BIBFF 2026 TICKETS
A House Left Behind
After the death of his father, Pete remains in his childhood home, moving through the quiet aftermath of loss. As he navigates unresolved grief and strained relationships with his siblings, buried memories and long-standing tensions rise to the surface, forcing each of them to confront what has been left unsaid. United States Director: Jess Carson (2026) Narrative Short: 17 min
October 11, 2026 – 4:15 PM Watch Trailer Pikes Studio Cinema Theatre 2 (HOSANNA SHORTS)
A New Day Begun: The Black National Anthem
A New Day Begun: The Black National Anthem traces the 126-year legacy of “Lift Every Voice and Sing.” From its origins in a segregated Florida School at the turn of the 20th century to its recitation at the inauguration of America’s first Black president to Super Bowl 2025, the film explores how the song became a powerful anthem of Black resilience, dignity, and hope. A New Day Begun chronicles the enduring impact of the song, and captures the broader struggle and perseverance of Black Americans, honoring a storied past while affirming an enduring spirit of resistance and triumph. United States Director: Keith Michael Brown (2026) Documentary Short: 21 min
October 10, 2026 – 4:45 PM Watch Trailer Pikes Studio Cinema Theatre 2 (proceeds: Bride Price)
A Pretty Pass
Mixed-race Izzie sees her new camp friends’ true colors when she discovers she has been unknowingly passing for White all summer. United States Director: Chelsea Smith Hall (2025) Narrative Short: 17 min
October 9, 2026 – 4:30 PM Watch Trailer Pikes Studio Cinema Theatre 2 (YOUTH SHORTS)
October 10, 2026 – 1:30 PM Pikes Studio Cinema Theatre 2 (SISTAH SHORTS)
Against the Tide
The Morgan Swimming Program produced 8 Championships in the CIAA and MEAC over a 25 year period, included an unprecedented 6 championship in a row. Those championships among other successes make the Morgan Swimming Program one of, if not the most decorated and achieved swimming programs among all HBCUs. This is their story told in their voices. United States Director: Gregory M. Jones (2026) Documentary Short: 27 min
October 11, 2026 – 1:30 PM Watch Trailer Pikes Studio Cinema Theatre 1 (BMORE SHORTS II)
Annie Turnbo Malone: The Untold Story
This film encompasses the early life, struggles, business successes and continuing legacy of Annie Turnbo Malone. Annie Turnbo Malone was a pioneering Black businesswoman and philanthropist who built a massive hair care empire in the early 20th century, yet her monumental legacy was largely overshadowed by her former employee and student, Madam C.J. Walker. United States Director: Kim Love (2026) Documentary Feature: 75 min
October 10, 2026 – 1:30 PM Watch Trailer Pikes Studio Cinema Theatre 2 (screens with SISTAH SHORTS)
Attached
ATTACHED is a psychological thriller about a struggling actress named Draya whose past continues to haunt her, while her present causes her to reconcile with life changing decisions that force her to confront her sense of control. United States Director: Kendra Monet & Demetrius Sadler (2025) Narrative Short: 15 min
October 10, 2026 – 7:30 PM Watch Trailer Pikes Studio Cinema Theatre 2 (HORROR/SUSPENSE SHORTS)
Black Beyond Borders: Dakar, Senegal
Black Beyond Borders is an award-winning documentary series exploring culture, creativity, connection, and cuisine across the African diaspora through the eyes of filmmaker Ebony Walden. Through intimate, on-the-ground storytelling, the series examines history, identity, and everyday Black life across borders, offering a deeply personal lens into global Black culture. Season One: Dakar, Senegal. MARYLAND PRIMIERE Senegal Director: Ebony Walden (2025) Web Series: 8 min
October 10, 2026 – 1:30 PM Watch Trailer Pikes Studio Cinema Theatre 2 (SISTAH SHORTS)
Black History Mini Docs Series
