The Roxbury International Film Festival (RoxFilm; formerly known as “Dudley Film Festival”) is the largest film festival in

New England New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York (state), New York to the west and by the Can ...

that celebrates people of color. RoxFilm was founded in 1998 and holds both an annual film festival and year-round screenings and events in the historic Roxbury neighborhood of

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

. Since its inception, the festival has welcomed over 38,000 attendees and has screened more than 700 films. RoxFilm’s mission is to support diverse filmmakers by providing an opportunity for audiences to view their works and experience the stories often overlooked in mainstream media.

The Beginning

For years, filmmakers, distributors, and film enthusiasts wondered why

, one of the largest metropolitan areas on the east coast, lacked a vehicle that supported independent films of color or that showcased diverse experiences of people of color throughout the world. Candelaria Silva, former Director of ACT Roxbury, along with Lisa Simmons, president of The Color of Film Collaborative, shared a passion for supporting artists, especially artists of color. Their passion led to the first Roxbury International Film Festival, then called the Dudley Film Festival, in 1998. Starting with a five thousand dollar grant to ACT Roxbury (no longer in existence), the film festival was born. The Roxbury International Film Festival was co-produced by the non-profits ACT Roxbury and The Color of Film Collaborative and now is produced solely by the Color of Film. The Festival changed its name to The Roxbury International Film Festival in 2010 in recognition of its geographic reach. Currently, the RoxFilm Committee receives submissions from filmmakers all over the world.

The Festival

The Roxbury International Film Festival is typically held at the end of June. Over the course of 10 days the festival screens all genres of films, holds workshops and panel discussions and offers filmmakers the opportunity to network with each other as well as audience members. Screenings take place at the Museum of Fine Arts, Haley House Bakery Café, Hibernian Hall, and other sites in and around

Roxbury, Massachusetts Roxbury () is a neighborhood within the City of Boston, Massachusetts. Roxbury is a dissolved municipality and one of 23 official neighborhoods of Boston used by the city for neighborhood services coordination. The city states that Roxbury se ...

. The Roxbury International Film Festival is a competitive festival that awards certificates in the categories of Audience Favorite, Narrative Film, Documentary Film, Narrative Short, Documentary Short, Youth, Emerging Filmmaker Award and a special award named after award-winning filmmaker Henry Hampton. The 8th annual festival held in 2006 was especially notable for the range of award-winning international films screened throughout the five-day festival. Films from Brazil, Cuba, Haiti and France were featured and several international films won recognition and cash prizes in RFF’s competitive awards. The 22nd annual festival held in 2020 was the first online festival including virtual screenings of 60+ films, Q&As, daily script readings with local writers and actors, filmmaker hangouts, a DJ after-party via Zoom, and a panel about POC Media Makers in Massachusetts. The Festival celebrated its 25th season in 2023.{{cite news, last=Osterheldt, first=Jeneé, title=The 25th Anniversary of Roxbury International Film Festival and the cinematic sisters who fuel it, newspaper=The Boston Globe, date=June 24, 2023 Past special guests at the festival include:

Jasmine Guy Jasmine Guy (born March 10, 1962) is an American actress, director, singer and dancer. She is known for her role as Dina in the 1988 film ''School Daze'' and as Whitley Gilbert-Wayne on the NBC ''The Cosby Show'' spin-off ''A Different World'', ...

, Yoruba Richen, Deborah Riley Draper,

Matthew A. Cherry Matthew A. Cherry (born December 14, 1981) is an American film director, writer, producer, and former American football player. He wrote and directed two independent films, ''The Last Fall'' (2012), and ''9 Rides'' (2016). He is best known for th ...

, DeMane Davis,

Qasim Basir Qasim Basir is an American filmmaker. He wrote and directed '' Mooz-lum'' (2011) starring Danny Glover and Nia Long about an African-American Muslim family and how their lives are changed by the September 11 attacks. The film received nominations ...

, Khari B.,

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Victoria Rowell Victoria Lynn Rowell (born May 10, 1959) is an American actress. She began her career as a ballet dancer and model before making her acting debut in the 1987 comedy film ''Leonard Part 6''. In 1990, Rowell joined the cast of the CBS daytime soa ...

Russ Parr Russ Parr (born 1959 in California) is an American radio DJ, film director, writer, actor and television personality known for such television shows as ''Rock 'N' America''. Career Parr began as a Production Services Director at ABC TV. Russ wa ...

Michael Beach Michael Anthony Beach (born October 30, 1963) is an American actor. He has appeared in films '' Lean on Me'' (1989), ''One False Move'' (1992), ''Short Cuts'' (1993), ''Waiting to Exhale'' (1995), ''A Family Thing'' (1996), ''Soul Food'' (1997), ...

CCH Pounder Carol Christine Hilaria Pounder (born December 25, 1952) is a Guyanese-American actress. She has received four Primetime Emmy Award nominations for her roles in ''The X-Files'', '' ER'', '' The Shield'', and ''The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agenc ...

Willie O’Ree Willie Eldon O'Ree (born October 15, 1935) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player, best known for being the first Black player in the National Hockey League (NHL). O'Ree played as a winger for the Boston Bruins. O'Ree is referred t ...

Shamier Anderson Shamier Anderson (born May 6, 1991) is a Canadian actor. He is known for playing U.S. Deputy Marshal Xavier Dolls on the television series '' Wynonna Earp'' and ''Invasion.'' Background Anderson is the older brother of actor Stephan James. He ...

References

External links

Roxbury International Film Festival - Website

Roxbury International Film Festival - Film Freeway
Film festivals in Boston African-American film festivals 1998 establishments in Massachusetts Roxbury, Boston Film festivals established in 1998