March On’s 2024 Film Festival will spotlight 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.
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EATON ROOM BLOCK : before Thursday, September 12th, 2024.
March On’s 2024 Film Festival will spotlight 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.
THIS YEAR'S FESTIVAL PRESENTS:
- A panel on Inside the Book Business: Featuring executives involved in all stages of book publishing, from proposal to the shelves.
- The Quiet Word: Two rounds of a silent book reading experience, where attendees will read from banned books and engage in one-on-one discussions.
- A Fine Arts Salon: Curated by Black Art in America, this event features paintings and sculptures, a screening of a documentary on fine artist Augusta Savage, and panels on art-related subjects.
- Our Immersive Salon: This salon offers hands-on experiences with augmented and virtual reality pieces, alongside the screening of the film Love Machina and discussions on AI workforce development.
- The Annual March On Student & Emerging Filmmakers Competition: Screening the films of 12 finalists in narrative and documentary shorts, with prize winners announced.
- Screenings of selected narrative and documentary films.
Upcoming Events
- Feature Film
- In-Person
James Baldwin: Born With the Thunder
Join the March On Festival for an opening tribute celebrating the enduring impact of James Baldwin as a prolific author and activist
- Feature Film
- In-Person
And the Word Was Good
And the Word Was Good, a day of celebrating books presented in partnership with Penguin Random House
- Feature Film
- In-Person
The Legends
Panelists
From writers, to publishers, to agents and editors, listen in on a stimulating conversation with pioneers and creative lights in the contemporary literary world.
- No Film
- In-Person
The Gathering Table
NO FILM WILL BE SHOWN
Join us for a special culinary event that connects cookbooks to the nurturing of the civil rights movement, and the role of our ancestral food legacy in culture, health, land and freedom.
- Screening
- In-Person
Immersive Salon Opening Reception and Special Screening for Love Machina
Directed by Peter Sillen
Our Virtual and Augmented reality salon opens with a screening of a provocative new film.
- Feature Film
- In-Person
Immersive Salon Open House
Experience three exciting new works in virtual and augmented reality and learn more about these new artistic technologies from their creators.
- No Film
- In-Person
Black Art In America presents the Atlanta Fine Art Print Fair at March On
Join the Atlanta Fine Art Print Fair and Open House showcasing hundreds of works by dozens of artists
- Screening
- In-Person
A Mother Apart Film Screening
After discovering her mother's letters, Staceyann Chin examines Hazel's past and how her absence shaped Chin's poetry, politics, and parenting
- Feature Film
- In-Person
Memoirs in the Movement
When one’s perspectives - shaped by family, community, ancestry, education and life experiences - are captured with pen and paper, a memoir is born.
- Screening
- In-Person
Film Competition Finalist screenings
Debuting in 2016, the Student and Emerging Filmmaker Competitions gives filmmakers the opportunity to use cinematic storytelling to answer important themes like “what’s your civil right?” and “speaking truth to power.”
FILMMAKER GRANDPRIZE WINNERS
Best Narrative Student
- Feature Documentary
James Baldwin: The Price of the Ticket
Using rarely-seen archival footage from nine different countries, the film melds intimate interviews and eloquent public speeches with cinéma vérité glimpses of Baldwin and original scenes from his extraordinary funeral service in December 1987.
Best Narrative Emerging
- Feature Documentary
Zora Neale Hurston: Claiming a Space
An in-depth biography of Zora Neale Hurston, the influential author whose groundbreaking anthropological work would challenge assumptions about race, gender and cultural superiority that had long defined the field in the 19th century
Best Documentary Student
- Feature Documentary
W. E. B. Du Bois: A Biography in Four Voices
The long and remarkable life of Dr. William Edward Burghardt (W.E.B) Du Bois (1868-1963) offers unique insights into an eventful century in African American history.
Best Documentary emerging
- Feature Documentary
A Litany for Survival: The Life and Work of Audre Lorde
An epic portrait of the eloquent, award-winning Black, lesbian, poet, mother, teacher and activist, Audre Lorde, whose writings -- spanning five decades -- articulated some of the most important social and political visions of the century.
