FESTIVAL SCHEDULE

  • OPENING NIGHT

    Opening Night – Shorts Program & Feature Presentation
    Thursday, May 21, 2026 | Patio Party at 6:30 PM | Screenings begin at 7:30 PM | The Neon

    We’re kicking off year three of the Dayton Black Women’s Film Festival under this year’s theme, Black women educating through film, a reflection of the ways our stories teach, heal, and preserve culture across generations.

    Join us for our Opening Night Shorts Program, featuring a curated selection of films from Black women filmmakers across the country whose voices continue to shape the future of cinema.

    The evening begins with our Patio Party at 6:30 PM at The Neon, followed by screenings at 7:30 PM. The program will also feature a special hometown screening of You Changed Me, a film shot in Dayton 10 years ago by the festival’s founder, Ange Mitchell, bringing the festival full circle in both place and purpose.

    Following the shorts program, we will present the Dayton premiere of award-winning filmmaker Christine Swanson’s Basement People, followed by an exclusive Q&A with the director.

    TICKETS

  • BLACK WOMEN IN FILM WORKSHOP

    Friday, May 22, 2026

    4:00 PM – 7:00 PM

    West Branch
    Community Room

    Description

    The Dayton Black Women’s Film Festival and Dayton Metro Library are joining forces to present a hands-on filmmaking workshop. This workshop aims to equip participants with practical skills in screenwriting and industry experience, while providing an inspiring and interactive environment for aspiring creatives.

    This year's event will focus on how Black women educate through film.

    Registration is required and all are welcomed to participant for this engaging and enriching self investment.

    Registration

  • DBWFF 2026 BARBARAO TRIBUTE

    The Dayton Black Women's Film Festival continues at THE NEON on Saturday, May 23. Following the workshop with the Dayton Metro Library, we invite you into a truly unforgettable cinematic experience rooted in this year’s theme, "Black women educating through film."
    Celebrate the 35th anniversary of A POWERFUL THANG alongside a special screening of Julie Dash’s THE DIARY OF AN AFRICAN NUN, brought together for a powerful tribute to Dayton’s own BarbaraO and legendary filmmaker Zeinabu Irene Davis, who will be joining us as a special guest.
    This is a rare opportunity to witness these films in conversation with one another, honoring legacy, place, and the deep roots of Black cinema right here in Ohio.
    Film Synopsis – A POWERFUL THANG
    A couple anticipates their first sexual experience together, where longing, curiosity, and vulnerability unfold throughout the course of a single day. As anticipation builds, it becomes its own language—an art form of desire, care, and intention. Centered on a single mother re-entering dating and a jazz musician, the film gently explores safe sex, emotional connection, and the sacredness of Black love and intimacy with tenderness and honesty.
    Film Synopsis – THE DIARY OF AN AFRICAN NUN
    Adapted from Alice Walker’s short story, this meditative and poetic film explores faith, inner conflict, and identity through the quiet but powerful inner world of a nun grappling with her sense of self and purpose.
    One Saturday in Afro-Ohio. Only at the Dayton Black Women’s Film Festival!
    Tickets are just $13.50 each - on sale starting April 6.

    TICKETS

  • DBWFF 2026 - WATERMELON WOMAN

    The Dayton Black Women's Film Festival's third year will close on May 24. We close out the festival with a powerful reflection of this year’s theme, "Black women educating through film," by honoring a work that forever shifted the landscape of independent cinema.
    Join us for the 30th anniversary screening of Cheryl Dunye’s THE WATERMELON WOMAN, a film that boldly redefined narrative, authorship, and the archive for Black and queer cinema. As one of the first feature films directed by a Black lesbian filmmaker, its impact continues to resonate across generations.
    Film Synopsis – THE WATERMELON WOMAN
    Blending fiction and documentary, the film follows a young Black filmmaker researching a forgotten Black actress from 1930s Hollywood, uncovering hidden histories while navigating her own identity, love life, and artistic voice.
    Closing Night is about honoring legacy, reclaiming history, and celebrating the stories that continue to educate, challenge, and inspire.
    A perfect ending to a weekend rooted in community, culture, and the power of Black women in film.
    Tickets just $13.50 - on sale starting April 6.

    TICKETS

Founded in 2023 by Angelina Mitchell, a film student at Wright State University, the Dayton Black Women’s Film Festival (DBWFF) seeks to serve as a platform to feature films written, directed, and produced by Black women that honor, discover and share the Black, African American, and African Diaspora experience. We aim to strengthen the community and create opportunities for collaboration among black women filmmakers in Dayton and nearby regions.

The ultimate goal is to ensure that there is always a place for Black women filmmakers to be celebrated, acknowledged, and welcomed in the film industry. The festival not only celebrates artistic achievement but also fosters community and dialogue around issues of race, gender, and representation in cinema.