This special session begins with a celebratory reception bringing together the student and emerging filmmakers and continues with screenings of powerful short films selected from nearly 100 submissions nationwide. These bold narrative and documentary works capture the urgency, creativity, and conviction of a new generation of civil rights storytellers. A filmmaker talkback will follow, giving audiences an opportunity to hear directly from the artists about their work, creative choices, and the issues driving their stories.
The session is part of March On!’s Student & Emerging Filmmaker Competition, now celebrating ten years of cultivating the storytellers shaping tomorrow’s civil rights movement. Hosted by Emmy-winning producer Opal Hope Bennett, the competition is adjudicated by accomplished film and humanities professionals. March On! provides finalists with mentorship, constructive feedback, and public platforms that offer meaningful career exposure. New this year, the Grand Prize–winning filmmaker will receive technical assistance to develop a social-impact campaign—helping turn powerful storytelling into real-world action.
- Joint student and emerging filmmaker reception
- Emerging filmmaker finalist screenings
- Filmmaker talkback
Myrtilla Miner Building Auditorium, Howard University School of Education
2565 Georgia Ave NW, Washington, DC 20001
(Entrance on 6th St NW)
OPAL HOPE BENNETT
Opal H. Bennett is the Emmy-winning Executive Producer at POV Shorts and Senior Producer at POV. Under her curation, POV Shorts won the 2020 and 2022 IDA Award for Best Short Form Series and the series broadcast the 2021 News & Documentary Emmy winner for Short Documentary, The Love Bugs.
Previously, Opal was Shorts Programmer and Director of Artist Development at DOC NYC and Senior Programmer at Athena Film Festival. Prior to that, Opal also worked with Nantucket Film Festival, Aspen ShortsFest, Tribeca Film Festival and consulted for The Gotham (formerly IFP). She is a Programming Consultant for March On!. Opal is a member of the AMPAS Documentary branch. She has served on juries for SxSW, HotDocs, Aspen & Palm Springs ShortsFests, Cleveland, Milwaukee and Seattle International Film Festivals and IndieMemphis Film Festival among others. She has also served on the shorts selection committees for Cinema Eye Honors and the IDA. Opal has participated on various selection committees for film programming and grants.
A Columbia Law grad, Opal holds a Masters in Media Studies from the London School of Economics, and received her B.A. from New York University.