ABOUT THE FESTIVAL

The March On! 2024 Festival spotlighted writers who move the movement, with an emphasis on the writers of nonfiction, fiction, African futurism, spoken word, journalism, and cookbooks, past and present, whose works propel us into a more just and equitable world.

Book Signing

Food from the 2024 Festival

Art from the 2024 Festival

Performance from the 2024 Festival

FEATURED FILMS

Harvesting Justice
Director: Leslie Askew
In the United States, 53.6 million Americans lack access to food, with African American households being disproportionately affected, as 1 out of 5 households is impacted. Each episode delves into the stories of BIPOC individuals from around the country who are applying their unique plant-based approach to feeding their communities. "Harvesting Justice" showcases how they are truly making a difference by highlighting their methods and remarkable successes. The first episode takes us to Baltimore, Maryland, where food justice activist Brenda Sanders works tirelessly to educate and bring healthy, affordable food choices to low-income communities. She focuses on areas experiencing food apartheid, where the nearest supermarket can be up to ten miles away. Throughout the episode, we learn about how her upbringing inspired her to serve her community by promoting a plant-based diet.
The Inn Between
Directors & Producers: Ondi Timoner
At once emotionally devastating and deeply heartwarming, Ondi Timoner’s latest documentary follows the day to day lives of the residents at a hospice care center for the unhoused located in Salt Lake City. Crafted with immense compassion, The Inn Between forces us to identify with its subjects, exposing how close any of us really are to the rough living circumstances that thousands of Americans find themselves in.The Inn Between is the only end of life facility for the homeless in America, where miracles happen - as the once-unsheltered are treated with the humanity and community we all deserve.
Igualada
Directors & Producers: Juan Mejía Botero
In Colombia, a nation marred by profound racial and socio-economic disparities, a Black woman from a rural background challenges the status quo by launching a presidential campaign. Reappropriating the term “igualada,” Francia Márquez, catapults a movement to the upper echelons of power, by refusing to “know her place.” Fifteen years in the making, this documentary peels back the curtain on how unprecedented change can happen
Me.
Directors & Producers: Lisa Cunningham
Through the eyes of everyday families and celebrity mothers like Sheryl Lee Ralph and Tabitha Brown, Me Period explores the beauty and complexity of how we navigate sensitive conversations about our bodies and our periods.
An Extraordinary Life
Directors & Producers: Lisa Arrindell & Terri Montrel
Alonzo and Adrienne have breakfast and receive some wonderful news... or is it? Morning turns to night as the couple struggles to find language amidst a storm of emotions. When family is the highest value, dreams fight to stay alive.
The M Factor
Directors & Producers: Jacoba Atlas, Denise Pines, Tamsen Fadal, and Joanne LaMarca Mathisen
The M Factor: Shredding the Silence on Menopause” is the first US documentary exploring the hidden impact of menopause on women's lives. With 55 million women in the United States currently experiencing menopause, this life stage is often surrounded by silence and misinformation, exacerbating the broader crisis in women’s health. Menopause symptoms can derail careers, disrupt relationships, and cause unnecessary suffering. This film presents evidence-based solutions to challenge the negativity associated with menopause and empowers women to take control of their health. Women of all walks of life open up about the physical and mental anguish they live with every day. Doctors and policymakers speak out on the changes that need to be made, especially in the workplace where roughly 44% of women are over the age of 45. While some women experience mild symptoms, many face issues
A Litany for Survival: The Life and Work of Audre Lorde
Best Documentary emerging
From Lorde's childhood roots in NYC's Harlem to her battle with breast cancer, this moving film explores a life and a body of work that embodied the connections between the Civil Rights movement, the Women's movement, and the struggle for lesbian and gay rights. At the heart of this documentary is Lorde's own challenge to "envision what has not been and work with every fiber of who we are to make the reality and pursuit of that vision irresistible."
It Was All A Dream
A visual memoir from director dream hampton's personal archives about the dawn of the golden era of hip hop.
Searching for Augusta Savage
Augusta Savage was the first person in the U.S. to open a gallery dedicated to African American art. A Harlem Renaissance sculptor and art educator, she was also one of the first Black women art activists of her time and fought for the inclusion of Black artists in the mainstream canon. Art historian Jeffreen M. Hayes, Ph.D. explores Savage's legacy, and why her artwork has been largely erased.
Love Machina
What if love could last beyond our mortal bodies? Meet Martine and Bina Rothblatt, two futurists who have commissioned a humanoid robot so they can house Bina's consciousness and extend their love affair into infinity and beyond.
A Mother Apart
An emotionally sweeping tale of healing and forgiveness, A Mother Apart accompanies powerhouse Jamaican-American poet and LGBTQ+ activist Staceyann Chin as she re-imagines the essential art of mothering—having been abandoned by her own mother.

