FACTS

About the festival

  • The LightReel Film Festival is celebrating its Sixth Anniversary and is based in the Union Market District, a vibrant, 45-acre neighborhood that blends heritage with innovation, offering a mix of residential buildings, independent shops, maker spaces, and destination dining experiences, with a focus on food, art, and community engagement.

  • LightReel’s attendance rose 30 percent during the 2024 festival.

  • The LightReel Film Festival's education series provides youth in disinvested local communities and local high schools with film education programs.

About the films

  • Previous LightReel Film Festival honorees include directors Anthony Mandler (Surrounded), Theodore Witcher (Love Jones), and actor Rob Morgan (Mudbound, Bull).

  • The festival has showcased independent films from a diverse range of countries, including the United Kingdom, Ghana, South Africa, Madagascar, France, Argentina, Germany, and many more.

  • The festival has screened a minimum of one major studio release to either open or close each festival in its first four years. It has also featured premieres from Hollywood mid-majors such as Neon, Sony Pictures Classics, A24, IFC, and others.

About FAAAF

  • For over 25 years, FAAAF has celebrated and recognized talented film creatives in the entertainment industry through the Black Reel Awards (Bolts), the Black Reel Television Awards (BoltsTV), and the LightReel Film Festival.

About FAAAF Programs

  • FAAAF seeks to provide educational opportunities to the next generation of movie executives through its two signature programs, the Producer’s Institute, and Reel Kids.

  • FAAAF also runs Film Summer Camp programs, educating middle and junior high school students in various facets of film production.

  • In 2023, FAAAF launched a bi-monthly LightReel Film Series in partnership with the National Hip Hop Museum to increase its footprint in the Nation’s Capital as well as introduce independent classic films to our festival audience.