UnShushed! Film Festival 2026
Washington, DC | November 2026
UnShushed! Film Festival is a celebration and showcase of fantasy, horror, Afrofuturism, Southern Gothic, and thriller films by Black women and emerging filmmakers.
Now in its third year, UnShushed! continues to amplify bold storytelling, visionary filmmakers, and genre-bending narratives centered on Black women.
For 2026, we are excited to expand our submission formats and now welcome vertical films (9:16 aspect ratio) alongside traditional horizontal formats.
If your film is strange, magical, terrifying, surreal, futuristic, or genre-blending — we want to see it.
The festival takes place November 2026 in Washington, DC and features:
Film Screenings
Awards
Filmmaker Q&A Sessions
Workshops
Networking Opportunities
UnShushed! is a space where genre filmmaking by Black women is celebrated, supported, and seen.
About UnShushed!
UnShushed! Film Festival was created to highlight genre storytelling by Black women, a space where horror, fantasy, speculative fiction, and surreal storytelling can thrive.
We celebrate films that are:
Bold
Experimental
Visually striking
Emotionally powerful
Unapologetically imaginative
Bring us your ghosts, monsters, futures, folklore, nightmares, and dream worlds.
We can’t wait to experience your films.
See you at UnShushed! Film Festival 2026.
