Shades of Black Film Showcase 2026 | South Florida Black Pride

Shades of Black returns for its third annual South Florida Black Pride Film Showcase, bringing together Black LGBTQ+ film, visual art, and community conversation for one evening in Fort Lauderdale.

Presented by South Florida Black Pride and Black Alphabet as part of Heat Wave Weekend, the 2026 showcase features seven short films exploring love, creativity, family, gender identity, health, cultural memory, resilience, and Black queer life across generations.

The 2026 film program includes:

• Sea Salt, directed by Nastassia Dillon

• Final Ingredient, directed by Lovely Jones

• Coffee & Lavender, directed by Allie Morgan

• SCORED, directed by Robert Henry

• Chestbound, directed by Janine Anne Uyanga

• Tapestry: Reclaiming Our Past, directed by Lorenzo Robertson and presented by Ujima Men’s Collective

• Southern Sonshine, directed by Kevin Dapree Anderson

The evening also includes a visual art spotlight featuring South Florida artists Teepop and Rov Marley.

Following the films, Shades of Black continues with Beyond the Screen: Black Queer Storytelling, Memory & Community, a live post-film conversation moderated by Kenan Cooper-Gilmore of Black Gay Table Talk.

Panelists include Niki Lopez, producer and coordinator of the 2026 Shades of Black Film Showcase; Adam McMath, President of Black Alphabet; Lorenzo Robertson, Founder and Executive Director of Ujima Men’s Collective and a featured participant in Tapestry: Reclaiming Our Past; and Lovely Jones, filmmaker and producer with 2 Reel Kweenz Media and director of Final Ingredient.

The conversation will explore how Black queer stories move beyond the screen into lived experience, cultural memory, creativity, health, identity, representation, and community.

The 2026 Shades of Black Film Showcase is produced and coordinated by Niki Lopez of Niki Lopez Creative, whose work bridges visual storytelling, cultural programming, community dialogue, identity, healing, and social impact.

What to expect:

• Seven Black LGBTQ+ short films and creative voices

• Local, regional, and nationally connected filmmakers and storytellers

• Visual art featuring Teepop and Rov Marley

• A live post-film community conversation

• Vendors and community connections

• Opportunities to meet filmmakers, artists, panelists, and cultural leaders

Shades of Black is more than a screening. It is a gathering rooted in visibility, creative expression, dialogue, and connection.

Friday, October 9, 2026

6:00 PM–10:00 PM

Victory Black Box Theatre at L.A. Lee YMCA/Mizell Community Center

1409 NW 6th Street, 3rd Floor

Fort Lauderdale, FL 33311

Early Bird Tickets: $10

Event details and tickets: southfloridablackpride.com

Come for the films. Stay for the conversation. Celebrate the culture.