Black History Mini Docs offers quick, highly engaging insights into significant figures and events in Black history. The videos utilize dynamic cinematic techniques similar to movie trailers and music videos, allowing viewers to digest impactful biographical and historical overviews in just 90 seconds. The series covers influential global and American figures such as Thurgood Marshall, Ida B. Wells, Nelson Mandela, and Mary McLeod Bethune. United States Director: Reed Robert McCants (2026) Web Series: 8 min
October 9, 2026 – 4:30 PM Watch Trailer Pikes Studio Cinema Theatre 2 (YOUTH SHORTS)
October 10, 2026 – 11:30 AM Pikes Studio Cinema Theatre 2 (BMUBM SHORTS)
October 10, 2026 – 1:30 PM Pikes Studio Cinema Theatre 2 (SISTAH SHORTS)
Black Tea
An artist and a collector argue over an antique teacup. They make their cases over a cup of tea and a crush develops. United States Director: Be Steadwell (2025) Narrative Short: 16 min
October 10, 2026 – 4:15 PM Watch Trailer Pikes Studio Cinema Theatre 1 (SGL SHORTS)
October 11, 2026 – 1:30 PM Pikes Studio Cinema Theatre 1 (BMORE SHORTS II)
Bride Price
Paul, a humble young teacher, has found the love of his life in Awa, but her father has set a bride price far beyond his means, and pride on both sides of the family threatens to derail the union before it begins. As rival suitors circle and the whole community weighs in, Paul must navigate tradition, money, and a cast of unforgettable characters to prove that real love can’t be bought. MARYLAND PRIMIERE United States Director: Ime Etuk (2025) Narrative Feature: 69 min
October 10, 2026 – 4:45 PM Watch Trailer Pikes Studio Cinema Theatre 2 (screens with: A New Day Begun: The Black National Anthem)
Callbacks
Driven by a desire to be great, an aspiring actress auditions for a role in a new movie. When the audition gets progressively weird, she learns that the casting directors are actually aliens choosing her to be a host for their alien baby, the film serves as a metaphor for how black women’s ambition is exploited by society. United States Director: Kaden Evans (2026) Narrative Short: 17 min
October 10, 2026 – 7:30 PM Pikes Studio Cinema Theatre 2 (HORROR/SUSPENSE SHORTS)
Chasing Memories
“Chasing Memories” is a short psychological film following Nico as she navigates the emotional rollercoaster of healing from the abrupt ending of a friendship. United States Director: Taja Copeland (2026) Narrative Short: 10 min
October 10, 2026 – 1:15 PM Watch Trailer Pikes Studio Cinema Theatre 1 (BMORE SHORTS I)
Dear Baltimore
“Dear Baltimore – 21217” is a powerful documentary exposing the hidden crisis of air pollution in Baltimore’s 21217 neighborhood, where asthma is not just a diagnosis but a daily struggle that shapes every aspect of life. The film follows children, caregivers, and community advocates as they navigate a harsh reality—one in five children here battles asthma at rates twice the national average, missing school, missing childhood, and facing futures limited by forces beyond their control. BALTIMORE PRIMIERE United States Director: D. Rica Wilson, Kiyla O Mighty and Justin C Hardee (2026) Documentary Short: 22 min
October 10, 2026 – 1:15 PM Pikes Studio Cinema Theatre 1 (BMORE SHORTS I)
Do I Do
What begins as a mundane day becomes a test of wills when a couple’s unspoken resentments simmer to the surface. An evocative short film that explores the challenges of two imperfect beings when they attempt to live as one. MARYLAND PRIMIERE United States Director: Ericka Boston (2026) Narrative Short: 6 min
October 11, 2026 – 11:30 AM Watch Trailer Pikes Studio Cinema Theatre 2 (DMV SHORTS)
Eat Duh Bread: 1983
Greensboro, North Carolina. Fall 1983. After a terrifying encounter in Bingham Park, eleven-year-old Peanut races to his cousin Kenny’s house believing he’s finally safe. But when a childhood game of Bloody Mary awakens the terrifying legend of Eat Duh Bread, one ordinary night becomes a fight for survival that will haunt Kenny for the next forty years. WORLD PRIMIERE United States Directors: David E Speaks and Ron T Harris (2025) Narrative Short: 11 min
