You know who your REAL friends are when the going gets tough. Black Public Media is fortunate to have A LOT of powerful partnerships with friends — old and new.
JULY 10, 2025BLACK PUBLIC MEDIAWEEKLY DISPATCHBy Leslie Fields-Cruz Jon Walls, Marlene McCurtis, Deniese Davis, Leslie FIelds-Cruz, Karen Hayes, Allison Simmons, and Aya.…
I’m currently on vacation. While I’m away, the BPM staff is conducting two audience surveys. We REALLY want to know, what do you think?
This summer, the U.S. Senate is scheduled to vote on bills that will determine the future of public media.
Tomorrow, factions within the U.S. Congress will try to end public media. They’ve eliminated funding in the so called “BBB” and are now trying to claw back the 2024 appropriation.
Pride Month. Juneteenth. Longer days. Hot nights. What’s not to like about the sunny season? BPM moved its “AfroPoP” series to June …
Public Media executives understanding the unifying power of veteran stories. Which is why during the Memorial Day holiday …
For the past few days, I’ve been catching up with my public media colleagues at the PBS Annual Meeting in Atlanta. This marked my 24th Annual Meeting. …
We appreciate all who attended PitchBLACK whether in-person or virtual, and we salute all the winners. Now, it’s time to lean in.
MAY 2, 2025
Black Public Media selected a documentary about caregiving with comedy and two science fiction immersive projects for a total of $225,000 in production and development funding at the PitchBLACK Awards on Thursday. These awards catapult the total BPM has invested in Black projects through PitchBLACK, since launching the program in 2015, to over $2 million. The event, which was sponsored by Netflix and PBS, took place at The Apollo Stages at the Victoria in Harlem.
MARCH 11, 2025
HBCU Week NOW, a public media partnership project offering films about the incredible impact and contributions of Historically Black Colleges and Universities, is announcing the launch of its inaugural Student Film Festival and an open call for submissions. The virtual festival, which will premiere during Black History Month in 2026, seeks short films created by HBCU students. The Harlem-based national media arts nonprofit Black Public Media will administer the open call for the project.
FEBRUARY 21, 2025
The PitchBLACK Forum & Awards, Black Public Media's annual celebration of filmmaking and immersive media, is coming to Harlem this spring. The PitchBLACK Forum — the largest pitch competition of its kind in the United States for independent filmmakers and creative technologists who create Black content — will take place on Wednesday, April 30, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Winners of up to $150,000 in production and distribution awards will be announced at the PitchBLACK Awards on Thursday, May 1 at 7 p.m. BPM also will present its prestigious Trailblazer Award to history-making film editor Lillian E. Benson, ACE (American Cinema Editors), whose impressive filmography includes her Emmy® nominated work on Eyes on the Prize II, Showtime’s Soul Food, NBC’s Chicago Med and OWN’s Greenleaf.
OCTOBER 29, 2024
Black Public Media, the Harlem-based national media arts nonprofit that funds, distributes and develops Black film, television and immersive projects, is propelling creative technologists and Black stories into the future. Determined to raise the visibility of Black makers who use technology to make art, films and experiences, the organization’s immersive media unit, BPMplus, returns to Torrents: New Links to Black Futures, a popular arts and culture festival produced annually by CulturalDC. Building on the success of its standing-room only 2023 Torrents panel, the arts nonprofit is expanding its BPMplus Art & Tech Showcase this year to include two panels, featuring seven makers from three continents. The free event, which takes place on Saturday, November 16, from noon to 4:30 p.m. will be held at and sponsored by Songbyrd Music House in Washington. A networking mixer will follow the showcase.
AUGUST 28, 2024
Black Public Media (BPM), the Harlem-based national media arts nonprofit, is spotlighting the environmental crisis in the third iteration of its award-winning series and social media campaign BE HEARD. BPM has commissioned Big Couch Entertainment for BE HEARD: #ShopLikeNana to alert the public of the environmental crises caused by fast fashion and to promote the advantages of up-styling used and vintage clothing. Premiering on Monday, September 9, during New York Fashion Week and presented by BPM in partnership with Paramount+, BE HEARD: #ShopLikeNana will be available to view on blackpublicmedia.org and BPM’s TikTok and other social media platforms.
AUGUST 20, 2024
Black Public Media (BPM) has issued its 2024 open call for projects that center Black culture, characters, communities and concerns. A total of $175,000 will be awarded this year to U.S. documentary projects currently in pre-production, production or post-production, and intended for public media distribution. The 2024 submission portal (https://blackpublicmedia.org/for-media-makers/bpm-open-call/) goes live on Tuesday, September 3, and closes on Monday, September 30 at 11:59 p.m. ET. Since its inception, BPM has invested more than $17 million toward iconic documentaries and emerging media projects about the global Black experience.
