Networking
Meet like-minded creatives and enthusiasts, discover mentors, and learn insider tips!
VBFF will feature celebrities and network executives, with masterclasses and panels designed to expand the reach of emerging creators. This year’s event was presented in association with Hampton University, and featured 50 independent film productions, network executives from Paramount Pictures and Maverick Entertainment, along with celebrity guest Clifton Powell, and 34-time Emmy-winning director Jesse Vaughan. Other distinguished speakers included Grant Housley of Paramount Pictures, fight scene choreography Willie “The Bam” Johnson, and filmmakers Rel Dowdell, and Morgan Avery McCoy. The event was also attended by Hampton Mayor Donnie Tuck and Congressman Bobby Scott! The winner of Best in Fest was the movie “Kemba”, a movie based on the true story of author and criminal justice advocate Kemba Smith, a sheltered college student from Richmond attending Hampton University, who falls in love with a drug kingpen.
VBFF 2025 will feature:
Community Impact:
Proceeds from VBFF support the Black Arts Foundation, a Virginia-based non-profit 501c3 which has created a $50,000 scholarship endowment for students in the Arts at the Hampton University School of Liberal Arts & Education (SLAE).
Meet like-minded creatives and enthusiasts, discover mentors, and learn insider tips!
See the best in Black cinema before major networks release them!
Shine with the stars at the VBFF charity awards gala!
Discover The Best
Powell has appeared in more than one hundred films, beginning in the 1980s. His credits include Menace II Society (1993), Dead Presidents (1995), and more.
June 19-22, 2025, HAMPTON, VIRGINIA