Detroit's showcase for Black cinema is on its third day of screenings, panels, and parties, with the festival running from Wednesday through Sunday across five venues citywide. The 7th Annual Detroit Black Film Festival has packed its 2026 lineup with 89 films from numerous countries, including films by local Detroit filmmakers.
A Homegrown Festival With Global Reach
The festival offers a full slate of screenings and events, with tickets and a schedule available. That international scope, spanning 30 countries and dozens of films, comes from a festival that started small: as Metro Times reports, husband-and-wife duo Lazar Favors and Marshalle Favors founded the Detroit Black Film Festival in 2020 under their production company, Trinity Films Entertainment Group, which the pair established back in 2006.
The festival's footprint spans five Detroit locations this year: the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History, the Detroit Historical Museum, The Love Building, Imani Humphrey Banquet Hall, and the Belle Isle Casino, per FilmFreeway's event listing.
Local Talent Takes Center Stage
Beyond the international slate, the festival is spotlighting hometown storytellers through its Sincerely Detroit showcase, which features short films including Way of the World and When the Music Stops, alongside conversations with Detroit-born creator Diarra Kilpatrick, the same Metro Times report notes. Kilpatrick, creator and star of Diarra From Detroit, was also featured in a Hoodline story on Detroit's push into the creator economy this week.
The festival also pairs film with local business through its Taste of Black Spirits showcase and The Liquid Forum, an initiative highlighting Black-owned craft beer, wine, and spirits brands while promoting diversity in the beverage industry, according to the Charles H. Wright Museum's event page. The Liquid Forum has featured rapper E-40 in its speaker series.
Representation in Film
UCLA's 2026 Hollywood Diversity Report found that BIPOC gained ground in three of four theatrical-film employment areas examined in 2025, including among film directors, writers, and total actors, according to UCLA Social Sciences.
Seven Years of Screenings
The Detroit Black Film Festival showcases independent films directed, produced, or written by Black filmmakers, according to Pure Michigan. The Favors also operate the Detroit Trinity International Film Festival, according to Metro Times.
Together, the two festivals reflect the Favors family's work to build platforms for Black filmmakers in Detroit, from intimate local showcases to an internationally competitive lineup. This weekend's screenings, panels, and the Liquid Forum's spirits showcase carry that mission through Sunday, with tickets and the full schedule available at www.thewright.org.
