The Twin Cities Black Film Festival ran September 25-27 at the Edina Theatre, marking its 24th year and a new home base after four years at the Capri in north Minneapolis. Founder and director Natalie Morrow called the move the start of a new chapter for an event that has spent more than two decades spotlighting Black and multicultural storytelling on screen.
A Milestone Year After a Hard-Fought Recovery
“This year marks a new chapter for TCBFF as it moves to Edina, continuing its mission to uplift Black storytelling,” Morrow said, according to the Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder. She also reflected on the milestone itself, saying that reaching 24 years running the festival is remarkable. Morrow suffered a stroke a few years before this year's event and has continued the festival despite periods of limited mobility while undergoing therapy, per the same report.
Morrow has also said that some of the festival's business relationships were sabotaged over the years, limiting what TCBFF could present, but she kept the event running regardless, the paper reports. She's not done yet, either: Morrow plans to take a break after this year's festival to regroup before preparing for the festival's next 25 years in 2027.
Three Days of Films, Shorts and Local Talent
This year's lineup unfolded across a familiar rhythm for TCBFF regulars. Friday's Minneapolis Night featured local and statewide filmmakers, Saturday brought a full day of films and shorts, and the festival closed Sunday with a brunch. The event typically shows around 40 films drawn from a pool that the Capri Theatre has described as hundreds of submissions from across the globe, though this year's program was planned for roughly 20 to 26 films.
All entries compete for Best Feature, Best Short and Best Documentary honors, according to the festival's listing on FilmFreeway, which describes the festival's mission as providing a platform for independent Black and multicultural films. That mission has stayed consistent even as the venue and submission volume have shifted over the years — in 2024, the festival reviewed 479 submissions, intentionally down from the usual 700 or so before Morrow's stroke, the Spokesman-Recorder reported at the time.
Guests, Q&As and a Festival Built From the Ground Up
TCBFF has long paired its screenings with post-screening question-and-answer sessions featuring special guests, and the festival has hosted names including Nate Parker, Pam Grier and Sterling K. Brown over the years. Angela Bassett attended a TCBFF event after appearing at another engagement, and Gregory Alan Williams appeared at the festival in 2025 following a screening of a film he acted in and produced. Morrow has said that Will Smith helped her navigate her relationship with 20th Century Fox as the festival grew.
Independent filmmaker and producer Van Hayden, who interned on Spike Lee's Mo' Better Blues in 1989, volunteered at TCBFF's very first festival and has helped shape it since. Morrow herself screens the submitted films each year and introduces the films and available filmmakers to festival audiences, giving both established names and novices a chance to be seen.
A Shifting Record of Anniversaries and Venues
The festival's own chronology has varied across its public materials. The 2025 edition was promoted by the Capri as its 23rd annual event, with screenings there for the fourth straight year before wrapping at the Indigo Hotel in downtown Minneapolis. A year earlier, the festival's own about page described the 2024 event as its 19th annual edition running October 10-14, a date that Fox 9 also tied to a 19th-anniversary festival, though that station placed the event October 21-24 at the Radisson Red Hotel downtown, with more than 40 filmmakers' work on display. The competing dates and venue details haven't been reconciled in available records, but the festival's move this year from the Capri to the Edina Theatre after four years is documented consistently.
Whatever the exact count, the festival's reach has expanded well beyond simple screenings. Its own materials describe highlights including opening and closing night premieres, an A-list party, panel discussions, a TCBFF Hollywood Fashion Show and an awards gala, all aimed at facilitating growth for filmmakers of color through networking with industry professionals. More information on the festival is available at www.tcbff.org.
