Welcome to the 8th Annual  
    San Antonio Black Intl. Film Festival!

SABIFF is the premier Black indie-international film festival in the Alamo City—where stories rise, voices are centered, and vision takes the screen. We exist to provide Creatives with a vital platform to ignite their imaginations and tell their truths through their own images, voices, and perspectives. Through films, workshops, interviews, networking, and cultural exchange, SABIFF cultivates powerful connections and transformative experiences for audiences in San Antonio and across the global digital landscape.

This year's theme, HISTORY upRISING, affirms the necessity of learning, preserving, and telling our stories from our perspectives at a time when Black history—our heroes, heroines, and defining moments—is being challenged, restricted, and erased. 
HISTORY upRISING stands as an act of resistance and care. Through the power of film, we rise to reclaim our histories with truth, depth, and integrity—rejecting distortion and whitewashing while honoring the fullness of Black life, culture, and legacy across the globe.                    

Filmmaker Early Bird Submissions 
Deadline - February 28, 2026
SABIFF invites original, high-quality films and video works from around the world that reflect diverse perspectives on the Black experience. 

While HISTORY upRISING guides our 2026 programming events, films of all genres, styles, and themes are welcome. 
You can submit films, and find out more information by going to our submission platform-
via the Submit on FilmFreeway button.

OPEN CALL EARLY BIRD SPECIAL RUNS  
JAN 26, 2026 - FEB 28, 2026
OPEN CALL RUNS  
JAN 26, 2026 - JUNE 14, 2026

Please join us for SABIFF 2026
October  2-4, 2026

INVEST IN SABIFF

In 2018 the seeds for SABIFF were planted by native San Antonio, filmmaker/founder, Ada M. Babineaux. The state of Black film inefficiency at festivals in the ‘Alamo City’ sparked a group of community members to join together to cultivate an annual Black Film festival, and affirm that Black Films Matter all around the world.  If you enjoy seeing original narratives that reflect a vast Black culture, documentaries that expose you to historical events, new places, fascinating people, and interesting topics, and filmmakers, plus industry thought leaders that challenge you to think outside of your comfort zone, then please consider supporting our festival. We need YOU to be a consistent part of our audience. Your contributions are the water and the sun that will keep this platform growing with the curation of diverse films, impactful events, workshops and discussions that teach, inform, and expand your world view. Invest in SABIFF today. Let's fertilize, pollinate, and yes, grow SABIFF to a bountiful Black & Beautiful harvest in San Antonio, and beyond.

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