THE COMMONWEALTH ON CAMERA
The Walking Dead, Homeland, Dopesick, Harriet, War of the Worlds, Cold Mountain, Mission Impossible, National Treasure, Silence of the Lamb, and Transformers are just a hand full of examples of major Hollywood films produced in Virginia. Hundreds of independently produced films are made in Virginia each year as well!
Whether you’re a filmmaker breaking into the business or an investor capitalizing on emerging opportunities, the Virginia Production Alliance is a great opportunity to connect with this industry for meaningful business opportunities!
“Old Dominion, New Vision; The Commonwealth on Camera” will feature members of this prestigious organization along with cast and crew from some of the most iconic films produced in the state and the most popular emerging content. They will discuss the ways in which the changing film industry is still creating opportunities and how to find and capitalize on those opportunities.
“History Half Told is Untold” (Screening w/ Q&A)
“History Half Told is Untold.”, winner Best Historical Feature, Virginia Black Film Festival 2024. This award-winning film is an in-depth look into the history of First Baptist Church, the oldest continuously active African American church in the United States, located in Williamsburg, VA. A story 245 years in the making, “History Half Told is Untold” features some of the church’s famous visitors, such as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and more recently, former President Barack Obama. The film was produced by William & Mary students under the direction of Isaac Davis for the Let Freedom Ring Foundation.
“Rise of the Legion” (Screening w/ Q&A)
VBFF 2026 will be held in Colonial Williamsburg at the Kimball Theatre, 428 W Duke of Gloucester St, Williamsburg, VA 23185. “Rise of the Legion” will play at 7pm on Friday, February 20th. This award-winning documentary showcases the history and cultural impact of the Norfolk State University Spartan Legion Marching Band, founded in 1975. The film, directed by Adrian Woodard Sr and Adrian Woodard II, explores the band’s evolution from its beginnings to its status as a major cultural force today, coinciding with the band’s 50th anniversary.
Film Distribution: Case Study – “Return of the Mack”
Bryan G Thompson has produced, directed, and negotiated distribution for 13 feature-length films. Founder of the Virginia Black Film Festival, he shares his perspectives on the direction of the industry and tips for modern independent filmmakers, using VBFF Winner “Best in Fest 2025” as a case study. “Return of the Mack” stars DeJuan Ford and features Clifton Powell, Doug E Fresh, Cody Fox, Mike Bonner, and Ebony Tates. Shortly after the festival, ROTM secured a major distribution deal for both theatrical and streaming. Thompson explores how they did it and how emerging filmmakers can navigate the modern international film market to achieve commercial success.
Entertainment Law for Filmmakers and Actors
Kirk T. Schroder is an experienced entertainment and arts law attorney, recognized in The Best Lawyers in America® for entertainment law and rated “AV Preeminent” by Martindale-Hubbell. He is chair of the American Bar Association’s Entertainment and Sports Law Section, with a practice drawing clients worldwide.
Screen Combat for Television and Film
Willie “The Bam” Johnson is a graduate of the Beijing Physical Culture Institute of China, with nearly 40 years of training in martial arts. He has appeared in films, stage plays, TV shows, and publications, and was featured on major martial arts magazine covers. Johnson was the action designer of the 2025 film “Blowback” (and appears as two characters). A seven-time sport karate and kung fu world champion and two-time All-American champion, he created Wushudo Universal Martial Arts and is widely known for WMAC Masters.
Displaced from the Birthplace of America (Screening w/ Q&A)
The film highlights the Historic Triangle Block, a Black business district and surrounding community in Williamsburg, VA, that was displaced under the auspices of “urban renewal” in the 1970s. Centering displaced families as storytellers, this project moves with love, a sacred act of remembrance, honoring the tight-knit community of residents and business owners who once sustained Black life and culture.
KEITH DAVID: Lifetime Achievement Conversation
Legendary actor Keith David (The Thing, Platoon, They Live, voice of Goliath in Gargoyles and more) joins us for an intimate conversation. 2026 VBFF Lifetime Achievement Award recipient shares stories from his 40+ year career and advice for the next generation of Black filmmakers and actors.
Acting for Film; Breaking into the Industry
Antonio Charity’s TV credits include appearances on “Charmed”, “House”, “The Shield”, “Law & Order”, “All My Children”, “Nip/Tuck”, “True Blood”, “Southland”, “Medium”, “Numb3rs”, “Bones”, “Sons of Anarchy”, “Shameless”, “Grey’s Anatomy”, “NCIS: Los Angeles” and many others, including recurring roles on HBO’s “The Wire”, Showtime’s “House of Lies”, Amazon’s “Bosch” and more.
“Food for the Soul” (Screening w/ Q&A)
Food for the Soul features stars Marcus Scribner (Black-ish) and Karen Obilom (Games People Play). It is a powerful story that explores the beauty, challenges, and resilience of Black love through a comedic lens. As cultures clash and insufferable parents meddle, a first generation Nigerian American and her Black American boyfriend must decide between being true to themselves or trying to live up to their families’ expectations…a risk to their happily ever after.
DAPHNE MAXWELL REID; INSIGHTS FROM AN INDUSTRY ICON
Daphne Maxwell Reid has done it all! Known for her role as “Aunt Viv” in The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, she has appeared in major roles in 30 TV shows and films. She was the first Black woman featured on the cover of Glamour magazine and the first Black beauty queen at Northwestern University. In this event, she shares unique insights about the industry and lessons for the next generation of creatives.
