film festival Alum, her film Gideon’s Army was nominated for an Emmy and an Independent Spirit Award and won the prestigious Ridenhour Prize as well as the American Bar Association’s Silver Gavel Award. Trapped also earned a Silver Gavel, as well as a Peabody Award and the Sundance Special Jury Prize for Social Impact Filmmaking, while John Lewis: Good Trouble won the 2021 NAACP Image Award. She received the Critics’ Choice Impact Award in 2022 and Gracie Awards in both 2022 and 2023. Recently, Porter was awarded the National Humanities Medal by former President Joe Biden, elected to the American Academy of Arts & Sciences, and received the IDA Career Achievement Award.
Three Black Men
Pikes Studio Cinema – Theatre 1 & 2
Sunday, October 11, 2026Â 6:45pmÂ
Synopsis
Can blackness escape the violence of its origins? Three Black men set out on a transformative journey along the transatlantic slave route in reverse, exploring resistance, liberation and a new understanding of Blackness.
Their epic voyage takes them from Los Angeles to Salvador da Bahia in Brazil, and finally to Accra in Ghana. Their mission is to redefine Blackness, heal from historical trauma, and envision new paths to liberation beyond the constraints of white supremacy.
Director’s Bio: Sienna McLean-LoGreco
Sienna McLean LoGreco has a passion for sharing stories that both entertain and inspire – stories of people striving to make a difference in the world. She has earned credits as a writer and producer for HBO, Showtime, A+E, VH1, and Discovery, as well as branded content for Ridley Scott’s RSA films. Her films have premiered at Sundance Film Festival, been lauded at festivals worldwide and continue to be distributed internationally.
