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Celebrating the art of cinema in the home of the Harlem Renaissance, The Harlem International Film Festival (Hi) inspires and entertains by honoring dynamic films by anyone about anything under the sun. Conceived from the belief that we all have unique experiences and perspectives to share, the Festival actively seeks and exhibits fresh and urgent work. Hi is committed to exemplifying the eminence that Harlem represents and is dedicated to bringing attention to the finest filmmakers from Harlem to Hong Kong.

The Hi experience integrates the best that Harlem has to offer – great restaurants, unique boutiques, world-class music venues, prestigious universities and cultural institutions, and a long history of excellence in the Arts. The Festival showcases features, documentaries, shorts, animation, youth projects, episodic work and cutting edge music video. Other events include Hi noon lunchtime screenings, the screenplay showdown, panel discussions, nightlife, the Hi Honors and the Renaissance Awards gala.

In addition to showcasing some of the best films from around the world, the Festival also features the Harlem Spotlight, which highlights films produced or directed by Harlem residents, films shot in Harlem, or films about Harlem and her legendary history.

Films Expected to be Screened

Black Macbeth

Writer: Cameron Monaghan

1936. A 20-year-old Orson Welles directs a Black cast in a Harlem adaptation of Shakespeare’s Macbeth as part of the “Negro Unit” of the government-funded Federal Theatre Project.

Homes For Colored People

Writer: Julie Loretta Seely

A black carpenter determined to build homes for those escaping racism and lynching in the Deep South loses everything during the Great Depression. Now, he must salvage and rebuild his life plank by plank to keep his family together.

Rabbit’s Foot Saloon

Writers: Phillip W. Fite, Kyle Williams

All talented musician Pat Chapel wants to do is leave Boston, move back to Jacksonville, open a saloon and vaudeville theater with his two brothers but it’s 1895 and he’s not white.

Robbery of an Essence

Writer: Ericka Smith

An elderly couple becomes the target of a home invasion, so the criminals think this is their easiest robbery yet until they realize it is all a setup.

The Devil’s Creed

Writer: Cheyenne Smith

Forced together with a new partner straight out of the academy after years of working alone, jaded detective Cyrus Fontaine investigates the mysterious death of a gambling kingpin in which nothing is as it seems and whose dark depths will force Cyrus to confront her own sins.

The Elephant and the Donkey

Writer: Lonnie Hughes

The Elephant and The Donkey is a suspenseful political thriller between a Blackman and his White mother set during the 2025 LA Fires. Longen, a well spoken Black psychologist returns to his estranged White Mother's mansion, demanding answers to why she adopted him as a little boy. What unfolds that night is a battle of love, identity, and power-revealing the deeply ingrained biases that shape their lives. Set in one location, the film explores the complex dynamics of race, class, and the struggle for control in a divided world.