BBFF, Black&Brown Femme Films

08/30/2026

We were inspired by the incredible work happening around us and by how welcoming and supportive the community felt. At that time, we were just beginning our journey; working hard, learning as we went, and believing in what BBFF could become.

Two years later, I found myself back in that same community today. 🥹

And honestly, it was such an emotional moment.

Not because we think we’ve “made it,” but because sometimes you have to pause and recognize that the hard work is paying off. The late nights, the sacrifices, the uncertainty, the moments when you wondered if you were doing enough—all of it has helped bring us here.

A little look back…

2024
• A brand-new nonprofit
• One grant
• Self-funded while working as a substitute teacher
• Building and figuring things out one step at a time

⬇️ Two years of hard work later… ⬇️

2026
• A growing team
• More support and funding for our work
• New partnerships and opportunities
• More people believing in and supporting the BBFF mission

And today, returning to Sisters in Cinema Sisters in Cinema, I felt so completely embraced by this community. ❤️

Thank you for creating spaces where people can connect, grow, and come back years later still feeling welcomed and supported.

I’m just so grateful. And oh my God… I love my people. 🥹❤️🎬

08/30/2026

08/27/2026

💛 Thank you, Illinois Arts Council! Illinois Arts Council
We are incredibly grateful to receive a 2027 General Operations Grant from the Illinois Arts Council. This support helps BBFF in more ways than people may realize.

Sometimes I don’t think people understand just how much time, work, resources, and money go into running a nonprofit. Nonprofit does not mean no cost. Nonprofit does not mean free. We need funding to keep the work moving, the programs growing, and the doors open. Every little bit helps.

Illinois Arts Council, thank you for seeing us. Seeing our work. Seeing the impact. That means more than you know.

There are absolutely moments when I think, “Wouldn’t it be easier to just lay on a beach somewhere in Costa Rica?” 😂🌴

But then I remember what we’ve built.

In just three years, BBFF has created meaningful impact and touched nearly 5,000 people—and that isn’t an exaggeration. We document our reach, our programs, our audiences, and our impact. Thousands of people have experienced films, exhibitions, workshops, conversations, poetry, music, and community because BBFF exists.

That matters.

To all of the other Illinois Arts Council grant recipients: I see you. I hear you. I support you. Your work matters, and your impact has not gone unseen. ❤️

And to everyone who believes in what BBFF does and what we stand for: come be part of it.

🎬 Volunteer with us.
💛 Make a donation.
📣 Share our work.
🤝🏾 Help us keep building.

We can always use volunteers, supporters, partners, and champions.

Our hearts are full🥹

Thank you, Illinois Arts Council, for investing in BBFF's 4th year and believing in the work.

08/23/2026

BBFF is more than film. 🎬

BBFF began as a platform centered on Black and Brown femme filmmakers, creating space for voices too often overlooked.

Today, BBFF Entertainment has grown into an arts and cultural platform spanning film, music, poetry, exhibitions, and cultural programming.

We create space for Black, Brown, Asian, and Indigenous femme and gender-expansive artists to be seen, heard, celebrated, and remembered.

From the screen to the stage, from the gallery to the page, we challenge cultural erasure, disrupt harmful narratives, remove barriers, and create opportunities for stories, histories, and artists that deserve to exist.

We don’t just tell stories. We create the space for them to exist.

BBFF Entertainment — A cultural platform. 🖤🤎✨

08/21/2026

We do want to see the table!!

We want to be in the rooms where decisions are made.
We want our voices heard.
We want our stories funded, distributed, celebrated, and remembered.

But when the invitation doesn’t come, and the seat isn’t offered, we have a choice:

Wait, or build!

So we build our own tables.

We create our own spaces.
We tell our own stories.
We choose who gets seen.
We decide what gets celebrated.
We open the door for the people coming behind us.

Because this isn’t about rejecting the table.

It’s about refusing to believe there is only one table.

CREATE.
BUILD.
OWN.

And when we finally sit at the table?

We’re bringing chairs for others.
It's not just about film.

It’s about who gets seen.
And who gets to choose. 🎬 Original video: Ava DuVernay
Reposted with credit to Ava DuVernay.

08/16/2026

Chicago Culture Ball !! Black excellence was on FULL display at the Chicago Culture Ball 🖤✨

BBFF was so fortunate to be in the room and we came with one goal: make five meaningful connections. Well… we exceeded the assignment! 🙌🏾 We passed out six cards and made six connections.

We met Tony Award winner Ousmane (OMARI) Wiles who was quite possibly one of the most beautiful human beings on the planet and impeccably dressed! 👑 We connected with a young Black artist DEAR BROWN YOU whose clothing is literally wearable artwork, using her creativity to speak to social justice. We also met an incredible young Black woman who is a master of the insurance industry Brianna Kayla

And of course, we enjoyed the food, the drinks, the music, the energy, and the sheer beauty of being surrounded by so much Black brilliance.

But THIS is what it’s all about. 🤎
Lifting one another. Supporting one another. Sharing resources. Opening doors. And leaning into community.

BBFF is building relationships, one connection at a time. And last night reminded us why we do what we do.

Six cards. Six connections. One beautiful evening.
And we’re just getting started. ✨

07/30/2026

🏆✨ BBFF ’26 WINNERS! ✨🏆

The films moved us. The stories challenged us. The artistry stayed with us. And now, we’re celebrating the incredible filmmakers whose work rose to the top at Black & Brown Femme Films ’26! 🎬🖤🤎

🏆 Best Narrative
Neutral Buoyancy — Faith Vera Wood faith 🍉

🏆 Best Thriller
The Shower — Okema T. Moore Okema T Moore , Okema T Moore

🏆 Best Performance
Behind These Pretty Things — Maya Bentley

🏆 Best Animation
Raji Rangii -Joe Taga Joe Abaasa Taga

🏆 Best Documentary
Deneege Leł Ghu Kk’ots’eedeneeyh Te Heł Hoozoonh Ts’e Denots’edeneeyh — Brittany Woods-Orrison Britt

🏆 Grand Jury Prize
Fist at Grace — Tyra Michelle Williams APT138

Congratulations to all of our BBFF ’26 winners! 🎉🏆

Your voices, your visions, your risks, and your stories are exactly why we created this space. Thank you for trusting BBFF with your work and for reminding us why Black & Brown femme stories belong on the big screen.

Here’s to the storytellers. The visionaries. The disruptors. The femmes making cinema their own. 🖤🤎🎬

BBFF ’26! WE SEE YOU. WE CELEBRATE YOU.