October 10, 2026 – 7:30 PM Pikes Studio Cinema Theatre 2 (HORROR/SUSPENSE SHORTS)
Escape from Flat Earth
It’s the aughts in Albuquerque, NM when trailer dwelling Jean-Camille joins forces with their brother, Christian rock bassist Michel to intervene on stubborn sister Daphne’s engagement to flat-earth misogynist Daryl. A Dram-Com about siblings growing each other up, under absurd circumstances. United States Director: Marie Alarcon (2026) Narrative Short: 10 min
October 10, 2026 – 1:15 PM Watch Trailer Pikes Studio Cinema Theatre 1 (COMEDY SHORTS)
BIBFF 2026 TICKETS
Finding Your Laughter
Finding Your Laughter follows Chicago comedian Arlieta Hall who is learning to use her own resources — stand up comedy and improvisation — as tools for both her own mental health and to be a caregiver for her father who is fading from Alzheimer’s disease. United States Directors: Arlieta Hall and Brittany Alsot (2026) Documentary Feature: 85 min
October 11, 2026 – 2:00 PM Watch Trailer Pikes Studio Cinema Theatre 2
Fine Black Frame
One man explores and defies the definitions of Blackness, queerness, and masculinity in a kinetic self-portrait. United States Director: Leah Doz (2025) Documentary Short: 7 min
October 10, 2026 – 4:15 PM Watch Trailer Pikes Studio Cinema Theatre 1 (SGL SHORTS)
Gone Fishin’
John Dixon returns to the old fishing hole to remember his late son, Rodney. But when a stranger named Clay arrives, John is forced to face the truth about his son’s identity—and the denial he imposed for all of Rodney’s life. MID-ATLANTIC PRIMIERE United States Director: Michael Reilly Peraza (2026) Narrative Short: 12 min
October 10, 2026 – 4:15 PM Watch Trailer Pikes Studio Cinema Theatre 1 (SGL SHORTS)
I Was The Weirdo
‘I Was the Weirdo’ follows the journey of pioneering underground rapper Priest Da Nomad to shed light on the often-overlooked U Street hip hop and arts subculture in Washington, D.C. Through his personal story, the film examines how this vibrant creative movement was both shaped and tested by the forces of politics, crime, Black cultural influence, and the city’s signature Go-Go sound. Set in the heart of the nation’s capital-widely regarded as the political center of the world-the documentary also underscores D.C.’s legacy as a dynamic incubator for influential artists, journalists, filmmakers, and public figures whose reach extends far beyond city limits. BALTIMORE PRIMIERE United States Director: Larry Ware II (2024) Documentary Feature: 83 min
October 10, 2026 – 7:00 PM Watch Trailer Pikes Studio Cinema Theatre 1
In Defense of Ourselves
I
n Defense of Ourselves tells the story of a movement that was told it no longer existed—and showed up anyway.
In the summer of 2024, hundreds of advocates, artists, community leaders, and policymakers converged on Washington, D.C. for the first-ever Equity March. They moved through the halls of Congress by day and filled the ballroom by night—a deliberate, joyful, urgent declaration that equity is not a policy preference. It is the precondition for freedom. United States Director: George A. Peters II (2026) Documentary Short: 30 min
October 11, 2026 – 11:30 AM Watch Trailer Pikes Studio Cinema Theatre 2 (DMV SHORTS)
Jumbled Thoughts
Rizzy once excited about hooking up with his friends to take their son’s to the hood movie marathon, changes his mind when tragedy strikes causing him to have second and third thoughts. WORLD PRIMIERE United States Director: Carltaise Ransom (2025) Narrative Short: 34 min
October 10, 2026 – 1:15 PM Watch Trailer Pikes Studio Cinema Theatre 1 (BMORE SHORTS I)
Lady Chief
Lady Chief introduces Nana Afoakwa Kyerewa I, the only female clan chief in her hometown Kukurantumi, Ghana — and only the second woman in her clan’s centuries-old history to ever contest the role, despite a local head chief’s refusal to accept her. Through her own telling, Nana revisits the improbable path that led her here: her childhood in a rural village, national acclaim as a runner, a departure from Ghana with an unlikely Ohioan husband, and a return fueled by unshakable devotion to her people. Ghana Director: Broms (2025) Documentary Shorts: 11 min