HONOREES

In 2025, we will kick off the festival on Tuesday, September 16th, with our Annual Awards Night Gala where we honor visionary leaders in the fight for civil rights. We are pleased to share this year’s award recipients:

JOHN ROBERT LEWIS LIFETIME LEGACY AWARD

The Lifetime Legacy Award was established to honor a lifetime of extraordinary achievement in advancing civil rights and social justice. Awarded to Congressman John Lewis himself and renamed the John Lewis Lifetime Legacy Award in his honor after his passing, this prestigious award recognizes leaders whose unwavering commitment to equity and justice reflects the core principles that guided Congressman Lewis— courage, resilience, and transformative action.

Congressman Steny Hoyer

The 2024 recipient of the John Robert Lewis Lifetime Legacy Award is Congressman Steny Hoyer, who represents Maryland's 5th congressional district.

MARCH ON! AWARD

The March On! Awards were established to recognize leaders and organizations whose commitment to advancing civil rights and social justice is unparalleled. Honorees exemplify the spirit of activism, advocacy, and creative expression that drives meaningful change. Through their work—whether in the arts, public service, or community leadership—recipients of the March On!™ The lifetime achievement award has only been bestowed upon one other individual.

Reginald Dwayne Betts

A 2024 March On! Award recipient is Reginald Dwayne Betts, the founder and director of Freedom Reads.

Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor

A 2024 March On! Award recipient is Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, an accomplished actress and digital creator.

VIVIAN MALONE COURAGE AWARD

The March On! Awards were established to recognize leaders and organizations whose commitment to advancing civil rights and social justice is unparalleled. Honorees exemplify the spirit of activism, advocacy, and creative expression that drives meaningful change. Through their work—whether in the arts, public service, or community leadership—recipients of the March On!™ The lifetime achievement award has only been bestowed upon one other individual.

Stanley Nelson and Marcia Smith and Firelight Media

Stanley Nelson is today’s leading documentarian of the African American experience. Awards received include a MacArthur “Genius” Fellowship, five Primetime Emmy Awards, lifetime achievement awards from the Emmys and IDA, and the National Medal in the Humanities from President Obama.

Marcia Smith is the former President of Firelight Media. Under her leadership, Firelight Media was honored with a MacArthur Award for Creative and Effective Institutions. She has written several films alongside Stanley Nelson including: Freedom Riders, Through the Fire: The Legacy of Barack Obama, Jonestown, and The Murder of Emmett Till.

In 2000, Mr. Nelson and his wife, Marcia Smith, co-founded Firelight Media, a non-profit organization that provides mentorship, funding, and artistic development opportunities to emerging documentary filmmakers of color.

IN THE PRESS

In The Press

March On! Fest Highlights | Dark Tower Day Party

Step inside the Dark Tower Day Party – A Harlem Renaissance at March On! Fest, where culture, music, and history
In The Press

March On! Awards Ceremony

Experience the highlights from the March On! Awards Ceremony, featuring the John Robert Lewis Lifetime Legacy Award — honoring trailblazers
In The Press

‘March On!’ Festival Reimagines Public Health in Black America

The March On! Festival blends art and activism to confront health inequities, uniting filmmakers, health leaders, and advocates to spotlight
March On!
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