VBFF AWARDS GALA
This is the culminating event of the Virginia Black Film Festival (VBFF), a star-studded event with live entertainment, celebrity guests, and awards for filmmakers in multiple categories. Theme: “Black Excellence; Past, Present, & Future” as part of the city’s celebration of Black History Month and VA250.
DETAILS: This free Black History will explore the Tour Triangle Block, a once-thriving Black business and residential district in Williamsburg, Virginia, razed under the guise of “urban renewal” in the 1970s.
The Local Black Histories Project was launched by The Village Initiative, a grassroots organization that advocates for equity and racial justice in the Williamsburg-James City County Public Schools.
The project began as a grassroots effort to shed light on the history of educational integration, including an Oral History Collection Event generously hosted by the Union Baptist Church and the Integration: Then and Now Public Forum, which invited community members to reflect on the complicated legacies of school integration.
The Village Initiative then forged a partnership with William & Mary to amplify this important work.
Access to all ticketed events at the Kimball Theatre, including screenings, panel discussions, and the awards gala.
THE EMPTY SEAT
EN ROUTE
THE SPIRIT WE MOVE WITH
ATTACHED
BLACK BEYOND BORDERS
IN SYNC
LIVING MOMENTS
MAKING THEIR POINTE
(Q&A in Lobby)
CUTOFF
WHITEFACE
TO BE A BROKEN BLACK LOVER
THE BUNNYMAN CHRONICLES
TOLL
THE REMARKABLE STORY OF JAMES APOSTLE FIELDS
YOUNG TOUSSAINT
MEET THE FRIENDS
COLOR IS NOT A CRIME
CONNECTION
THE LOVED AND THE HEARTLESS
(Q&A in Lobby)
DING DONG DITCH
BUDDY
HOOPS AND HEARTS
HOTTER IN JULY
SAMSARA
CAN YOU STAND THE RAIN
Break (Q&A in Lobby)
REMEDY
LONELY MEN
THE KENNEL
LOYAL JUSTICE
TOWN OF A GHOST
COUNT DOWN TO LOVE
GENERATIONAL FLIP
I JUST CARE
CHURCHFOLK
Break (Q&A in Lobby)
After the death of one of their own, a group of childhood friends reunite for his funeral, reminisce about the promise of their youth and in doing so must confront the disappointments of adulthood.
Singers Prince and Rick James meet in purgatory to hash out their intense rivalry.
Jay can’t seem to pick the right woman. However, his life changes after being invited to the world’s most viral dating show.
The past and the future of a former confederate town collide in an epic good versus evil battle 150 years after the senseless massacre of black union soldiers in Saltville Va.
Charisma Peyton, a wide-eyed, dark-skinned beauty from quiet Madisonville, Louisiana, arrives in Dallas full of dreams and innocence, ready to chase a better life through higher education. But college life proves far more dangerous than she imagined. What begins as a night of campus partying ends in unthinkable violation at the hands of a powerful fraternity, a betrayal that shatters her body, silences her voice, and stains her soul.
No one listens. No one pays. Until now.
Years later, Charisma returns under a new name, a stunning new look, and a sharpened mind. She’s no longer naive, she’s calculating, methodical, and dangerously composed. Armed with secrets, surveillance, and seductive manipulation, she infiltrates the lives of each man who wronged her, preparing the perfect dish: revenge served cold and slow.
But when emotions resurface and enemies begin to suspect the truth, Charisma must decide how far she’s willing to go, and whether reclaiming her power will cost her the last fragments of her soul.
Because some wounds don’t heal… they transform.
A psychiatrist, driven to the edge by physical abuse, abandons her training and seeks vengeance through a chilling act of murder.
Two strangers fall in love at first sight but don’t exchange, now they must defy the odds to find each other again. Will they ever meet again?
Who Is Boo? The Black Architect of the American Dream is a cinematic portrait of Boo Williams, the Hampton-born visionary who quietly designed the grassroots basketball pipeline that transformed American sports, building opportunity for generations of Black youth while institutions later profited from the structure he created.
Before billion-dollar sneaker deals, NIL collectives, and televised youth tournaments, there was Boo Williams, a working-class insurance agent from Hampton, Virginia, who understood that talent alone wasn’t enough. What kids needed was structure.
The film chronicles the life and legacy of the man who helped design modern grassroots basketball, creating a developmental system that produced icons like Allen Iverson, Alonzo Mourning, J.J. Redick, and countless others, long before the system knew how to monetize them.
Set against the racial, economic, and political realities of Virginia and the American South, the film examines Boo Williams’ rise as summer basketball evolved into a powerful, and controversial, pathway to college and professional sports. As shoe companies, governing bodies, and institutions later moved to control the very pipeline Boo helped build, he remained rooted in his community, never chasing power, profit, or prestige.
Through intimate interviews, historical insight, and cultural context, the film reveals Boo Williams not as a gatekeeper or profiteer, but as an architect, someone who designed a structure others would later inherit.
This is not just a sports documentary. It is a story about race, access, economics, authorship, and what it means to build something enduring, without ever being credited for the blueprint and be known for the results, not always the design.