A brand-new film festival is about to take over Downtown Jacksonville's contemporary art museum, and it's bringing a piece of Hollywood genre history with it. Lumina Reel Seasons Film Festival holds its inaugural event October 23-24 at MOCA Jacksonville, with Underworld co-creator and actor Kevin Grevioux set to receive the festival's first-ever Excellence in Cinema Award.
The festival is presented by Lumina Media Group, LLC and was founded by its festival director, Carshénah Jefferson, a Jacksonville native who spent more than 15 years working as an actress, writer, and producer in New York and Los Angeles before bringing a residency-style festival back to her hometown, according to the festival's Facebook page. Jefferson previously established Verse Films Productions in 2010 to amplify Black female storytellers, per the same festival background. As News4JAX reports, the festival aims to bring emerging and established filmmakers and compelling stories to Jacksonville, giving filmmakers a platform to connect with audiences and celebrate diverse storytelling.
Three Genre Chapters, One Concentrated Weekend
Rather than spreading across weeks, Lumina Reel Seasons is structured as a multi-chapter residency packed into a single two-day showcase, according to the festival's website. The lineup includes REEL FEAR for horror and thrillers, REEL PULSE for human drama and short documentaries, and REEL WONDER for Black cinema, fantasy, and holiday themes.
Each chapter is curating a tight slate of at least 15 shorts, with exhibition sequences locked three weeks before the event, according to the festival's FilmFreeway listing. The approach favors curated theatrical playback and moderated Q&As after every block rather than chasing volume, the listing notes. Organizers also offered a 15 percent submission discount code, JAXLOCAL15, specifically for Jacksonville and Northeast Florida filmmakers.
Underworld Co-Creator Anchors Horror Programming
Grevioux's appearance anchors the festival's horror-themed REEL FEAR chapter, with the actor and filmmaker scheduled for a 30-minute moderated Q&A and an award presentation. Grevioux co-created and played the lycan Raze in the Underworld franchise, which has grossed more than $500 million, according to the Underworld fandom wiki.
His path to genre filmmaking took an unusual detour through science: Grevioux holds a degree in microbiology from Howard University, a background that inspired him to give vampires and werewolves a viral biological origin instead of a traditional supernatural one, per the same wiki entry. He has also founded the comic book imprint Astounding Studios and created Marvel's Blue Marvel character, according to Hilltop Views.
A Restored Art Deco Landmark Hosts the Screenings
The festival's host venue carries its own history. MOCA Jacksonville sits at 333 N Laura St in Downtown Jacksonville, operating as a cultural institute of the University of North Florida inside a restored 1931 Art Deco building that formerly housed Western Union telegraph offices, according to Kupi. The museum is accredited by the American Alliance of Museums and ranks among the largest contemporary art institutions in the Southeast, per the same source.
MOCA's role as a dedicated art-house screening space matters more now that Downtown Jacksonville has lost one of its longest-running independent cinema hubs. Sun-Ray Cinema closed its 13-year operation in July 2024 inside the historic 1927 Five Points Theatre building, Florida's first sound-equipped cinema, before relocating to Tampa, as Hoodline previously reported.
Echoes of Jacksonville's Silent-Film Past
The new festival also taps into a deeper local lineage. Jacksonville was once known as the Winter Film Capital of the World during the early 1900s, hosting more than 30 silent film production studios thanks to its year-round warm weather, rail access, and varied architecture, according to Visit Jacksonville, before major operations eventually migrated to Southern California.
That history includes a notable chapter in Black cinema. Jacksonville's Arlington neighborhood is home to Norman Studios, a national pioneer in producing race films featuring African American actors in positive lead roles. Norman Studios remains the city's only surviving silent-era film studio complex, Visit Jacksonville notes.
Tickets and How to Attend
Ticket offerings for the October event are listed on Ticket Tailor. Festival offerings include red-carpet entry, DJ entertainment, filmmaker networking mixers, signature mocktails, and a Halloween costume contest, with passes also including reserved theater seating and dedicated meet-and-greet access with guest speakers.
Festival details and ticket links are available at luminafilmfest.com, and organizers have been posting updates through the festival's Instagram account, @lumina.filmfest, per the festival's own listings. For a city once nicknamed a winter film capital and now rebuilding its independent screening scene after Sun-Ray's departure, Lumina Reel Seasons marks a bet that Downtown Jacksonville still has an audience for curated, big-screen storytelling.
