As Juneteenth approaches, the San Francisco Black Film Festival (SFBFF) returns with a powerful lineup of films, community events, and cultural programming designed to celebrate Black life, history, and creativity. On Hard Knock Radio, host Davey D spoke with SFBFF Executive Director Cree Ray, who discussed the festival’s legacy, this year’s theme, and why preserving Black stories is more important than ever.
Now in its latest chapter under Ray’s leadership, the festival continues a family tradition that began with her grandmother, Ave Montague, founder of the San Francisco Black Film Festival. Ray explained that this year’s theme emerged from a desire to focus less on loss and more on celebration.
“It’s just a beautiful day to be Black,” Ray said. “I just really wanted this year to be about celebrating us, celebrating our culture, celebrating our heritage, and just like, it is a beautiful thing.”
Throughout the conversation, Davey D emphasized the importance of institutions like the Black Film Festival at a time when Black history and cultural narratives face increasing threats of erasure. Ray echoed those concerns, noting the importance of preserving Black stories for future generations and ensuring that films reflecting Black experiences remain accessible.
The four-day festival kicks off June 18 at the African American Arts and Cultural Complex in San Francisco’s Fillmore District. Opening night features This Will Never Work, a film centered on addiction, family intervention, and healing. Other highlights include the comedy What You Mixed With, which explores identity and belonging through the experiences of mixed-race women navigating life in the Bay Area.
Ray said the festival aims to provide hope and connection during challenging times. “Being Black is beautiful, no matter the shade of your Blackness,” she said. “There’s space for all of us, and we’re gonna get through it.”
The festival concludes with a free documentary showcase at the San Francisco Public Library featuring films such as The Man Who Killed Jim Crow, highlighting the legacy of civil rights strategist Charles Hamilton Houston.
For Ray, the festival is more than a film event—it’s a community gathering, a cultural archive, and a reminder that Black stories deserve to be seen, preserved, and celebrated year-round.
And later Poor News Magazine brings us a look at America’s war on disenfranchised communities.
Hard Knock Radio is a drive-time Hip-Hop talk show on KPFA (94.1fm @ 4-5 pm Monday-Friday), a community radio station without corporate underwriting, hosted by Davey D and Anita Johnson.