October 10, 2026 – 1:30 PM Watch Trailer Pikes Studio Cinema Theatre 2 (SISTAH SHORTS)
Love Song
Love Song is a drama that explores the intersections of ambition, intimacy, love and legacy, as a music producer wrestles with who he is and who he is expected to be. MID-ATLANTIC PRIMIERE United States Director: Nofisat “Love Nafi” Almaroof (2026) Narrative Short: 29 min
October 11, 2026 – 11:30 AM Watch Trailer Pikes Studio Cinema Theatre 2 (DMV SHORTS)
Love Zuri
Left alone with his non-verbal daughter for the weekend, a father’s fears about her autism give way to joy when her song teaches him how to truly hear her. United States Director: Okema T. Moore (2026) Narrative Short: 20 min
October 11, 2026 – 4:15 PM Watch Trailer Pikes Studio Cinema Theatre 2 (HOSANNA SHORTS)
Love. [nonfiction] – Episode One: Soulmates
Michael met Yvonne while he was serving a ‘life + 15-year’ prison sentence for a wrongful conviction. Yvonne ran a library program that brought her to the prison every week. It was because of Yvonne that Michael was freed from prison and his love for her and for music, enabled him to survive 27 years in prison for a crime he did not commit. Michael, alongside a love philosopher and a relationship scientist, invite us to think of a soulmate in expansive, new ways and give guidance as you are taken on an intimate journey with a jaded narrator. MARYLAND PRIMIERE Canada, United States Director: Evie Joy (2026) Web Series: 14 min
October 11, 2026 – 4:15 PM Watch Trailer Pikes Studio Cinema Theatre 2 (HOSANNA SHORTS)
Marlo
After 37 years behind bars, the real Marlo is finally ready to speak. This documentary reveals the real man behind one of the most iconic crime characters ever, exposing the untold story behind the name made famous by The Wire-and uncovering a complex life shaped by power, loyalty, and survival that challenges everything we thought we knew. United States Director: D’Oyen Fraser, Sr. (2025) Documentary Feature: 94 min
October 11, 2026 – 4:00 PM Watch Trailer Pikes Studio Cinema Theatre 1
BIBFF 2026 TICKETS
Nekai Walks
Nekai Walks is an intimate, urgent feature documentary that follows the extraordinary survival and recovery of Nakai Foster, a Toronto teenager shot through the head in a sudden hail of gunfire during the summer of 2023. Anchored by the profound, unbreakable bond between Nakai and his mother — who navigates fear, faith, and exhaustion while refusing to accept her son’s near-zero survival odds—the film expands into a visceral portrait of Toronto’s Jane and Finch corridor and the challenges faced by many North American urban communities. The documentary powerfully reframes urban gun violence. It moves away from standard true-crime tropes to expose a systemic public health crisis deeply rooted in poverty, racism, trauma, and institutional neglect. MID-ATLANTIC PRIMIERE Canada Director: Rico King (2026) Documentary Feature: 86 min
October 10, 2026 – 11:15 AM Watch Trailer Pikes Studio Cinema Theatre 1
Portrait Of Jason
PORTRAIT OF JASON is a film that plays with complexities. While it was shot in a cinema vérité style, the film’s subject is a man who readily admits to deceiving everyone — and may be lying to the camera. Was Clarke giving Holliday a stage on which to perform in what he calls his “moment,” or just using him? She worried about that herself. As Holliday notes about the ironies of life as a houseboy, “it gets to be joke sometime as to who’s using who.” Later, Clarke would say “The result, I’m convinced is a portrait of a guy who is both a genius and a bore. Although Jason says he really hasn’t had any fun as a ‘hustler’ conning people, he appears to have had the last laugh.” Any way you look at the film, it remains of the most fascinating documentaries in cinema. United States Director: Shirley Clarke (1967) Documentary/Black and white ‧ 105 min
