For Bryan Thompson, founder of the Virginia Black Film Festival, making flicks and creating opportunities for small filmmakers are close to his heart.
That’s why he’s ecstatic that the four-day festival, which starts next week, is getting a level of motion he hasn’t experienced around one of his events. The 2026 festival moved from Hampton to Williamsburg’s Kimball Theatre.
“I’ve never seen this much advanced ticket sales, people rolling up their sleeves to be a part in any way and be of support,” Thompson said. “Sometimes I get butterflies; it’s like being on a roller coaster.”
The program is peppered with shorts, features and panel discussions. Daphne Maxwell Reid, known for playing Aunt Viv on “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,” will be honored with a lifetime achievement award and Marcus Scribner, who played Andre Jr. in the sitcom “Black-ish,” will be there to talk about his role in the short film “Food for the Soul.”
More than just big names, the festival also saves space for up-and-coming Black filmmakers to have their work screened. The Hampton Roads category runs starting Sunday morning, featuring local artists who sometimes are showcasing their first films to audiences.
“We just want them to have a piece of the festival,” Thompson said. “We’re doing this intentionally so that folks can get some exposure.”
But Sunday isn’t the only time Hampton Roads will be on-screen. The story of the First Baptist Church of Williamsburg, one of the oldest Black churches in the nation, will be featured in “History Half Told is Untold” at 7 p.m. on Feb. 19.; “Rise of the Legion,” a documentary on Norfolk State University’s Spartan Legion Marching band, screens at the same time on Feb. 20.
Thompson’s passion for movies peaked near the end of his U.S. Army service. While deployed to Iraq as a transportation officer, he told himself that if he made it home alive that he was going to chase his dreams of getting into filmmaking.
He has been acting and making independent films for about 15 years, which led him to create the Web Series Festival in Miami in 2014. After moving to his wife’s childhood home of Hampton in 2018 to be near family, he saw an opportunity to showcase local Black artists and bring nationally known figures to the region.
“Post-COVID, I just wanted to wake everybody up,” Thompson said. “I felt like I was being called to do this.”
Thompson started the Virginia Black Film Festival in 2024 at Hampton University. He expanded the event in 2025, moving it from February to Juneteenth weekend, and added a second screening location at the American Theatre in Phoebus to draw people from outside the school and give out-of-town filmmakers a look at the Hampton experience.
During planning for this year, Thompson found event space to be tight in Hampton in the summer as celebrations of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence ramp up.
That’s when Williamsburg stepped in and rolled out the red carpet.
The city and its tourism bureau are among the festival’s top-level sponsors, providing $15,000 to cover venue costs and helping Thompson connect with sponsors and fill festival swag bags.
Thompson said the support swept him off his feet and gave him peace of mind.
“We’re in a space where I can confidently say what’s going to happen next year, which means I can promote for an entire 12 months,” he said. “It would be really difficult to replicate what Williamsburg has done for this festival.”
Find a calendar of screenings and buy tickets at the Virginia Black Film Festival’s website.