APRIL 26, 2024
Black Public Media (BPM) awarded a total of $610,000 to film and immersive projects and creatives at its seventh PitchBLACK Forum — the largest pitch competition for independent filmmakers and creative technologists developing new projects about the global Black experience — at the PitchBLACK Awards on Thursday. The figure was the highest ever amount awarded at PitchBLACK. Sponsored by Netflix and PBS, the event— held at The Stanley H. Kaplan Penthouse at Lincoln Center — was hosted by Baltimore-based comedian
Sir Alex and included the presentation of the BPM Trailblazer Award to Emmy-winning filmmaker Sam Pollard.
FEBRUARY 21, 2024
AfroPoP: The Ultimate Cultural Exchange, the award-winning series by Black Public Media (BPM) and WORLD, debuts season 16 on Monday, April 1. The series, renowned for its powerful documentaries, rebrands as the public media home for both documentary and narrative films about the global Black experience. In addition to real-life stories about fights for criminal and environmental justice in America, this season shines the spotlight on Kenya, with two prize-winning narrative films on redemption and resilient joy. AfroPoP premieres on WORLD, the WORLD YouTube Channel, the Black Public Media YouTube channel and the PBS App. New episodes premiere weekly on WORLD through April 22 and PBS Plus will distribute the series to PBS affiliate public television stations across the country beginning April 1.
DECEMBER 20, 2023
Black Public Media will pay tribute to veteran filmmaker Sam Pollard at its PitchBLACK Awards on Thursday, April 25. The ceremony, taking place at the Stanley H. Kantor Penthouse of Manhattan’s Lincoln Center, caps BPM’s seventh PitchBLACK Forum — the largest pitch competition of its kind in the United States for independent filmmakers and creative technologists who create Black content. PitchBLACK kicks
off on Wednesday, April 24 with participants competing for awards of up to $150,000 in
production and distribution awards for stories about the Black experience.
DECEMBER 18, 2023
As COVID-19 and seasonal flu activity is on the rise, Black
Public Media (BPM) is set to release two projects it commissioned targeting vaccine hesitancy in Michigan and North Carolina. The short film A Little Off the Top: Vaxxed Up by William D. Caballero and the three-episode Spanish language podcast Me Vacuno Porque… (I got vaccinated because…) by Antonio Alanis will premiere Monday on the Black Public Media (BPM) YouTube channel. BPM media is a national media arts nonprofit dedicated to creating and producing media content about the Black experience.
JUNE 15, 2023
Black Public Media has received a $40,000 award from the National Endowment for the Arts’ Grants for Arts Projects program. The award will support its fellowship and residency program for new works in immersive, interactive and emerging media at the Johnny Carson Center for Emerging Media Arts at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. The initiative is a part of BPMplus, Black Public Media’s program designed to increase Black participation in emerging tech storytelling, which was founded in 2018. The BPM project is one of 1,130 projects across the country, totaling more than $31 million, that were selected during the NEA’s second round of Grants for Arts Projects FY2023 funding cycle.
MARCH 15, 2023
Can You Bring It: Bill T. Jones and D-Man in the Waters kicks off season 15 of the popular documentary series AfroPoP: The Ultimate Cultural Exchange with a look into one of the seminal works from trailblazing choreographer-director Bill T. Jones. The film, by Rosalynde LeBlanc and Tom Hurwitz, is the season opener for the public media series about culture and life across the African diaspora.
JANUARY 18, 2023
The popular documentary series AfroPoP: The Ultimate Cultural Exchange is celebrating its landmark 15th season with a deep dive into Black art, the first time the series is presenting an entire season centered around a single theme. The award-winning public media series about Black culture and life, co-produced by Black Public Media (BPM) and WORLD Channel, will immerse viewers in the worlds of internationally recognized artists including trailblazing choreographer/dancer/director Bill T. Jones, international recording star and activist Angélique Kidjo, trailblazing visual artist Bill Traylor, traditional Mozambican dancer and storyteller Atanásio Nyusi, and iconic jazz musician Thelonious Monk.
Join @blackstarfest for its 14th annual convening July 31-Aug. 3. As usual, the program includes an eclectic mix of films, panel discussions, art, music, and more. Additionally, join us for our annual Filmmaker Mixer on August 7th at 7 p.m. Subscribe to our newsletter on our website to learn more and get passes (they’re selling out fast)!
#BSFF25
Jul 23
Join @blackstarfest for its 14th annual convening July 31-Aug. 3. As usual, the program includes an eclectic mix of films, panel discussions, art, music, and more. Additionally, join us for our annual Filmmaker Mixer on August 7th at 7 p.m. Subscribe to our newsletter on our website to learn more and get passes (they’re selling out fast)!
