All times are in Eastern Standard Time.
Click the right-side arrows below to expand each menu and select your search filter.
Join us after the evening’s screenings for a filmmaker hangout at Fort Hill Bar and Grill (2805 Washington St, Boston, MA 02119)!
Co-presented by CineFest Latino Boston and Independent Film Festival Boston.
Montmartre
Followed by:
Q&A with Ito Aghayere (Star Trek Picard and The Residence) and Director Leon Hendrix III
Best Narrative Feature Film, Best First Feature Film Pan African Film Festival 2026
Directed by Leon Hendrix III. (USA 2026, 120 mins)
Disillusioned with her lackluster life, JO takes a break and visits the storied French district of MONTMARTRE. There she falls for TOUSSAINT, a tour guide with a penchant for poetry and a strong belief in the power of Magic and Romance. Through their curious connection, Black History, art and love intertwine, reconnecting Jo to her long-lost passion for life.
Co-presented by CineFest Latino Boston and Independent Film Festival Boston.
IF I GO WILL THEY MISS ME
Preceded by:
CYCLES
Preceded by:
Post-film discussion hosted by Roxann and Keith Mascoll of Living A Triggered Life podcast.
Directed by Martins Imhangbe. (UK, 2026. 19:58)
After a teenage trainer reseller is robbed in a newly gentrified south London, he and his father are forced to confront the cycles of violence and masculinity that shape their lives. As they wrestle with the question of where choice truly begins, the family must decide whether to break the cycle or let it define them.
Directed by Walter Thompson-Hernández. (USA, 2026, 90 min.)
Twelve-year-old Lil Ant transforms his working-class neighborhood beneath the LAX flight path into a living mythology, where family members become gods and the sky is crowded with endless departures. As he searches for connection with his god-like yet conflicted father, he finds support in his close-knit community that helps him reconcile myth and reality.
English captions.
Join us after the evening’s screenings for a filmmaker hangout at LUCIE (120 Huntington Ave, Boston, MA 02116)!
Co-presented with The Wellness Collaborative and the Shared Stories.
Lineup:
Finding Your Laughter (Fine Cut Impact Preview)
Preceded by:
Scars That Define Us
Gloria
Followed by:
Panel discussion with Directors Arlieta Hall and Brittany Alsot, moderated by Karen Craddock of The Wellness Collaborative
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.
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.
Fine Cut Impact Preview.
Director Arlieta Hall & Brittany Alsot. (USA, 2026. 85 mins)
Finding Your Laughter follows Chicago comedian Arlieta Hall who is learning to use her own resources — stand up comedy and improvisation — as tools for both her own mental health and to be a caregiver for her father who is fading from Alzheimer's disease.
Captions. Audio Description available.
This block is also a part of the Shared Stories program. ArtsEmerson presents Shared Stories, a monthly film series in collaboration with the Boston Asian American Film Festival (BAAFF), CineFest Latino Boston, and the Roxbury International Film Festival (RoxFilm) seeking to build community, shared conversation, and experiences through cinema. This pilot series aspires to create a shared space to find commonality across experiences, and encourage the exchange of stories and ideas.
Join us after the evening’s screenings for a filmmaker hangout at Puddingstone Tavern (1592 Tremont St, Boston, MA 02120).
Join us after the evening’s screenings for a filmmaker hangout at Five Horses Tavern - South End (535 Columbus Ave, Boston, MA 02118)
Join us after the evening’s screenings for a filmmaker hangout at The Mission Bar & Grill (724 Huntington Ave, Boston, MA 02115).
Join us after the evening’s screenings for a filmmaker hangout at Top Mix (Roxbury - 257 Norfolk Ave, Boston, MA 02119)
Join us after the evening’s screenings for a filmmaker hangout at Doña Habana (811 Massachusetts Ave, Boston, MA 02118).
Join us for a day of free community programming at the Shaw-Roxbury Library (149 Dudley St.)! Registration not required, but recommended.
See below for the agenda of the day:
Each person will have 5 minutes to deliver an overview of their screenplay, outlining the narrative premise, principal characters, thematic elements, genre, and creative vision.
Following each presentation, panelists will have about 10 minutes to offer questions, observations, and constructive feedback to support the continued development of the screenplay.
Winning presentation will receive an award.
If you’d like to sign up to pitch, please do so here. Space is limited.
Everyone is welcome to join the audience and watch the pitch session.
Recommended for teens and adults.
Network with fellow and aspiring directors to talk about all things filmmaking!
Recommended for teens and adults.
Join us for a casual conversation about soccer, life, and more with two of the first Black soccer players at West Ham United, Clyde Best and Ade Coker (who also played with the Boston Minutemen)!
We highly encourage all young athletes to join us for this opportunity to meet Clyde and Ade up close, ask questions, and talk all things soccer!
Recommended for children, teens, and families.
Join us after the evening’s screenings for a filmmaker hangout at Puddingstone Tavern (1592 Tremont St, Boston, MA 02120).
Join us after the evening’s screenings for a filmmaker hangout at LUCIE (120 Huntington Ave, Boston, MA 02116)!
Co-presented by the Independent Film Festival Boston.
TRANSFORMING THE BEAUTIFUL GAME: THE CLYDE BEST STORY
Preceded by:
THE BILL PATTERSON STORY
Followed by:
Post-film panel discussion with the filmmakers including Anthony Severo and Barry Gardin (BILL PATTERSON) Clyde Best, Ade Coker and Dan Egan (CLYDE BEST), and Roxbury native, Tony D. Head.
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.
