History
The festival was founded by Stephanie Tavares-Rance and Floyd Rance in 2002. [1] Before then, Rance had been a filmmaker leading Run & Shoot Filmworks, while Tavares-Rance worked in marketing; In 2001, both of them were working on a film together in Barbados, after which Tavares-Rance thought about possible events to host there. A film festival was one of them, but Barbados withdrew itself from consideration as a site after the September 11 attacks. By 2002, they decided on Martha's Vineyard, which "was actually Plan B"; however, Tavares-Rance and Rance ultimately found it to be "the right plan" after all, given Martha's Vineyard's significance to the Black community. [4] [5] It was also inspired by a film screening at a house party in Martha's Vineyard organized by Tavares-Rance during the Fourth of July weekend in 2000. [6]
The very first festival, in August 2002, was held in a local high school on Martha's Vineyard with ten attendees; [6] the following year, it was moved to the Mansion House Inn. Since then, the festival has annually screened over 60 films, at the Performing Arts Center in Edgartown, and attracted numerous community and industry leaders in the Black community. [7] [8] [9] Notable attendees include Barack and Michelle Obama, [10] Eric Holder, Loretta Lynch, Charles Ogletree, Henry Louis Gates Jr., Khalil Gibran Muhammad, [11] Slick Rick, Spike Lee, Jennifer Hudson, [12] Natasha Rothwell, Gayle King, Ketanji Brown Jackson and Jasmine Crockett. [13] Annual turnout is usually over 2,000 attendees. [4]
As of 2018, Tavares-Rance also hosts a sister festival in Washington, D.C. [14] The couple had also briefly hosted a spinoff festival in Charlotte, North Carolina for two years. [15]
In 2020, the festival was hosted virtually on Facebook due to the COVID-19 pandemic. [16]
During the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike, the festival showcased the perspectives of choreographers and authors. [4]
Starting in 2023, the Library of Congress began hosting on-site events and programming at the festival, largely based around the preservation of African American history and cinema, as well as the promotion of its Of the People program. [17] [18]
As of 2025, other festivals also held in Martha's Vineyard aimed at Black audiences during the first two weeks of August include the Martha's Vineyard Comedy Fest (since 2010) and the Black Book Festival (since 2024). [13]
Programming
There are many events that take place in addition to the screenings. The festival hosts numerous events each year, both official and off-site.
Color of Conversation
After film screenings, dialogue events are held, in which filmmakers and cast members speak about the preceding film amongst each other and answer questions. [24] [19]
White Party
At the festival, a White Party is thrown outdoors wherein guests must wear all-white. [20]
Other activities
As of 2025, other activities at the festival include culinary events, theater, workshops, and children's programming. [19]
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