#BSFF25
Listen to Me, a documentary feature by co-directors Stephanie Etienne and Kanika Harris, is set to have its world premiere at BlackStar on August 3. Subscribe to our newsletter on our website to learn more and get your passes!
#BSFF25 #worldpremiere #BlackPublicMedia
Jul 21
Listen to Me, a documentary feature by co-directors Stephanie Etienne and Kanika Harris, is set to have its world premiere at BlackStar on August 3. Subscribe to our newsletter on our website to learn more and get your passes!
#BSFF25 #worldpremiere #BlackPublicMedia
This past Juneteenth was BPM’s first television broadcast of the PitchBLACK Awards. Didn`t get a chance to join us in person this year? Well, now you don`t have to miss our salute highlighting Black excellence in film and immersive media. The broadcast is available to stream from the BPM YouTube channel and website. Subscribe to our newsletter on our website to receive the links!
Jul 17
This past Juneteenth was BPM’s first television broadcast of the PitchBLACK Awards. Didn`t get a chance to join us in person this year? Well, now you don`t have to miss our salute highlighting Black excellence in film and immersive media. The broadcast is available to stream from the BPM YouTube channel and website. Subscribe to our newsletter on our website to receive the links!
Join us for Resistance & Joy: Reclaiming Identity, an evening of powerful films and conversation centered on reclaiming narratives, identity, and joy in the face of systemic erasure.
📍 Democracy Center @ JANM
📅 July 24, 2025 | 🕕 6 PM PT
Presented by Visual Communications and co-presented by Color Congress, Black Public Media, A-DOC, BADWest, Bitchitra Collective, BGDM, Firelight Media, Scribe Video Center— this screening uplifts voices at the intersection of resistance, identity, and artistry.
🎟️ Free & open to the public: https://vcresistanceandjoy.eventive.org/welcome
#ResistanceAndJoy #ReclaimingIdentity #BlackPublicMedia #VC50 #IndependentFilm #CommunityVoices #AfroAsianSolidarity
Jul 15
Join us for Resistance & Joy: Reclaiming Identity, an evening of powerful films and conversation centered on reclaiming narratives, identity, and joy in the face of systemic erasure.
📍 Democracy Center @ JANM
📅 July 24, 2025 | 🕕 6 PM PT
Presented by Visual Communications and co-presented by Color Congress, Black Public Media, A-DOC, BADWest, Bitchitra Collective, BGDM, Firelight Media, Scribe Video Center— this screening uplifts voices at the intersection of resistance, identity, and artistry.
🎟️ Free & open to the public: https://vcresistanceandjoy.eventive.org/welcome
#ResistanceAndJoy #ReclaimingIdentity #BlackPublicMedia #VC50 #IndependentFilm #CommunityVoices #AfroAsianSolidarity
Continue celebrating #PrideMonth 🏳️🌈 with Black Public Media’s pride month playlist - featuring our favorite BPM supported films that celebrate love, diversity, and acceptance.
✨Mama Gloria by Luchina Fisher @luchinafisher
✨Portal by Rodney Evans @rodneybevans
✨Hands Performance by Rashaad Newsome @rashaadnewsome
✨The Aunties by Charlyn Griffith-Oro @_oroori_ and Jeannine Kayembe-Oro @_oro5_. Ex-Produced by The Center for Cultural Power @culturestrike
All films available to watch now on YouTube. Link in bio
Jun 25
Continue celebrating #PrideMonth 🏳️🌈 with Black Public Media’s pride month playlist - featuring our favorite BPM supported films that celebrate love, diversity, and acceptance.
✨Mama Gloria by Luchina Fisher @luchinafisher
✨Portal by Rodney Evans @rodneybevans
✨Hands Performance by Rashaad Newsome @rashaadnewsome
✨The Aunties by Charlyn Griffith-Oro @_oroori_ and Jeannine Kayembe-Oro @_oro5_. Ex-Produced by The Center for Cultural Power @culturestrike
All films available to watch now on YouTube. Link in bio
Luchina Fisher in conversation with Imara Jones & Zackary Drucker!
Watch this moving conversation about Mama Gloria, the groundbreaking documentary honoring trans elder and icon Gloria Allen.
🎥 Full interview now on YouTube
📺 Mama Gloria premieres next Monday on Black Public Media’s AfroPoP: The Ultimate Cultural Exchange, co-presented by @worldchannel and @pbs.
📲 https://worldchannel.org/show/afropop
#AfroPoP17 #MamaGloria #TransIsBeautiful #BlackTransLivesMatter #GloriaAllen #BlackPublicMedia #pridemonth
Jun 25
Luchina Fisher in conversation with Imara Jones & Zackary Drucker!
