NYWIFT Blog

By Penni Malloy-Harper, R.N.

Oak Bluff’s in Martha’s Vineyard in the summer is historically culturally rich and enlightening, so when combined with the African American Film Festival it is truly something to experience. While enjoying Inkwell Beach this summer and celebrating the Polar Bears’ 80^th anniversary, in anticipation of the film festival, I thought about who is shaping the stories and who is behind the camera these days.

The 2026 Martha’s Vineyard African American Film Festival certainly answered the question of who is shaping the stories behind the camera and who is building the platform that allows the stories to be seen. It was exhilarating to attend the film festival this year and meet so many amazing women who transpose the landscape of film.

Women were not simply present at MVAAFF 2026. They were directing, writing, producing, documenting, organizing, moderating, creating, and building the infrastructure that makes independent cinema possible.

Across the festival’s programming, women brought stories of history, culture, athletics, art, identity, resilience, and community to audiences. Their work demonstrated that the movement of women in film is not one-dimensional. It encompasses the filmmaker holding the camera, the producer developing the project, the media professional creating visibility, and the cultural organizer creating spaces where filmmakers and audiences can connect.

Among the festival’s prominent women filmmakers was past NYWIFT Muse Honoree Gina Prince-Bythewood, director and co-screenwriter of Children of Blood and Bone. Her participation represented the continuing expansion of opportunities for women to lead ambitious, large-scale productions and exercise creative authority over stories reaching broad audiences.

Director Screenwriter: Children of Blood and Bone Gina Prince-Bythewood

The festival also featured Quinn Whitney Wilson and Viridiana Lieberman, co-directors of Jean-Michel Basquiat, bringing the life and legacy of one of America’s most influential artists into conversation with audiences.

Deborah Riley Draper, writer and director of Romare Bearden: A Life in Collage, likewise demonstrated the power of women filmmakers to preserve and interpret Black artistic history.

These projects remind us that filmmaking is not simply entertainment. It is cultural preservation.

The person behind the camera determines what is remembered, whose voice is heard, what context is provided, and how future generations encounter the past.

That responsibility was evident in the work of Gloria Respress Churchwell, director of Limitless: The Dr. Chester Pierce Story.

Film Director Limitless Gloria Repress Churchwell

Churchwell’s film brings attention to the extraordinary life and legacy of Dr. Chester Pierce, a pioneering figure whose contributions deserve greater recognition.

Limitless represents precisely the kind of storytelling that independent film festivals can elevate: stories that expand our understanding of history while introducing audiences to people whose contributions may not have received the attention they deserve.

Churchwell’s work underscores another essential role women filmmakers play.

NYWIFT Member Penni Malloy-Harper

The festival’s women filmmakers also demonstrated the breadth of stories women are telling.

Christine Turner, director of Gamechangers: Mother/Athlete, brought audiences into the complicated intersection of motherhood and elite athletics.

Alexandria Stapleton, director of The Brittney Griner Story, offered another example of filmmaking that examines the life of a prominent woman athlete within a much larger social and cultural context.

Rita Coburn, director of W.E.B. Du Bois: Rebel with A Cause, used documentary filmmaking to explore the legacy of one of America’s most consequential intellectual and social thinkers. (We featured Rita on a recent episode of The NYWIFT Podcast!)

And Jacqueline Olive, co-director of The Color of Cola with Stanley Nelson, contributed to the festival’s broader examination of Black history and American culture.

These filmmakers demonstrated why women should not be confined to a particular genre or category.

There were also many intriguing panel discussions, in particular one with Laverne Cox that was enlightening, hosted by GLAAD and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation entitled “Reel Change: Black Film, Culture, and the Stories That Shape Us.” The conversation focused on the power of inclusive storytelling, centering on queer, trans, and Black representation on screen is vital for moving away from flat, one-dimensional stereotypes and instead showcasing the full, rich complexity of these lived experiences.

Actress LGBTQ Advocate Laverne Cox

There is another group of women whose contributions deserve recognition: the women who create the infrastructure around filmmaking.

A film does not exist in a vacuum. It needs promotion, media coverage, relationships, and audiences. It needs people who understand how to connect filmmakers with the public.

At MVAAFF 2026, Sonya Ede-Williams of Run and Shoot Films represents that critical media and communications dimension of the festival experience.

Director of Public Relations Sojya Ede-Williams

Her work as a director of Public Relations for the Martha’s Vineyard African American Film Festival reflects a reality that is sometimes overlooked in conversations about women in entertainment because visibility itself requires labor.

The success of independent film depends on people like Ede-Williams who understand that storytelling and media visibility are interconnected.

NYWIFT Member Penni Malloy-Harper

The many women represented at the 2026 Martha’s Vineyard African American Film Festival are part of a much larger movement. Their individual work is different, but together they demonstrate the extraordinary range of women’s contributions to Black cinema and independent filmmaking.