Seven Spelman Filmmakers Selected to Premiere Short Films During Inaugural HBCU Film Festival

Seven of the 10 Winning Films Were Directed by Spelman Students and Alumnae 

Seven award-winning films by Spelman College students and alumnae were selected to premiere on January 27, as part of the inaugural HBCU Week NOW Student Film Festival. The winning shorts are now available to stream on the HBCU Week NOW YouTube channel. 

The HBCU Week NOW Student Film Festival showcases storytelling by the next generation of filmmakers from Historically Black Colleges and Universities in a celebration of creativity and innovation. For the competition, a total of 10 short films were selected from a pool of 36 submissions across the United States. Each winning project will receive a $5,000 award.

The festival slate includes true stories of the first HBCU polo and lacrosse teams, fictional stories about environmental justice and the dangers of AI, explorations of femininity and the Black body, and more. The winning films were all directed by HBCU students and represent a variety of genres, from documentary and experimental to animation and science fiction. The seven Spelman winners include: 

• “Whispers of White,” by Kennedy Rome, C’2026;

• “For Me, By Me,” by Hannah Koonce, C’2028;

• “The Hale Academy,” by Audra Davison, C’2022;

• “Lady T,” by Nia Lambert, C’2025;

• “From Rodeo to Polo: The First HBCU Polo Team,” by Kendi King, C’2025;

• “StarChild,” by Miya Scaggs, C’2025; and

• “What Is The Black Body?,” by Amira Barrett, C’2025

The student film festival is produced by HBCU Week NOW and spearheaded by Maryland Public Television (MPT), and Black Public Media (BPM). HBCU Week NOW serves as the premier destination for in-depth coverage of the nation’s 103 historically Black colleges and universities and is comprised of Maryland Public Television, PBS North Carolina, South Carolina Educational Television, WXXI Rochester, Louisiana Public Broadcasting, WABE Atlanta, Howard University Television, and WORLD, a leading public media digital channel. 

These films prove the pipeline is strong for Black stories of our past, present and future,” said Leslie Fields-Cruz, BPM executive director. “From intimate docs to audacious sci-fi projects, these artists are prepared to lead the next wave of storytelling.”

Three short films by Hampton University and Howard University students and alumni were also selected to premiere during The HBCU Week NOW Student Film Festival. To view the short films on January 27, visit the HBCU Week NOW YouTube channel.