Watch this moving conversation about Mama Gloria, the groundbreaking documentary honoring trans elder and icon Gloria Allen.
🎥 Full interview now on YouTube
📺 Mama Gloria premieres next Monday on Black Public Media’s AfroPoP: The Ultimate Cultural Exchange, co-presented by @worldchannel and @pbs.
📲 https://worldchannel.org/show/afropop
#AfroPoP17 #MamaGloria #TransIsBeautiful #BlackTransLivesMatter #GloriaAllen #BlackPublicMedia #pridemonth
#NOWPLAYING: Episode 3 of AfroPoP: The Ultimate Cultural Exchange features “Neptune Frost” by Saul Williams and Anisia Uzeyman and “Tsutsue” by Amartei Armar.
Only available on @worldchannel and @pbs. Check your local listings✨
Jun 24
#NOWPLAYING: Episode 3 of AfroPoP: The Ultimate Cultural Exchange features “Neptune Frost” by Saul Williams and Anisia Uzeyman and “Tsutsue” by Amartei Armar.
Only available on @worldchannel and @pbs. Check your local listings✨
Today, we honor Juneteenth — a celebration of Black freedom, resilience, and the ongoing journey toward justice. At Black Public Media, we remain committed to supporting storytellers who illuminate the history, struggles, and triumphs of Black communities across the globe.
Together, we amplify voices that remind us: our stories are acts of liberation.
#Juneteenth #BlackPublicMedia #OurStoriesOurPower
Jun 19
Today, we honor Juneteenth — a celebration of Black freedom, resilience, and the ongoing journey toward justice. At Black Public Media, we remain committed to supporting storytellers who illuminate the history, struggles, and triumphs of Black communities across the globe.
Together, we amplify voices that remind us: our stories are acts of liberation.
#Juneteenth #BlackPublicMedia #OurStoriesOurPower
If you’re at @sheffdocfest this year, don’t miss Collateral Echoes — a striking new immersive piece by British Ghanaian artist @baff_akoto.
Through XR, film, sound, and powerful words from Paapa Essiedu and the late @officialbenjaminzephaniah, this installation pays tribute to Black and immigrant Britons lost after encounters with police since 1969.
It’s a moving reflection on grief, remembrance, and the strength of community.
🗓 Free to experience 18 June – 13 July
Jun 18
If you’re at @sheffdocfest this year, don’t miss Collateral Echoes — a striking new immersive piece by British Ghanaian artist @baff_akoto.
Through XR, film, sound, and powerful words from Paapa Essiedu and the late @officialbenjaminzephaniah, this installation pays tribute to Black and immigrant Britons lost after encounters with police since 1969.
It’s a moving reflection on grief, remembrance, and the strength of community.
🗓 Free to experience 18 June – 13 July
✨ Neptune Frost premieres Monday, June 23 on Black Public Media’s AfroPoP: The Ultimate Cultural Exchange!
From directors Saul Williams and Anisia Uzeyman, this mind-bending sci-fi punk musical follows a hacker collective rising up against exploitation in the hills of Burundi.
Watch the trailer now and stream the full film Monday on @WORLDChannel and @PBS.
🔗 https://worldchannel.org/show/afropop/
#NeptuneFrost #AfroPoP17 #BlackPublicMedia #Afrofuturism #SciFiMusical #WORLDChannel #PBSPlus
Jun 18
✨ Neptune Frost premieres Monday, June 23 on Black Public Media’s AfroPoP: The Ultimate Cultural Exchange!
From directors Saul Williams and Anisia Uzeyman, this mind-bending sci-fi punk musical follows a hacker collective rising up against exploitation in the hills of Burundi.
Watch the trailer now and stream the full film Monday on @WORLDChannel and @PBS.
🔗 https://worldchannel.org/show/afropop/
#NeptuneFrost #AfroPoP17 #BlackPublicMedia #Afrofuturism #SciFiMusical #WORLDChannel #PBSPlus
✨ Tongo Saa by Nelson Makengo is now available on @WORLDChannel and @PBS!
Set in Kinshasa, this powerful film offers a poetic portrait of a city navigating darkness, displacement, and hope. Don’t miss this striking glimpse into the lives of those forging light amid uncertainty.
#AfroPoP17 #TongoSaa #BlackPublicMedia #Kinshasa #NelsonMakengo #WORLDChannel #PBS
Jun 18
✨ Tongo Saa by Nelson Makengo is now available on @WORLDChannel and @PBS!
Set in Kinshasa, this powerful film offers a poetic portrait of a city navigating darkness, displacement, and hope. Don’t miss this striking glimpse into the lives of those forging light amid uncertainty.
#AfroPoP17 #TongoSaa #BlackPublicMedia #Kinshasa #NelsonMakengo #WORLDChannel #PBS
