The Martha's Vineyard African American Film Festival just turned 24 — and it has never been bigger.
MVAAFF 2026 runs August 7–15 at the Martha's Vineyard Performing Arts Center in Oak Bluffs, Massachusetts, with more than 60 films, 50-plus corporate sponsors, daily panels, brand activations, and some of the most powerful names in entertainment, media, business, and public life converging on the Vineyard for nine days.
What started in 2002 as a passion project by husband-and-wife team Floyd and Stephanie Rance has become the premier destination for Black cinema in America — an Oscar®-qualifying festival in the short film category, a cultural institution, and the most important week on the calendar for anyone working at the intersection of storytelling, brand strategy, and Black culture.
The 2026 Film Lineup: From Paramount Premieres to ESPN 30 for 30
This year's programming stretches across feature narratives, documentaries, and shorts — with major studio presentations anchoring the schedule.
Opening night kicks off with Paramount's Children of Blood and Bone clips-and-conversation, featuring director Gina Prince-Bythewood and star Thuso Mbedu, moderated by Sunny Hostin of ABC's The View.
Harvard's Henry Louis Gates Jr. returns to moderate a screening of Soul Patrol — a documentary about the first Black special ops team in Vietnam — alongside former Secretary of State John Kerry.
Netflix presents a double-feature spotlight: the documentary short The Baddest Speechwriter of All and the feature documentary Jean-Michel Basquiat, celebrating the legacies of Clarence B. Jones and Jean-Michel Basquiat. ESPN 30 for 30 — the festival's presenting sponsor — brings The Brittney Griner Story and Boo-Yah: A Portrait of Stuart Scott.
Amazon MGM Studios and Prime Video premiere Go Deep: The DeSean Jackson Story, with the former NFL wide receiver himself on the panel. HBO/Max closes the festival with an advance screening of Lanterns Episode 1, paired with Warner Bros. Discovery's Earth, Wind & Fire documentary. Roku presents Gamechangers: Mother/Athlete with WNBA legend Sheryl Swoopes and Academy Award-nominated director Christine Turner.
Among the standout independent entries: Full Circle: The First All Black Everest Ascent, W.E.B. Du Bois: Rebel With A Cause (with Tony and Emmy winner Courtney B. Vance on the panel), Black is Beautiful: The Kwame Brathwaite Story, and the narrative feature Girl Dad — featuring five-time Tony-nominated director/choreographer Camille A. Brown and two-time Oscar-winning costume designer Ruth E. Carter as moderator.
The Color of Conversations: Panels That Set the Cultural Agenda
MVAAFF's signature Color of Conversations series has always been the festival's secret weapon — post-screening panels that turn audiences into participants. This year's lineup makes the case that MVAAFF isn't just screening culture. It's shaping it.
Emmy, Grammy, and Tony winner and two-time Oscar nominee Cynthia Erivo sits for a career retrospective. Google VP Dr. Marian Rogers Croak — who helped invent VoIP — discusses her path to leading responsible AI research. Laverne Cox joins a W.K. Kellogg Foundation panel on film, culture, and social change. Two-time Oscar winner Ruth E. Carter delivers an illustrated creative talk on how costume design creates character and defines culture. Wendell Pierce anchors a panel for Andscape's They Fight.
Moderators include journalists from The Cut, Variety, Black Enterprise, EBONY, Extra, and CNBC.
ESPN 30 for 30 returns as presenting sponsor. The Cut (New York Magazine) is the official media sponsor. Beyond those two, the 2026 roster is extraordinary:
Entertainment & Media: Netflix, Disney, Warner Bros. Discovery, Warner Bros. Television Group, HBO/Max, Amazon MGM Studios, Prime Video, Roku, OWN, Paramount/Skydance, Andscape, Sony Pictures, NEON, Screenvision
Consumer & Luxury: Nike (Tribrand), Lincoln, Cartier, L'Oréal, Creme of Nature (with KeKe Palmer), Tom Ford Beauty, Tiffany & Co., McDonald's, Target, Johnnie Walker, Diageo
Technology & Professional Services: Google, McKinsey & Company, Autodesk, Ernst & Young
Healthcare & Pharma: Pfizer, Bristol Myers Squibb, American Heart Association, Planned Parenthood
Travel & Hospitality: Delta Air Lines, AmaWaterways, Jamaica Tourist Board, Massport
Philanthropy, Education & Civic: W.K. Kellogg Foundation, Ford Foundation (Just Films), GLAAD, AARP, ACLU, Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, College Board, Library of Congress, Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Norfolk State University, Prairie View A&M University, Huston-Tillotson University, Camelback Ventures, NJ Economic Development Authority
Getty Images serves as official photographer. Medase is the official beverage sponsor.