Best Narrative Student
- Feature Documentary
James Baldwin: The Price of the Ticket
Using rarely-seen archival footage from nine different countries, the film melds intimate interviews and eloquent public speeches with cinéma vérité glimpses of Baldwin and original scenes from his extraordinary funeral service in December 1987.
Best Narrative Emerging
- Feature Documentary
Zora Neale Hurston: Claiming a Space
An in-depth biography of Zora Neale Hurston, the influential author whose groundbreaking anthropological work would challenge assumptions about race, gender and cultural superiority that had long defined the field in the 19th century
Best Documentary Student
- Feature Documentary
W. E. B. Du Bois: A Biography in Four Voices
The long and remarkable life of Dr. William Edward Burghardt (W.E.B) Du Bois (1868-1963) offers unique insights into an eventful century in African American history.
Best Documentary emerging
- Feature Documentary
A Litany for Survival: The Life and Work of Audre Lorde
An epic portrait of the eloquent, award-winning Black, lesbian, poet, mother, teacher and activist, Audre Lorde, whose writings -- spanning five decades -- articulated some of the most important social and political visions of the century.
Films
- Feature Documentary
A Litany for Survival: The Life and Work of Audre Lorde
Runtime: 1hr:30min
Ada Gay Griffin, Michelle Parkerson/Ada Gay Griffin
An epic portrait of the eloquent, award-winning Black, lesbian, poet, mother, teacher and activist, Audre Lorde, whose writings -- spanning five decades -- articulated some of the most important social and political visions of the century.
- Feature Documentary
W. E. B. Du Bois: A Biography in Four Voices
Runtime: 1hr:54min
Louis Massiah/Louis Massiah
The long and remarkable life of Dr. William Edward Burghardt (W.E.B) Du Bois (1868-1963) offers unique insights into an eventful century in African American history.
- Feature Documentary
Zora Neale Hurston: Claiming a Space
Runtime: 1hr:52min
Tracy Heather Strain/Randall MacLowry, Tracy Heather Strain
An in-depth biography of Zora Neale Hurston, the influential author whose groundbreaking anthropological work would challenge assumptions about race, gender and cultural superiority that had long defined the field in the 19th century
- Feature Film
It Was All A Dream
Runtime: 1hr:23min
dream hampton/dream hampton, Emir Lewis, Josh Begley, and Morgan Willis
A visual memoir from director dream hampton's personal archives about the dawn of the golden era of hip hop.
- Shorts
Searching for Augusta Savage
Runtime: 22 mins
Charlotte Mangin, Sandy Rattley/Mariana Surillo
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.
- Feature Film
Love Machina
Runtime: 1hr:50min
Peter Sillen
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.
- Feature Film
A Mother Apart
Runtime: 1hr:30min
Laurie Townshend
After discovering her mother's letters, Staceyann Chin examines Hazel's past and how her absence shaped Chin's poetry, politics, and parenting. Chin navigates revelations about Hazel while raising her own daughter, Zuri, in an joyful way
- Feature Documentary
James Baldwin: The Price of the Ticket
Runtime: 1hr:27min
Karen Thorsen, Bill Miles
Using rarely-seen archival footage from nine different countries, the film melds intimate interviews and eloquent public speeches with cinéma vérité glimpses of Baldwin and original scenes from his extraordinary funeral service in December 1987.
Honorees
Reginald Dwayne Betts
March On Award
A 2024 March On Award recipient is Reginald Dwayne Betts, the founder and director of Freedom Reads.
Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor
March On Award
A 2024 March On Award recipient is Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, an accomplished actress and digital creator
Congressman Steny Hoyer
The John Robert Lewis Lifetime Legacy Award
The 2024 recipient of the John Robert Lewis Lifetime Legacy Award is Congressman Steny Hoyer, who represents Maryland's 5th congressional district.
The March On Awards were created to honor leaders across disciplines whose commitment to advancing civil rights is unwavering. Through their actions and with courage, they have ignited national conversations, compelled progress, and used their platforms as instruments for social justice and cultural change. As foot soldiers in the fight against injustice everywhere, we honor their work, commitment, and sustained efforts to continue the march forward.