October 8, 2026 – 6:45 PM Watch Trailer MICA Lazarus Center (SPECIAL EVENT – CINE & DINE)
PowerNomics: Based on the Life and Work of Dr. Claud Anderson
Dr. Claud Anderson, an aging scholar, political advisor and best-selling author who predicted that Black Americans would become a permanent underclass by the early 2000’s, lays out his vision for the future of Black America.… Before its too late. United States Director: Justin Ervin (2025) Documentary Feature: 90 min
October 11, 2026 – 11:00 AM Watch Trailer Pikes Studio Cinema Theatre 1
Quility
After signing up for a too-good-to-be-true deal, Jonah receives a mysterious device that promises silence in the chaos of New York City. At first, the technology feels like a miracle, allowing him to mute noises and control the sound of the world around him. But when Jonah attempts to cancel his free trial, the peace he once enjoyed turns into something far more terrifying. United States Directors: Derron Campbell (2026) Narrative Short: 14 min
October 10, 2026 – 7:30 PM Watch Trailer Pikes Studio Cinema Theatre 2 (HORROR/SUSPENSE SHORTS)
Seaweed Snacks
A hard-edged dad just wants to survive another birthday party, but when a try-hard super dad won’t take “no” for an answer, things get real awkward … real fast. MARYLAND PRIMIERE United States Director: Sylvia Ray (2025) Narrative Short: 12 min
October 9, 2026 – 4:30 PM Watch Trailer Pikes Studio Cinema Theatre 2 (YOUTH SHORTS)
October 10, 2026 – 1:15 PM Pikes Studio Cinema Theatre 1 (COMEDY SHORTS )
She Dared to Dream: Ayanna Pressley
Ayanna Pressley has been serving in the House of Representatives since January 2019. But just because Pressley was talented and experienced did not mean her path to politics was smooth. She had dropped out of Boston University to support her mother. Her father struggled with addiction and spent time her childhood in prison; he ultimately became a professor. Her mother worked multiple jobs to cover tuition at Pressley’s elite Chicago private school.
In Congress, Pressley has been a leader in reproductive rights, criminal justice reform, and opposition to Project 2025. She stands for abolishing capital punishment and solitary confinement, and shrinking the US prison population. MARYLAND PRIMIERE United States Director: Abby Ginzberg (2025) Documentary Short: 28 min
October 10, 2026 – 1:30 PM Watch Trailer Pikes Studio Cinema Theatre 2 (SISTAH SHORTS)
Skipping A Beat
Tahira Scott has built her life on momentum, running a thriving business, jet-setting to new destinations, and chasing every adventure that comes her way. She feels unstoppable, convinced she’s in good health despite subtle changes in her body. What she dismisses as travel weight gain and fatigue are, in truth, the warning signs of a looming crisis. Her best friend, Kendall, sees the danger and pleads with her to get help, but Tahira waves it off. Then, in a single, harrowing moment, her world comes crashing down. MARYLAND PRIMIERE United States Director: Jimmie Lee Ward Jr (2026) Narrative Short: 20 min
October 11, 2026 – 4:15 PM Watch Trailer Pikes Studio Cinema Theatre 2 (HOSANNA SHORTS)
SLIP
SLIP is a romantic drama film set in the vibrant, yet rustic backdrop of New York City. It follows our main character Aaliyah as she uncovers her artistic voice, confronting her inner doubts while navigating the complexities of friendship and love. United States Director: Oladayo Alade (2026) Narrative Short: 10 min
October 9, 2026 – 7:30 PM Pikes Studio Cinema Theatre 1 & 2 (OPENING NIGHT SHORT)
Son Of The Soul
Former soldier, Zion Ladejo, fled his land of birth after the traumatising events of a failed military operation. Now living a broken life overseas and unable to outrun the scars of his past, Zion is forced to return to Nigeria following the tragic and untimely death of his sister.
