The BedStuy Film Festival is heading back to Brooklyn this summer, bringing a weekend of independent films, emerging voices, and community storytelling to one of the borough’s most historic cultural institutions.
Per the festival’s website, the fifth annual festival is scheduled to run from July 17 through July 19, 2026, at the Billie Holiday Theatre in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn.
Founded in 2017 by Nickie Robinson, the BedStuy Film Festival was created to spotlight films from a wide range of cultural, racial, gender, and generational perspectives. Since its launch, the festival has focused heavily on supporting local creatives while also welcoming independent filmmakers from around the world.
This year’s event is expected to include short films, documentaries, features, filmmaker Q&As, panel discussions, and networking opportunities designed to connect directors, producers, actors, and film fans in the same room.
The decision to host the festival at the Billie Holiday Theatre adds another layer of significance to the weekend. Located inside Restoration Plaza at 1368 Fulton Street, the Billie has long served as one of the most important homes for Black art and storytelling in New York.
Founded in 1972 during the Civil Rights and Black Arts movements, the theatre was built to bring arts programming directly into Bedford-Stuyvesant while creating opportunities for local talent. More than 50 years later, it remains one of the country’s most influential Black cultural institutions.
The theatre has helped launch and support generations of Black performers and creatives, including Lena Horne, Samuel L. Jackson, Smokey Robinson, Ben Vereen, and Jay-Z.
In 2023, the venue received the National Medal of the Arts, the highest arts honor in the United States. President Joe Biden described it as “an incredible place” that continues to nurture a new generation of Black playwrights and performers.
The theatre was also the first Black theatre to transfer a hit play to Broadway with financing from the Black community.
The BedStuy Film Festival’s mission closely mirrors that legacy. The organization says its goal is to “provide a platform through which films from diverse perspectives can be showcased,” while increasing exposure for filmmakers from underrepresented backgrounds.
