We are a majority volunteer and 100% POC led film festival. We are unique in that we do not require folks to pay to participate or submit their films and we do not charge for our community to come and watch the films. We aim to build authentic and lasting solidarity among Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC), in order to undo Native invisibility, anti-Blackness, dismantle white supremacy and advance racial justice. The festival will also help to connect communities with the frontline organizations that serve them, allowing all participants to deepen community knowledge, learn from existing community wisdom, and provide opportunities for direct action and activism. "We firmly believe that “It is not our differences that divide us. It is our inability to recognize, accept, and celebrate those differences.” Audre Lorde

The Fist Up Film Festival presents films that have a local impact. By placing emphasis on the connected experiences between global and local communities, the Festival creates visual parallels between local people’s lived experiences with stories from around the world. The Fist Up Film Festival builds an artist/community alliance while making films and filmmaking an integral part of dialogue and social change, and challenging societal structures and perceptions from the world around us.

The films selected for the Festival are chosen based on their theme and focus, of which a variety of cultures and artistic expressions are explored to promote mutual understanding and respect, foster community empowerment, and promote equitable ideals about social justice. This year’s themes will be Legacy and Ancestral Knowledge and will focus on the connection between art and social justice activism.

The Fist Up Film Festival utilizes the global documentation of peoples’ stories for Bay Area audiences to think critically about the world around them and feel empowered to make the changes they want to see in their own communities. We select films that are able to meaningfully tell the untold stories from marginalized communities. From immigrant rights to environmental justice, from cultural preservation to land preservation, we seek films that cover a range of topics wherein the common threads are unification and the amplification of individual and collective voices. In many of these stories, communities unify to engage in acts of resistance, take a stance for social justice and racial equity, and to effect tangible change. As a film festival our mission is to think outside the box and create spaces for communities to engage with each other and learn from each other. We create a space that engages and inspires folks to take action and become change agents.

Our 16th Annual Film Festival is poised to be the most exceptional yet.

Each passing year, we've garnered invaluable experience and insights, enabling us to curate a lineup that resonates deeply with our diverse East Bay community.

Over the past 15 years, we've built a solid foundation of trust and admiration within the film industry and our community. International and local filmmakers and activists alike are eager to showcase their new work at our 16th Annual festival, knowing that it will receive the love and appreciation it deserves from our beautiful community.