Where to Celebrate Black Cinema in NYC: Film Screenings, Series and Clubs

From the establishment of one of the largest independent African American communities in the US at Weeksville in the mid-1800s, to the cultural bloom of the Harlem Renaissance in the 1920s and 1930s, to the Civil Rights movements that shaped the city in the 1960s, to the many voices and organizations shaping Black empowerment today, New York City has long been a center of Black creativity, activism and storytelling.

The legacy continues on screen, with today’s Black filmmakers, curators and community organizers across the city who create spaces to watch, discuss, and celebrate Black cinema in ways that feel communal and intentional.

While NYC hosts multiple Black History Month film festivals each year, including those at the Museum of the Moving Image, NYU and African Poetry Theatre, as well as the long-running African Film Festival, this guide focuses on the everyday opportunities to engage with Black cinema year round.

Adventures in Black Cinema

Park Slope

Hosted by filmmaker Desmond Thorne, the monthly Adventures in Black Cinema series in Park Slope focuses on films featured on the Smart, Funny, and Black podcast. Check out upcoming and past screenings on their Instagram at @adventuresinblackcinema.

Nitehawk Cinema
188 Prospect Park West
Brooklyn, NY 11215

Ghetto Film School

Bronx

GFS was established in 2000 as a Bronx after school program aimed at minority students and has since expanded to offer extensive programs throughout NYC, Los Angeles and London.

Visit their website for more info or to apply for their teen Fellows Program, and keep up with announcements @ghettofilmschool on Instagram.

Ghetto Film School
79 Alexander Avenue, Floor 4
Bronx, NY 10454

Be Reel Black Cinema Club

Throughout NYC and Philly

In 2017, Stephanye Watts started this Brookyln club to amplify independent, rare and previously inaccessible films. These days the club holds monthly meetings in both NYC and Philly. Brooklyn screenings have taken place at The Billie Holiday Theatre in Bed-Stuy, Kings Theatre in Flatbush and Brooklyn Academy of Music in Fort Greene.

Head to the @bereelblackcinemaclub Instagram for upcoming meetups and more info.

Celebrating Black Cinema

Midtown Manhattan

With the Manhattan skyline as your backdrop, Rooftop Cinema Club hosts a variety of screenings throughout the year, including their Celebrating Black Cinema selections that showcase films created by and starring Black filmmakers and artists.

Rooftop Cinema Club
60 West 37th Street
New York, NY 10018

African Diaspora International Film Festival

Throughout NYC

This Harlem-based, minority-led not-for-profit festival began in 1993 to share films exploring the human experience of people of color throughout the world, with the goal of inspiring imaginations, disrupting stereotypes and helping to transform attitudes that perpetuate injustice.

Check their website or the @ny_adiff Instagram for upcoming screenings.

Maysles Documentary Center

Harlem

Based in Harlem, this nonprofit amplifies voices of underrepresented artists and narratives. Though not exclusive to Black cinema, Maysles features Black filmmakers and historically Black cinema topics through curated series and partnerships.

They also offer low- and no-cost film programs for children, high schoolers and adults, as a well as a cinema management job training program for Harlem residents.

Maysles Documentary Center
343 Lenox Avenue/Malcolm X Boulevard
New York, NY 10027

Black Film Space

This Brooklyn-based non-profit aims to improve the careers of Black filmmakers through skill enhancing and community building programming.

They provide affordable programs and events throughout the city that include grants, mentorships, film screenings, panel discussions, workshops, networking events and a job board.

Visit their website to learn how to get involved and check out @blackfilmspace on Instagram for news and events.

ActNow Foundation

Throughout NYC

Formed in 2005, this Fort Greene-based not-for-profit provides a platform for ethnically and racially diverse filmmakers, producers, writers, actors and dancers whose productions focus on the full range of African-American and African experiences.

They host annual New Voices in Black Cinema films and short films festivals and other events at various locations across the city.

Keep up with their events at @newvoices_in_artsmedia on Instagram.

Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture

Harlem

Focused on researching, preserving and exhibiting materials centered around African American, African Diasporic and African experience, the Schomburg collection spans over 11 million items.

View their upcoming programs which include conversations about Black cinema, women in Black cinema and Black theater.

Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture
515 Malcolm X Boulevard
New York, NY 10037

From neighborhood cinemas and rooftop screenings to film clubs and nonprofit spaces, NYC offers so many opportunities to experience Black cinema beyond a single month on the calendar.

Whether you are discovering a classic, supporting an independent filmmaker or joining a community discussion, these spaces keep Black storytelling visible, accessible and deeply woven into the life of the city.

For more spaces that celebrate Black voices, check out our post on Black-owned bookstores in NYC.