Upon finding himself back home after years away, he discovers his home town in the midst of a drug epidemic. Determined to find the dealers responsible for his sister’s murder, Zion embarks on a campaign of vengeance to clean up his hometown and somehow find a sense of redemption for the many lives lost during that fateful mission years ago. Nigeria Director: Chee Keong Cheung (2025) Narrative Feature: 105 min
October 9, 2026 – 3:15 PM Watch Trailer Pikes Studio Cinema Theatre 1
The Audition
The Audition follows Kim Johnson, a 50-year-old Army major, and her 13-year-old autistic, non-binary child, Ace, on a high-stakes journey to a prestigious music audition in Washington, D.C. What begins with a nervous pickup from school spirals into a frantic search through the music academy when miscommunications leave them scrambling to find the right audition room. United States Director: Brigid Maher (2025) Narrative Short: 8 min
October 9, 2026 – 4:30 PM Watch Trailer Pikes Studio Cinema Theatre 2 (YOUTH SHORTS)
October 10, 2026 – 4:15 PM Pikes Studio Cinema Theatre 1 (SGL SHORTS)
The Bridge
Drafted by the Detroit Tigers 50 years ago, Mike Wilson never made it to the Major Leagues. Instead, he devoted his life to coaching youth baseball in Detroit, continuing a legacy started by his father. Now overseeing historic Hamtramck Stadium, the former Negro League ballpark where he fell in love with the game, Mike’s story reveals how mentorship, community, and baseball can shape generations. United States Director: Brian Ducoffe (2026) Documentary Short: 18 min
October 10, 2026 – 11:30 AM Pikes Studio Cinema Theatre 2 (BMUBM SHORTS)
The Motor House The Making of Baltimore’s Creative Crossroads
A brief history of the evolution and growth of the Motor House venue in Baltimore. United States Director: Eric Cotten & Imani Muleyyar (2025) Documentary Short: 12 min
October 11, 2026 – 1:30 PM Watch Trailer Pikes Studio Cinema Theatre 1 (BMORE SHORTS II)
The Shower
A woman’s grief turns a baby shower into a test of motherhood, worth, and survival…because the one and only guest may never get to leave. United States Director: Okema T. Moore (2026) Documentary Short: 11 min
October 10, 2026 – 7:30 PM Watch Trailer Pikes Studio Cinema Theatre 2 (HORROR/SUSPENSE SHORTS)
There Goes Trouble
After putting a “pause” on their long-term relationship, T and Lauren are reluctantly thrown back together for a day by their best friend Lui. Only to discover that their friendship and maybe even love still have a shot. BALTIMORE PRIMIERE United States Director: Jaden Lofty (2026) Narrative Shorts: 11min
October 10, 2026 – 1:15 PM Watch Trailer Pikes Studio Cinema Theatre 1 (COMEDY SHORTS)
October 11, 2026 – 11:30 AM Pikes Studio Cinema Theatre 2 (DMV SHORTS)
Thoughts & Prayers
After his brother is killed in a senseless act of violence, Zayy is pulled into a cycle of grief, revenge, and survival in West Baltimore. Despite his mother’s pleas to choose a different path, he takes justice into his own hands—only to realize too late that his actions have trapped him in the very system he was trying to escape. BALTIMORE PRIMIERE United States Director: Robert Silverstein (2026) Narrative Shorts: 18min
October 10, 2026 – 11:30 AM Watch Trailer Pikes Studio Cinema Theatre 2 (BMUBM SHORTS)
October 11, 2026 – 1:30 PM Pikes Studio Cinema Theatre 1 (BMORE SHORTS II)
Three Black Men
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. MID-ATLANTIC PRIMIERE United States Director: Sienna McLean-LoGreco (2026) Documentary Feature: 99min
October 11, 2026 – 6:45 PM Watch Trailer Pikes Studio Cinema Theatre 1 & 2 (CLOSING NIGHT FEATURE)
Time Of Our Lives
“Time Of Our Lives”, is a documentary film about the first Alté (Nigerian alternative music) festival in America. It features concert footage and interviews with pioneers of the Alté scene, and tells the story of how a group of outsiders came together to pave their own path in the Nigerian music industry. WORLD PRIMIERE Nigeria, United States Director: Ikem Okeke (2026) Documentary Feature: 90 min
October 9, 2025 – 5:15 PM Watch Trailer Pikes Studio Cinema Theatre 1 (preceded by: Trapped)
Touched: The Story of Nicholas Freeman
Touched is a powerful and deeply personal documentary that chronicles the life, legacy, and untimely passing of Nicholas Freeman, a vibrant 37-year-old African American man whose heart gave out while doing what he loved, hiking in nature with friends. More than just a tragic loss of a mother’s only son, one day before her birthday, Nicholas’s story becomes a catalyst for reflection, healing, and awareness. United States Director: Kyrica Renee (2025) Documentary Feature: 65min
