Black Trans Short Film Festival

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Black Trans
Short Film Festival

The Black Trans Short Film Festival is an annual film festival organized by Comfrey Films. We are deeply committed to ensuring that Black Transgender, Gender Non-Conforming and Intersex (TGNCI) people are unforgettable for generations to come. For millennia, Black TGNCI people have been the ones to create our own systems of care and safety, making it possible for future generations of our community to exist and live with dignity.

The Comfrey Films Black Trans Short Film Festival is continuing that commitment to ensure that  Black TGNCI folks in the future know that we existed, stunningly, and with great courage.  This year, we’re featuring narrative + non-fiction short films, solo projects and Black trans-led collaborations.

From April 30-May 2, 2026, join us for the second annual Black Trans Short Film Festival in Durham, North Carolina. This year’s festival brings:

  • incredible short films from Black TGNCI directors, producers and screen writers.

  • an exclusive Comfrey Films in-house productions + works-in-progress screening

  • a life-changing Level Up Lab acting masterclass with Brian Michael Smith

  • inspired panel conversations and fireside chats

  • opportunities to build community, network, and get to know Durham as a place where Black trans and queer artists and storytellers thrive.

Register for the Festival

FAQs

  • The Black Trans Short Film Festival is an annual film festival organized by Comfrey Films. This year we will welcome any narrative + non-fiction short films, solo projects and Black trans-led collaborations. For our inaugural festival in 2025, we screened powerful independent films submitted by Black TGNCI creators, spanning a range of genres and deeply personal narratives that wove into stories about community organizing, grief, healing justice, sisterhood / siblinghood, personal identity, spirituality, and so much more. Over 3 days, we created a space that centers the healing and transformative culture work that Black Trans folks are leading in our communities. Every filmmaker and audience member made this space feel magical and deeply necessary. We’re excited to bring it back April 30-May 2nd, 2026.

  • The Black Trans Short Film Festival will take place on April 30-May 2, 2026 in venues around Durham, NC.

  • The Black Trans Short Film Festival is open to anybody! If you want to learn from, be inspired by, or show love to Black Trans storytellers, we would love to have you. Bring your friends, or come to make new friends! Get your festival pass here: https://comfreyfilms.eventive.org/welcome 

  • This year’s festival is free - register today! We do ask you to consider making a donation to support the festival that feels aligned with your capacity and your vision for our future. No one will be turned away for inability to donate.

  • Stay tuned! We’re working with some screening partners to make that possible in the future. We’ll also share any news about where films screened at the festival can be seen virtually!

  • Thank you for your interest in sponsoring the Black Trans Short Film Festival. Check out our sponsorship guide here. Reach out to us at btsff@comfreyfilms.org if you have any questions or want to talk more.

  • Yes! We need your help to make this festival a success. There’s a variety of volunteer roles needed. When you register for the festival, check “Yes, I’d love to volunteer for BTSFF” at the end of the form and we’ll reach out to you!

  • Yes, you can help bring the Black Trans Short Film Festival to life by donating here.

  • Follow us on Instagram @comfreyfilms and subscribe to our newsletter to get all the latest updates on Comfrey Films’ Black Trans Short Film Festival. If you’re a Black Trans filmmaker or someone hoping to sponsor this project, you can reach out to us via email at btsff@comfreyfilms.org

  • All of our films will be screened with English subtitles. All of our venues are wheelchair accessible. If you have additional access needs, please email the festival at btsff@comfreyfilms.org by March 29th, 2026, so that we have adequate time to meet those needs.

  • The Black Trans Short Film Festival is committed to fostering an inclusive, respectful, and supportive space for all participants. We value difference, creativity, and the importance of centering Black trans voices in every aspect of the event. We expect all attendees, filmmakers, and volunteers to engage in a manner that is respectful, considerate, and free from harassment or harm. 

    We also prioritize a safe, accessible environment where individuals are encouraged to express themselves authentically. We strive to amplify the work of Black trans artists while nurturing a community rooted in mutual respect and understanding. Any behavior that undermines the festival's values or creates a hostile atmosphere will not be tolerated. If you experience inaccessibility or harassment during the festival, please reach out to us at btsff@comfreyfilms.org.

  • Here’s a few hotels in Downtown Durham that are closest to most of our festival events:

    • The Durham Hotel

    • 21C Museum Hotel

    • Unscripted Hotel

    • Marriott Downtown

  • We acknowledge that there are multiple viral sicknesses spreading through our communities at this moment and we don’t have a test for all of them. That’s why we’re going back to the basics of wearing masks, washing our hands often, and staying home if we’re sick. We’re asking all festival attendants to join us in keeping our community safe. 

  • Hands down the best film space I've ever been in. The level of care & intentionality put into every component of the festival was exactly what we needed during these tumultuous times. So many wonderful connections made & ancestral affirmations received!

    — NOVA CYPRESS BLACK, Screenwriter + Director

  • This was a trip to remember. Ancestral. Healing. I was a part of history coming to this gathering of beautiful black trans folks. Do yourself a favor and bring yoself to this magical event.

    — Naya Ryan Rashad, Writer + Director

  • this sold out celebration of Black trans imagination, histories, and futures was crafted with such intention and love — each film, each speaker, each bite, each sip, each second was infused with the kind of love that is honest, human and impossible to deny or erase.

    — adrienne maree brown

  • Comfrey Films poured so much care in the Black Trans Short Film Festival. It was beyond refreshing being amongst community like that. Such thoughtful curating, programming and accommodations.

    — Lanese Love

  • The Black Trans Short Film Festival didn’t just feel like an event—it felt like a family reunion. A homecoming. A celebration of everything we were, everything we are, and everything we’re becoming. I'm grateful to have been present.

    Festival Attendee

  • I grew into my inherent power at the Black Trans Short Film Festival!

    Festival Attendee

  • This fesitval is one of a kind! It met so much of the needs of community and creators by being a space to celebrate, to sit with complexity, to honor our elders, to tell and be with our stories, and to be in the joy of existence! It has become my favorite annual Durham event!

    Festival Attendee

  • I see festivals and events happening in big cities and I always think 'wow that would be so cool to see here' and guess what, Comfrey Films made that happen for Durham. It was truly a joy to be able to share space with so many talented humans, to have various types of events and programming to participate in, and to leave opening night feeling inspired.

    —Festival Attendee

  • Black Trans Niggas in the South creating is always gonna be a balm for the soul.

    Festival Attendee