Shades of Black returns for its third annual South Florida Black Pride Film Showcase, bringing together Black LGBTQ+ film, visual art, and community conversation for one powerful evening in Fort Lauderdale.
Presented by Afro Pride’s South Florida Black Pride and Black Alphabet as part of Heat Wave Weekend, the 2026 showcase features seven short films exploring love, creativity, family, gender identity, health, cultural memory, resilience, and Black queer life across generations.
The evening also includes visual art by South Florida artists Teepop and Rov Marley, vendors and community connections, and a live post-film conversation bringing together voices from film, cultural programming, advocacy, and independent media.
The 2026 Shades of Black Film Showcase is produced and coordinated by Niki Lopez of Niki Lopez Creative, whose work bridges visual storytelling, cultural programming, community dialogue, identity, healing, and social impact.
What to Expect:
• Seven Black LGBTQ+ short films and creative voices
• Local, regional, and nationally connected filmmakers and storytellers
• Visual art featuring Teepop and Rov Marley
• A live post-film community conversation moderated by Black Gay Table Talk
• Vendors and community connections
• Opportunities to meet filmmakers, artists, panelists, and cultural leaders
2026 Film Program
- Sea Salt — Directed by Nastassia Dillon
- Final Ingredient — Directed by Lovely Jones
- Coffee & Lavender — Directed by Allie Morgan
- SCORED — Directed by Robert Henry
- Chestbound — Directed by Janine Anne Uyanga
- Tapestry: Reclaiming Our Past — Directed by Lorenzo Robertson / Presented by Ujima Men’s Collective
- Southern Sonshine — Directed by Kevin Dapree Anderson
Beyond the Screen: Black Queer Storytelling, Memory & Community
Following the screenings, Kenan Cooper-Gilmore of Black Gay Table Talk will moderate a live conversation exploring how Black queer stories move beyond the screen into lived experience, cultural memory, creativity, health, identity, representation, and community.
Panelists include:
- Niki Lopez — Producer, Curator, Artist & Social Practitioner
- Adam McMath — President, Black Alphabet
- Lorenzo Robertson — Founder and Executive Director, Ujima Men’s Collective / Tapestry: Reclaiming Our Past
- Lovely Jones — Filmmaker, 2 Reel Kweenz Media / Final Ingredient
Visual Art Spotlight
This year’s visual art experience features:
Teepop — Miami-based painter and graphic designer whose portrait work explores cultural icons, everyday people, and the deeper stories carried by her subjects.
Rov Marley — South Florida multidisciplinary artist whose practice spans painting, architecture, ceramics, printmaking, fashion, and film, drawing from South Florida and Jamaican cultural influences.
Shades of Black is more than a screening. It is a gathering rooted in visibility, creative expression, dialogue, and connection.
Friday, October 9, 2026
6:00 PM–10:00 PM
Victory Black Box Theatre
L.A. Lee YMCA/Mizell Community Center
1409 NW 6th Street, 3rd Floor
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33311
Early Bird Tickets: $10
Unity. Culture. Community.
Come for the films. Stay for the conversation. Celebrate the culture
