Reel Sisters Film Festival Celebrates 28th Year with Focus on Healing, Activism

The Reel Sisters of the Diaspora Film Festival & Lecture Series, celebrating its 28th anniversary in October 2025, presents a curated selection of films focusing on themes of healing, love, and community activism. As the first Oscar-qualifying film festival devoted to women filmmakers, Reel Sisters features works across all genres from women of color filmmakers worldwide, with its programming carrying significant implications for representation in the film industry and social discourse.

The festival includes a special awards ceremony co-presented with the Brooklyn Academy of Music honoring documentary filmmaker Samantha Knowles, director of Harlem Ice on Disney+. Knowles, whose recent work includes directing an episode of the Netflix docuseries "Katrina: Come Hell and High Water," will receive the trailblazer award presented by award-winning documentary filmmaker Stacey Holman. Peabody award-winning filmmaker Yoruba Richen will lead a conversation with Knowles about the power of the female lens in storytelling, highlighting the festival's role in fostering dialogue about narrative authority and perspective.

A new partnership with 651 Arts will feature a full day of cinematic excellence on October 25, 2025, with screenings from 1 PM to 9 PM at their Brooklyn location. The festival continues on October 26 at the Center For Fiction with additional films and community talks. On October 29, Reel Sisters and BRIC Media will present a staged reading of scripts from their Summer Screenwriting Lab, providing an intimate conversation with writers about their work-in-progress, demonstrating the festival's commitment to nurturing emerging talent.

Notable festival films address critical social issues with direct implications for New York communities. "You Are Not Alone" documents the maternal health crisis affecting Black women in the Bronx, where Black mothers face a maternal mortality rate nine times higher than their white counterparts, bringing urgent attention to healthcare disparities. "Men of Courage" follows five Black and Latino men in New Jersey as they engage in conversations about ending violence against women, modeling community-based solutions to systemic problems. "Nannies of New York" provides first-hand accounts of Afro-Caribbean women working as domestic workers in New York City and their fight for rights, highlighting labor justice issues within the city's service economy.

The festival also features films exploring cultural heritage and identity with implications for preserving marginalized histories. "Camille A. Brown: Giant Steps" follows the Tony-nominated choreographer as she explores African Diasporic dance, while "Boil the Cabbage" traces the complex history of the banjo through historians, activists, and storytellers. "Plenum" offers an experimental reconstruction of the 1995 Black Nations/Queer Nations Conference, following siblings navigating HIV diagnosis and community, connecting historical activism with contemporary health challenges.

The Reel Sisters Virtual Showcase will stream online from October 25 through November 10, 2025, featuring additional films including "117 Years of Movie Bullsh*t," a time-travel narrative about Black representation in Hollywood, and "Barrel Children: The Families Windrush Left Behind," which examines Caribbean children who grew up separated from parents before migrating to Britain, expanding the festival's reach and impact beyond physical venues. Festival tickets and passes are available through the official website at www.reelsisters.org, with All Access Passes priced at $75 including the awards ceremony. Individual section passes are $12 ($8 for seniors/students), and virtual showcase tickets are $5 per block or $20 for the entire showcase. The festival emphasizes accessibility with Bring a Pal discounts offering tickets at $6.50 each for groups of two or more, ensuring community participation regardless of economic barriers.

Founded in 1997 by African Voices magazine and LIU Brooklyn Campus, Reel Sisters has established itself as a vital platform for women of color filmmakers, honoring both veterans and rising stars in the industry. The festival's focus on community-building through storytelling comes at a time when, as founder Carolyn A. Butts noted, "our communities need to unite in power and faith," positioning the event as both cultural celebration and necessary intervention in media representation and social cohesion.