Directed by Dan Egan (USA, 2026, 99:00 mins)
In 1969, Bermudian teenager Clyde Best broke into England’s First Division Football (Soccer) and became the first Black superstar of football/soccer’s modern television era. Enduring racism while inspiring millions, Best emerged as the Jackie Robinson of English football, breaking barriers through his on-field excellence and quiet resilience. Overcoming adversity, inspiring a generation of young Black athletes, and later starring in the North American Soccer League, his influence still echoes across the global game. Featuring Clyde Best himself alongside notable interviewees such as Sir Geoff Hurst, Ian Wright, John Barnes, and Viv Anderson, "Transforming the Beautiful Game" is the first feature documentary to tell Best’s full story, an untold chapter of Black sporting history and a powerful testament to quiet revolution and lasting legacy. The film combines never-before-seen archival footage, historic match material, and intimate interviews to restore Clyde Best to his rightful place in football history.
Curated by the Roxbury International Film Festival; FREE w/ RSVP: https://blo.org/shewasthere/
March 26-29, 2026 | Salem, MA
COME TO SALEM, SEE THE WORLD
Since 2007, Salem Film Fest (SFF) has brought the world's best independent documentaries and their makers to Boston's North Shore. Now the largest international documentary film festival in Massachusetts, the event annually presents features, shorts and special events to a loyal audience of thousands. The festival is mostly run by volunteers through a non-profit entity, Salem Community Arts Center, Inc.
The 19th annual Salem Film Film will take place March 26-29, 2026, with filmmaker Q&As, parties, and other special events. Advance Ticket Packs for SFF 2026 are on sale now.
RoxFilm is co-presenting the following films:
Saturday, March 28th at 10:30am: TRUE NORTH
Through never before seen compelling historical footage and the voices of those who lived through the tumultuous period of 1960s Montréal, TRUE NORTH uses a bold cinematic aesthetic that centers the power of memory and archive to expose the pivotal events of a moment that impacted the global movement for Black liberation.
Sunday, March 29 at 12:15pm: ELEPHANTS & SQUIRRELS *US Premiere
A Sri Lankan artist discovers a collection of ancestral remains in a Swiss museum and embarks on a lengthy repatriation effort for their return. A dialogue about memory, restitution, and accountability.
March 12-13, 2026 | The Cabot (286 Cabot St, Beverly, MA 01915)
Amplifying Voices brings impactful stories and voices to the North Shore, and beyond, by presenting films made by and about people of color. These two days of films are curated by Sabrina Avilés, Executive Director of CineFest Latino Boston and Lisa Simmons, Executive Director of The Roxbury International Film Festival.
We hope to make all voices and people feel welcome in our community by uplifting those who are too often marginalized. With the help of the filmmakers as well as civic, arts, and educational organizations across the North Shore, we hope to deepen empathy, expand understanding, and advance important conversations.
Amplifying Voices screenings are free and open to the public.
Be sure to check out RoxFilm Festival Selections SEA CHARM, FOU, and RO & STARDUST in the lineup!
Diamond Diplomacy explores the long and complex relationship between the U.S. and Japan through the shared love of baseball, revealing a moving diplomatic history that spans generations. The film features a cross-cultural lineup of baseball legends, including Babe Ruth, Joe DiMaggio, Shohei Ohtani, and Ichiro Suzuki—newly inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame—and makes a powerful case for sports as a conduit for international healing, connection, and resilience.
Q&A with director Yuriko Gamo Romer to follow the screening.
Join us on Friday, June 27, 2025 for Make 'Em Sweat: The Official Closing Night Film & Kick-Off Party for BAMS Festival and Rox Film Festival.
Enjoy drinks, vendors, and an incredible music mashup of R&B, House, Funk, Dirty South, Hip Hop and much more from DJ Q-Boogie, DJ DCaso and the undefeated, DJ Mell Starr.
Supported by Urban Heat 98.1FM, 9 Alarms Entertainment, LiteWork Events, MeetBoston, Tito’s Handmade Vodka, NBC10 Boston,The Boston Globe, and The Bay State Banner.
Get your tickets now before they sell out!
Q&A to follow. Then join us a post-film closing night party - location TBA!
Join us after the evening’s screenings for a filmmaker hangout at Two Saints Tavern (52 Gainsborough St, Boston, MA 02115).
Join us for a special afternoon of honoring Frank Silvera, a pioneer in Black Cinema with a screening and conversation. Frank Silvera’s daughter, Linda Silvera will also be in attendance.
Join us after the evening’s screenings for a filmmaker hangout at LUCIE (120 Huntington Ave, Boston, MA 02116)
Join us for a special screening of shorts focused on our global communities. Seats are limited and not guaranteed! This event is not included in the festival pass; you must RSVP separately.
Film lineup:
Boston Carnival
Kluskap Meets Summer
Janke
Kanenon:we - Original Seeds
The Last Dance
Join us after the evening’s screenings for a filmmaker hangout at The Mission Bar & Grill (724 Huntington Ave, Boston, MA 02115)
Join us for our 2nd annual Senior Lunch Screening! Boxed lunches will be provided. Q&A to follow.
Join us after the evening’s screenings for a filmmaker hangout at The Mix (555 Talbot Ave, Boston, MA 02124)!
Dinner and A Movie is back! Join us for a special screening focused on Black maternal health followed by an intimate discussion. Seats are limited! This event is not included in the festival pass; separate tickets must be purchased.
Join us after the evening’s screenings for a filmmaker hangout at Top Mix Bar & Kitchen (257 Norfolk Ave., Boston, MA 02119).
