September 18-20, 2026 | New York City
BLACK FILM SPACE
WEEKEND
Where Craft Meets Community
There are
film festivals.
There are networking events.
Then there’s
BFS WEEKEND.
BFS Weekend 2026 is our fourth annual large-scale conference dedicated to helping Black filmmakers grow their craft, expand their networks, and explore bold new approaches to storytelling. This is a hands-on, skill-building experience designed for Black filmmakers at all levels.
Over the course of one dynamic weekend, attendees will take part in immersive workshops, panels led by industry experts, and community-driven discussions focused on the art and craft of storytelling. While festivals and mixers offer exposure, opportunities for deep creative development outside of expensive academic programs are limited—and that’s where we come in.
We’re bringing together some of the most talented and generous voices in the industry to help filmmakers grow, connect, and create on their own terms.
2026 Theme:
Career Sustainability
Black Film Space Weekend & Awards 2026 centers the tools, strategies, and relationships to help Black creatives to sustain thriving careers in today’s industry climate!
We’re hosting workshops, seminars, panels, community screenings, mixers and we will be celebrating notable talent in the industry.
Attendees will walk away feeling empowered, innovative and ready to conquer the ever-changing world of film, television and content.
PAST BFS WEEKEND CONFERENCES
Our conference is growing! Here are highlights from the three prior years.
2023
On a cold, September Weekend, Black Film Space held its inaugural three day conference to see if there is interest in our vision to convene Black Filmmakers. Despite the weather and us doing this for the first time, the event was a well-attended success. We had amazing guests such as actor William Jackson Harper, TV Director Ne and veteran Director of Photography Cliff Charles.
2024
We expanded into a bigger space, partnered with Afrofuture Festival for our party and a panel and incorporated our cliveRd. supported grant for our pitch competition, and focused on genres as our theme.
2025
The world traveled beyond the NYC area and a significant portion of our 300+ attendees flew in from all over the United States. Aside from our main stage, we included additional workshop rooms that featured AI experts, attorneys, agents, casting directors and more!
Tickets
Schedule & Panels
Friday — September 18, 2026
Community Screening and Opening Night Party
Saturday — September 19, 2026
Full Day BFS Conference
Sunday — September 20, 2026
BFS Awards
Pitch Competition
The Black Film Space Logline & Pitch Competition is back—and this year, it’s bigger than ever.
About
In Partnership with cliveRd & The Gotham, we’re giving one storyteller the chance to pitch live in New York City during BFS Weekend, win a $2,500 cash prize, and gain exclusive access to industry opportunities designed to move their career forward.
If you’ve got a compelling story, this is your moment. Submit your logline for a shot to pitch in front of a panel of esteemed judges.
Five finalists will be selected to present their ideas live, and one winner will walk away with more than just funding.
Prizes for the winning film maker
• $2,500
• A Gotham Pro Membership
• A one-on-one consultation with a Gotham team member to discuss their project’s future.
How to enter
To participate, you must be registered for BFS Weekend.
• Purchase your ticket
• You’ll automatically receive an e-mail with a form to enter the contest.
• Submit your logline by August 8th at 11:59 PM EST
• Finalists will be notified by September 1st.
2025 winner
Sekiya Dorsett won the 2025 competition with a sharp delivery and a powerful concept.
This year, it could be you.
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No. It's open for all lengths, formats and genres of scripted/narrative films.
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Unfortunately, no. It's open for scripted projects.
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Your name, e-mail address, logline, basic details about the project and quality photo of yourself (for promotional purposes)
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We are open to all experience levels. We are choosing the finalists based on the most clear, concise, unique, well written loglines.
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You are required to use the prize money on the project you are pitching.
You will be provided specific instruction on how to report the use of the funds.
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Yes, only two team members from each project can pitch at a time.
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To get a feel for how a logline should read, start with a basic structure.
When [INCITING INCIDENT OCCURS]...
A [CHARACTER TYPE]...
Must [OBJECTIVE]...
Before [STAKES]
Keep your logline between 25 to 50 words or one to two sentences.
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Unfortunately, no. You can only submit one logline per filmmaker.
Judges will be announced soon
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Judges will be announced soon 〰️
Get Involved
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