BALTIMORE — Ten award-winning movies by college students and up to date graduates of traditionally Black faculties and universities (HBCUs) will premiere on Jan. 27 as a part of the inaugural HBCU Week NOW Scholar Movie Pageant.
The successful shorts will stream on the HBCU Week NOW YouTube channel. They have been chosen from a pool of 36 submissions from throughout the nation. Every successful undertaking receives a $5,000 award and inclusion within the pageant produced by HBCU Week NOW, a public media partnership spearheaded by Maryland Public Tv (MPT), and Black Public Media (BPM), the Harlem-based nationwide media arts nonprofit.
The successful movies run the gamut of genres, from documentary and experimental to animation and sci-fi. They have been directed by college students and up to date graduates of Hampton College, Howard College and Spelman School. The shorts are:
“For Me, By Me” by Hannah Koonce (Spelman School ’28);
“From Rodeo to Polo: The First HBCU Polo Crew” by Kendi King (Spelman School ’25);
“The Hale Academy” by Audra Davison (Spelman School ’22);
“Girl T” by Nia Lambert (Spelman School ’25);
“One and Solely” by Zachary Ramseur (Hampton College ’28);
“Paralysis by Evaluation” by Jolene Carter (Howard College ’25);
“Shotgun” by Quaran Ahmad (Howard College ’25);
“StarChild” by Miya Scaggs (Spelman School ’25);
“What Is The Black Physique?” by Amira Barrett (Spelman School ‘25); and
“Whispers of White” by Kennedy Rome (Spelman School ’26).
The pageant slate contains true tales of the primary HBCU polo and lacrosse groups, fictional tales about environmental justice and the hazards of AI, explorations of femininity and the Black physique, and extra.
Black Public Media issued an open name for submissions within the spring of 2025. Eligible candidates have been present HBCU college students and up to date graduates (throughout the final three years). Enrollment in a movie or media program was not required.
“HBCU Week NOW honors the enduring historical past, legacy and cultural heritage of HBCUs. Our new movie pageant offers rising filmmakers from these establishments a nationwide stage and the momentum to show pupil work into the subsequent wave of public media,” stated Travis E. Mitchell, MPT senior vp and chief content material officer.
“These movies show the pipeline is robust for Black tales of our previous, current and future,” stated Leslie Fields-Cruz, BPM govt director. “From intimate docs to audacious sci-fi tasks, these artists are ready to steer the subsequent wave of storytelling.”
HBCU Week NOW is a public media partnership composed of Maryland Public Tv, PBS North Carolina, South Carolina Instructional Tv, WXXI Rochester, Louisiana Public Broadcasting, WABE Atlanta, Howard College Tv, and WORLD, a number one public media digital channel.
Past launching the scholar movie pageant — a cornerstone initiative celebrating HBCU tradition by means of genuine storytelling — HBCU Week NOW is amplifying its attain throughout Black Historical past Month in February. The acclaimed MPT documentary “Turning into Thurgood: America’s Social Architect” returns to PBS stations nationwide (test native listings), whereas two new compelling brief movies, “Bayou Magic: The Alvin Jazz Institute” from Louisiana Public Broadcasting and “Wall of Sound” by Alabama Public Broadcasting, will premiere on the HBCU Week NOW YouTube channel, extending HBCU Week NOW’s mission to honor Black excellence throughout a number of platforms and audiences.
About HBCU Week NOW
HBCU Week NOW creates and distributes multi-platform digital content material for a worldwide viewers in regards to the college students, alumni, leaders, and progressive applications of the nation’s HBCUs. Partnering PBS stations are collaborating to provide a group of unique long-form and brief movies, stay occasions, and different HBCU-themed programming. HBCU Week NOW is made attainable by help from the Company for Public Broadcasting and is sponsored by Morgan State College. Subscribe to @HBCUWeekNOW on YouTube and comply with @HBCUWeekNOW on Instagram. Go to hbcuweeknow.com for extra info.
About Black Public Media (BPM)
BPM helps the event of visionary content material creators and distributes tales in regards to the world Black expertise to encourage a extra equitable and inclusive future. For practically 50 years, BPM has addressed the wants of unserved and underserved audiences. BPM-supported applications have received 5 Emmys®,10 Peabodys, 5 Anthem Awards, 14 Emmy® nominations and an Oscar® nomination. BPM continues to handle historic, up to date, and systemic challenges that historically impede the event and distribution of Black tales.
About Maryland Public Tv
Maryland Public Tv (MPT) is a statewide, public-supported TV community and Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) affiliate, providing entertaining, informative, academic, and provoking content material delivered by conventional broadcasting and streaming on TVs, computer systems, and cellular gadgets. A state company, it operates beneath the auspices of the Maryland Public Broadcasting Fee. MPT creates and distributes native, regional, and nationwide content material and is a frequent winner of regional Emmy® Awards. MPT’s dedication to educators, mother and father, caregivers, and learners of all ages is delivered by means of tutorial occasions and Thinkport.org. MPT’s year-round group engagement actions join viewers with sources on a variety of matters. For extra info go to mpt.org.
