March On! Festival begins in:
Preamble: Launches September 9th
Main Festival: September 29 - October 6, 2026
March On! Festival Schedule 2026
September 9, 2026
7:00 pm - 8:30 pm EDT
A preamble to the Festival: March On! founders share candid stories from a decade — plus the live announcement of the 2026 finalists for the 10th Annual Student & Emerging Filmmaker Competition.
September 16, 2026
7:00 pm - 7:45 pm EDT
A preamble to the Festival: The Boston Sisters trace 250 years of the fight for rights through the films that dramatized it.
September 29, 2026
6:30 pm - 9:00 pm EDT
The March On! Gala launches the Festival with a vibrant, high-energy Mardi Gras–inspired celebration — an unforgettable opening night filled with music, culture, awards, dinner, dancing, and community.
September 30 , 2026
7:00 pm - 9:30 pm EDT
Acclaimed filmmaker Sam Pollard — one of cinema’s most renowned chroniclers of the Black experience in America — joins March On! for a screening and conversation on his latest documentary, The Lorraine.
October 1 , 2026
6:00 pm - 8:30 pm EDT
Join us for a special screening of PBS’s newly released documentary, , a VPM production, followed by a conversation with filmmakers, historians, artists, technology leaders, and policymakers.
October 2 , 2026
7:00 pm - 9:00 pm EDT
Recreating the spirit and structure of the mass meetings that powered the Civil Rights Movement.
October 3 , 2026
10:00 am - 12:00 pm EDT
This special session features seven powerful social justice short films: films by the competition’s six student winners and the winning film from March On!’s new Howard University pilot program.
October 3 , 2026
12:00 pm - 3:00 pm EDT
These bold narrative and documentary works capture the urgency, creativity, and conviction of a new generation of civil rights storytellers.
October 3 , 2026
7:00 pm - 9:00 pm EDT
At the heart of this special event is a rare, intimate roundtable with members of three of New Orleans’ most influential civil rights families.
October 4 , 2026
2:00 pm - 4:30 pm EDT
A free, public, interactive afternoon of live music, storytelling, and open mic — designed for everyone, not just artists.
October 6 , 2026
1:00pm / 4:00pm / 6:00pm
Rosenwald is a 2015 documentary directed by Aviva Kempner that tells the story of philanthropist Julius Rosenwald, president of Sears, and his partnership with Booker T. Washington.
March On! 2026 Panelists Performers Awardees
The Longest-Running Festival Devoted to
Civil Rights!
March On! increases awareness of the untold events and unsung heroes of the Civil Rights Era and inspires a renewed passion for activism. By leveraging the power of film, music, scholarship, and the arts, the Festival shares important stories to connect the past, present, and future in the fight toward social change in America and throughout the world.
A Message From Our Artistic Director
Of Pilgrimages and Power
One of the blessings of working with March On! has been the opportunity to meet many of the Civil Rights movement icons and their descendants – people living real lives of grit, vision, sacrifice, and endurance.