The Vineyard Lounge: Daily Brand Activations and Programming
The Vineyard Lounge — a dedicated activation space on the Performing Arts Center grounds — runs daily programming from 10:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. throughout the festival. It's where sponsors go beyond logos and deliver real content.
Lincoln presents "Joy, Uninterrupted" with The Cut editor-in-chief Lindsay Peoples moderating. Google spotlights Dr. Marian Rogers Croak's trajectory from VoIP to responsible AI. L'Oréal screens a documentary produced with The New York Times' T Brand Studio, followed by a curated cocktail reception. McKinsey presents programming on Black maternal health and economic mobility, with CNBC anchor Frank Holland moderating. Target presents a documentary about the Black National Anthem. Bristol Myers Squibb hosts a brain health and well-being conversation. Creme of Nature closes the festival with a two-day brand activation headlined by KeKe Palmer.
Other Lounge highlights include the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture on preserving Black film, the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation's 50th anniversary documentary, a luxury travel panel with AmaWaterways and the Jamaica Tourist Board, and Norfolk State University on HBCU storytelling.
The Events: White Party, Opening Night, and the Bonds of Brotherhood
MVAAFF's social calendar is as much of a draw as the screenings. The legendary Summer White Party — already sold out — takes over Thursday evening with DJ Trauma and The Legendary Chris Washington. The Opening Night Party and Reception run Friday through the weekend. The Bonds of Brotherhood luncheon at Harbor View Hotel, hosted by Floyd A.B. Rance and sponsored by Tom Ford Beauty, FoodCorps, and McKinsey with gifting from Tiffany & Co. and TCM, brings together men from business, sports, arts, and community leadership.
The Celebration of Cinema and Culture at Martha's Vineyard Museum — sponsored by Delta and The Cut — honors 24 years of the festival's impact on storytelling and culture.
5WPR at MVAAFF: Ashley Barton Represents on the Ground
Ashley Barton, EVP of Consumer Lifestyle and Multicultural at 5WPR, is attending MVAAFF 2026 — representing the firm at one of the most important cultural events in the industry.
Barton leads 5WPR's Consumer Lifestyle and Multicultural divisions, with over 15 years of experience driving brand-building campaigns across beauty, fashion, entertainment, and consumer culture. She holds an M.S. in Public Relations and Corporate Communications from NYU and has led programs for clients including the WNBA, Ashley Stewart, Strength of Nature, and DUBGEE by Whoopi Goldberg. She spearheads 5WPR's DE&I initiatives and heads the firm's Women in Color committee. She also serves on the board of Getting Out and Staying Out (GOSO).
MVAAFF is the kind of environment where the relationships that drive multicultural consumer engagement get built — and Barton's presence underscores 5WPR's commitment to showing up where culture is made, not just where it's covered.
The C-Suite Summit: A Leadership Experience for Women Executives
MVAAFF also produces the C-Suite Summit — a standalone, multi-day leadership experience for Black and Brown women executives. Now in its third year, the 2026 summit moves to the Park Hyatt Aviara Resort in Carlsbad, California (October 15–18). Previous summits have been held in Los Angeles, Denver, and Atlanta, with London, Paris, and Accra in the expansion pipeline. The summit combines wellness sessions, leadership development workshops, and executive networking — a program designed for C-suite professionals and rising executives.
MVAAFF 2026: Tickets, Location, and How to Attend
The 24th annual Martha's Vineyard African American Film Festival runs August 7–15, 2026 at the Martha's Vineyard Performing Arts Center, 100 Edgartown Vineyard Haven Road, Oak Bluffs, Massachusetts. The festival offers Day Passes, Weekend Passes, and Full Festival Passes. Registration and information begins daily at 10:30 a.m.
Full itinerary and tickets at mvaaff.com.
Twenty-four years in. The summer's finest film festival. And getting bigger every year.
