BronzeLens gives acclaimed Black films an encore at Spelman College

More than 20 films from previous BronzeLens festivals are returning to the big screen this summer through a new monthlong screening series at Spelman College.

The BronzeLens Film Festival of Atlanta, which spotlights filmmakers of color, is expanding its footprint through the inaugural BLFF Encore Series at Spelman College.

Barbara Chirinos, the artistic director of The Center for Innovation and the Arts at Spelman College, said the festival will give its audience another chance to see films from previous BronzeLens screenings.

“Great films deserve an encore,” she said.

The BronzeLens Film Festival was created in 2009 to boost the visibility of Atlanta-based filmmakers and promote the city as the epicenter for diverse films.

The organization launched its first film festival the following year with 24 films, including Ava DuVernay’s first feature, “I Will Follow,” which helped introduce audiences to the director early in her career.

Filmmakers stand with BronzeLens Film Festival of Atlanta Executive Producer Kathleen Bertrand (sixth from left) in 2025. (Courtesy of BronzeLens Film Festival of Atlanta)

Alex Woodruff, the writer and director of the short film “Thomasville” — which will be screened during the festival on Aug. 6 — called BronzeLens “one of the premier festivals for Black filmmakers” in the world.

BronzeLens organizers see the project at Spelman College as an extension of the larger annual film festival, which begins in August.

“We’re excited to partner with Spelman College to launch the Summer Film Screening Series, creating a dynamic space where independent films spark meaningful conversations and bring our community together,” BronzeLens Executive Producer Kathleen Bertrand said in a press release.

“Independent filmmakers have long challenged how we see the world, and this series celebrates their creativity, courage and vision,” she said.

BronzeLens Film Festival of Atlanta Executive Producer Kathleen Bertrand poses with recipients of the Creators Scholarship in 2025. (Courtesy of BronzeLens Film Festival of Atlanta)

The encore series takes place every Thursday from July 16 until Aug. 6 at the Mary Schmidt Campbell Center for Innovation and the Arts.

The lineup includes films centered on Afrofuturism, family, the arts and short-form storytelling.

One of those films is “They Call Me Sue,” by interdisciplinary photojournalist Natrice Miller, which will be shown on July 30.

The award-winning documentary — part of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Black History Month Series — premiered at the festival in 2025 while Miller was a photographer at the AJC.