Films in the online program will be available starting at 10AM EST on Friday, June 26, 2026 until 11:59PM EST on Thursday, July 2, 2026.
Films in the online program are only accessible by purchasing an online festival pass - extended until 12PM EST on Sunday, June 28, 2026. You must be in the United States to view the films.
The following films are included in the online program:
Note: The films are screening within 5 film blocks (listed by the name in parentheses).
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BLUE SILENCE
Directed by Krista Luisa Olivarez, Clarissa Brianna Olivarez (USA 2025, 7.04 min).
A beach day follows JACI , a troubled teenager, embarking on a journey of self discovery of the freedom found within the ocean waters. The innocence of Tallulah brings perspective and life to Jaci with insight into just how large the ocean is. An insightful V.O. between the narrator and Jaci to guide the audience to define what peace and tranquility looks like to them with correlations to water and sacred indigenous Native American Lakota beliefs. -
ONE NATION, DIVISIBLE
Directed by Tracey Anarella (USA 2025, 71.47 mins).
In a relentless pursuit of justice, a chaplain, a lawyer, law enforcement officers, and grieving families unite to confront the devastating effects of U.S. policies on Native peoples, as they search for answers to the crisis of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Relatives (MMIWR), battling to prevent further vanishings and murders.RoxFilm Alum.
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BLACK HISTORY BEGINS WITH A LOVE STORY
Directed by Irene Smalls (USA 2026, 3:06).
The film tells the story of Antony and Isabella, a Black couple living in the Virginia colony in the early 1600s whose love, family, and freedom represent one of the earliest chapters of Black history in America. The project highlights a powerful but often overlooked truth: that Black history began not only in struggle, but also in love, family, and community. Made with AI.
RoxFilm Alum. Local. -
A PECULIAR FREEDOM: PORTRAITS OF BLACK NEW ENGLAND 1750-1900
Directed by Nora L. Jacobson and Natasha Ngaiza (USA 2026, 20:04).
A Peculiar Freedom: Portraits of Black New England tells the stories of 5 free Black individuals in New England in the late 18th and 19th Century, when white racism limited the opportunities and visibility of free Black citizens.
Local.
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THE BILL PATERSON STORY
Directed by Anthony Severo. (USA, 2026, 15:57 mins)
This is the untold story of Bill Patterson, who dedicated seven decades to public service in Oakland and along the way mentored some of the greatest people who ever lived—Curt Flood, Bill Russell, Joe Morgan—champions who changed the world, even as forces worked to destroy the Black community he served.
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ELLA
Directed by Nikki Taylor Roberts (USA, 17:35)
The short film explores a key turning point in the life of the legendary Ella Fitzgerald. With a focus on her tumultuous adolescence and the life-altering Apollo amateur night win that launched her illustrious career, “Ella” offers a deeply human and emotionally resonant portrait of one of the greatest jazz icons of all time. Starring Jill Scott.
RoxFilm Alum. Pan African Film Festival 2026 - Best Short Narrative Nominee. -
SCARS THAT DEFINE US
Director Edward Worthy. (USA, 2026. 12:22)
Set during the 2022 Jackson, Mississippi Water Crisis, Lynn, an overwhelmed woman visiting her childhood home to care for her elderly father's wound, struggles to accept her new reality as their water supply depletes and his health continues to deteriorate.
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GLORIA
Directed by Kim Blanck. (USA,2025 9:39)
Gloria, a Chinese woman in her 70s living alone and struggling with her memory, finds new purpose in teaching herself Spanish.
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A MESS OF MEMORIES
Directed by Ebony Blanding (USA 2025, 78 min).
When their childhood home is threatened by their mother Jovita’s hoarding, estranged siblings Deja, Riley, Mylo, and Brooke are forced to reunite. As they sift through years of clutter, buried memories resurface, tensions ignite, and long-held secrets unravel. What begins as a desperate attempt to save their home becomes a journey of reckoning, redemption, and rediscovering the ties that bind — even in the mess. -
ENSLAVED AFRICAN
Directed by Denise Washington (USA, 2:06).
“Enslaved African”, a Folklore honoring the emancipation of enslaved people. Written, Produced, Directed and Performed by Denise Washington. Music Composed, Performed, Directed, Filmed, Edited by Production Artist Akili Jamal Haynes.
Local. -
PAUL CUFFE IS ME
Directed by Anita Allison (USA 2026, 3:18).
Paul Cuffe Is Me is a powerful, high-energy music video that pulls late 1700's Black and Wampanoag mariner Paul Cuffe out of the shadows of history. Written and performed by RoxFilm alum, Daniel Laurent.
Local.
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BETWEEN FIRE & FREEDOM
Directed by Bentley Sweven (USA 2026, 8:42).
Chosen by the land to remember what was lost and what still fights to exist, Cathrine stands at the threshold—between fire and freedom.
Local. -
HIDDEN IN PLAIN SIGHT
Directed by Ann Gennaro (USA 2025, 27:51).
This documentary offers a brief historical overview of the efforts of key religious communities and individuals whose pastoral care and leadership enabled Black Catholics in the United States—and in Boston—to build an infrastructure that fostered spaces to gather, celebrate, deepen their faith, and be seen, while contributing significantly to the life and history of the Church and Archdiocese.
Local.
TRAILER -
NANTUCKET'S HISTORIC COLOURED CEMETERY: STORIES TOLD BY NANTUCKETERS
Directed by Paul Sanderson (USA 2025, 36:11).
The film presents an oral history of stories told by present day Nantucketers, to help illuminate the lives of Black Civil War veterans, fugitives, abolitionists, and whaling captains interred in one of Nantucket island’s most significant burial grounds.This screening of Nantucket’s Historic Colored Cemetery: Stories Told by Nantucketers is dedicated with love and respect to the memory of Edmund “Rookie” Ramos, the second narrator in the film, who passed away on February 6, 2026.
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WOMB
Directed by Alanna Logan (USA 2026, 11:55 mins).
A young artist revisits the earliest chapters of her life confronting old wounds and reclaiming her creative freedom.
Local. -
THE END OF ISOLATION
Directed by Sarah Emily Shourd (USA 2025, 59:00 mins).
This documentary follows a busload of anti-prison theater activists 8,000 miles across America performing The BOX, an emotionally searing play on solitary confinement. Guided by formerly incarcerated voices, the journey exposes prison cruelty, uplifts bold visions of justice, and shows how art and collective resistance can challenge authoritarianism and ignite hope for change.
Bought a ticket and wondering how to access the films?
Look for an email from hello@cinesend.com with the subject line: You've been invited to join ArtsEmerson
Click the ‘Create password’ button to make an account and create a new password.
Once done, you should automatically see the 5 film blocks available. Click on a film block to start the screening of films in that block. You can also click the small lines at the bottom right to select the exact film you want to see.
Reach out to roxfilmfest@gmail.com if you have issues about not receiving the ArtsEmerson email and reach out to hello@cinesend.com for any technical issues.