San Antonio Black International Film Festival

The mission of the San Antonio Black International Film Festival is to showcase quality films, advocate for, and support filmmakers of African descent.  We expose audiences to the myriad of subject matters, stories, voices and diverse images of Black people throughout the global Diaspora who have been historically under-represented. 

The San Antonio Black International Film Festival (SABIFF), founded by SA native, and indie documentary filmmaker, Ada M. Babineaux, came into existence because; San Antonio lacked a  film festival that specifically, and unapologetically identified with diverse Black experience worldwide. In October 2018, SABIFF was created by mutual community member interests, with the afore-mentioned mission, and the need expose, and elevate consciousness of a thriving Black film world.  In February of 2019, we featured local Black indie filmmakers at a successful soft launch at the Carver Library in the heart of our Eastside, District 2 community.  

ANNUAL EVENT                                                                                                    

The San Antonio Black International Film Festival (SABIFF) is more than an annual event—it is a growing cultural movement working to ensure that Blackness is no longer treated as an afterthought in San Antonio. Through film, education, and community engagement, SABIFF brings the importance of representation to the forefront by normalizing and celebrating Black stories, images, voices, and perspectives both locally and virtually across the world-wide-web.

SABIFF presents year-round programming, including monthly film screenings, filmmaker meet-and-greets, workshops, interviews via our 'Film Fiiyah' podcast, panels, youth & history initiatives, and other community-centered cultural experiences. Our signature event is a dynamic three- to four-day festival held each October and made possible through dedicated volunteers, community partnerships, individual donations, grants, and corporate sponsorships.

ONLINE PRESENCE:                                                                                                                             SABIFF is operates as a affirming platform for Black and indie film Creatives.  We started a monthly-virtual film showcase in January 2021 on our sabiff.tv platform. We exhibit a film a month which features a ‘reel talk’ post-filmmaker, or panel discussion that we have rebranded into our 'Film Fiyah' podcast. These free/donation offered events, include impactful curations, and community partnerships based on the film topics or subject matter presented. Cinema presentations have included films on:  social justice, Black love, child abduction, Black Feminism, Black rodeo, Pan Africanism, land reparations, revolution in Sudan, gentrification, mentorship, LGBTQ Pride, and mental health. Ongoing showcase screenings will be either virtual or at local pop-up venues that lead up to the annual Fall festival.  

LONG TERM VISION:                                                                                                                            Our long-term vision begins with building the financial capacity to move SABIFF from a volunteer-driven organization to a sustainable institution with paid staff, competitive salaries, and benefits. Our team should be able to do the work we love, fueled by passion and supported by the resources necessary to sustain our artistry, leadership, and impact.

We envision Teen and Adult Summer Film Camps in our beautiful hometown of San Antonio, with programming that reaches participants nationally and internationally. Accomplished guest instructors and presenters would bring their A-game to San Antonio, sharing professional knowledge and hands-on training across film genres, crew positions, and production roles.

Beyond awarding trophies for outstanding films, we want to provide meaningful cash prizes, production funding, and potential distribution opportunities for winning filmmakers. Imagine financing a filmmaker’s next project and premiering that completed work at the following year’s SABIFF. We also envision expanding the SABIFF umbrella to include a distribution platform for selected independent films through Roku, a dedicated streaming channel, or another accessible digital outlet.

At the heart of this vision is a Cinema Art House Café devoted to showcasing Black independent films from around the world. It would be a liberated space for honest industry dialogue, intellectual exchange, innovative programming, and respected cultural nuance. This creative oasis would serve as a technologically equipped membership workspace by day and an intimate cinema by night. Offering healthy light fare, coffee and tea in the morning, and happy-hour libations in the evening, it would become a thriving haven where Black cinema, culture, community, and the arts live under one roof.