October 10, 2026 – 4:15 PM Watch Trailer Pikes Studio Cinema Theatre 1 (screens with SGL SHORTS)
Trapped
The Venus flytrap only grows naturally in one place in the world –North Carolina – and ecologists worry that the plant is in danger. In 2014, North Carolina lawmakers made picking the Venus flytrap a felony with a potential prison sentence. While this move was widely praised by conservationists and the media, a local Black community who had depended on the plant for generations found themselves designated criminals overnight. Now, many face a difficult choice: try to get by on a $7.25 minimum wage, or turn to the black market and risk jail time? United States Director: Madeleine Engel & Joe Purtell (2025) Documentary Short: 12min
October 9, 2026 – 5:15 PM Pikes Studio Cinema Theatre 1 (precedes: Time Of Our Lives)
Uncle Preston
Uncle Preston breathes life into family’s oral history — stories passed down through generations. This film immortalizes these stories with moving images and narration, offering a glimpse into the life of Preston Carter, my great-great uncle. Told from the perspective of my grandmother, “The Matriarch,” the story unfolds as she shares the legacy of her uncle, who became one of the first Black men to achieve a 10th Dan in Karate. MID-ATLANTIC PRIMIERE United States Director: Carter Eglitis (2025) Narrative Short: 5 min
October 10, 2026 – 11:30 AM Watch Trailer Pikes Studio Cinema Theatre 2 (BMUBM SHORTS)
October 11, 2026 – 4:15 PM Pikes Studio Cinema Theatre 2 (HOSANNA SHORTS)
Vampire Therapy
A dark night. A cabin in the woods. When an exhausted and heart-broken therapist gets an unexpected guest — a world-weary, wise-cracking vampire — a quiet evening transforms into a darkly hilarious battle of wills and wit, as they explore the delicious agonies of ever-lasting life. United States Director: William Oliver Watkins (2025) Narrative Short: 16 min
October 10, 2026 – 7:30 PM Pikes Studio Cinema Theatre 2 (HORROR/SUSPENSE SHORTS)
Void No. 9
Void No. 9 follows a painter through meditation on spiritual weight, memory, and presence. Paired with a gallery installation of large-scale acrylic portraits, the short film explores the tension between faith and flesh through images of the seen and the unseen. The title stems from an imagined threshold: the void before judgment, the creative prison cell, the waiting room between heaven and hell. MARYLAND PRIMIERE United States Director: Gentry Pack (2025) Narrative Short: 9 min
October 11, 2026 – 1:30 PM Watch Trailer Pikes Studio Cinema Theatre 1 (BMORE SHORTS II)
When A Witness Recants
In 1983, a 14-year-old boy was shot in the hallway of Harlem Park Junior High in Baltimore. Three 16-yearolds were convicted of the murder, despite limited and problematic evidence, because of the coerced testimony of eyewitnesses, all of them minors. The moment was formative for Ta-Nehisi Coates, who grew up in Baltimore and never forgot how the conviction changed his community. His memories spark Dawn Porter’s powerful examination of the case and the way it impacted the lives of these men who, ultimately exonerated, spent 36 years in prison for a crime they did not commit. When a Witness Recants interweaves deposition footage, archival images, and present-day interviews to document this profound miscarriage of justice, while graphic novel–style animation illustrates the events leading up to and after the murder as well as the trial. The film expertly explores the lasting effects of the case—the psychological and emotional wounds endured by innocent men and the burden carried by the witness who recants. United States Director: Dawn Porter, (2026) Documentary Feature: 112 min
October 9, 2026 – 7:30 PM Watch Trailer Pikes Studio Cinema Theatre 1 & 2 (OPENING NIGHT FEATURE)
Zeke
Set in a lively Brooklyn barbershop, Zeke follows Vic, a loyal customer whose routine visit takes a sinister turn. After falling asleep in the chair, he wakes up to a disturbing realization—something deeply unsettling has happened, but he struggles to process it. As his trauma strains his marriage and leaves him searching for support, he finds himself met with dismissal and silence.
With sharp humor and social critique, Zeke examines power, trust, and the silence that enables abuse. MARYLAND PRIMIERE United States Director: Kerry Coddett (2025) Narrative Short: 20 min
October 10, 2026 – 1:15 PM Watch Trailer Pikes Studio Cinema Theatre 1 (COMEDY SHORTS)