# Black Film Project **Founding Director: Henry Louis Gates, Jr.** **Executive Director: Jacqueline Glover -** The Black Film Project is designed to support any filmmaker who focuses on Black history and culture, and supports both narrative and documentary projects. ## 2026-2027 Black Film Project Application *The deadline for 2026-2027 has passed. Best of luck to all applicants.* The Black Film Project at the Hutchins Center for African & African American Research at Harvard University invites applications from established and emerging filmmakers focusing on any aspect of the Black experience in the United States or globally. Three fellowships will be awarded annually. Applicants must have independent work demonstrating exceptional achievement and formal innovation. The Black Film Project Fellowship supports filmmakers working on both fiction and documentary films and is a collaboration with Harvard’s Film Study Center and Department of Art, Film, and Visual Studies. Black Film Project Fellows are members of the W. E. B. Du Bois Research Institute Fellowship Program in the Hutchins Center and as such are expected to have substantial involvement with the Hutchins Center to fully engage with their fellowship cohort, which comprises scholars and artists who work across multiple disciplines and regions of Africa and its diasporas. Fellows will be provided with office space at the Hutchins Center and are required to deliver a colloquium on their work-in-progress as part of the fellowship program. Black Film Project Fellows are expected to actively participate in the institute’s orientation activities, weekly colloquia, workshops, and occasional social activities. These activities provide opportunities to engage with scholars, fellows, and Harvard faculty. Fellows are also encouraged to attend major Hutchins Center events, which often include lectures, panel discussions, and social functions. Our fellows also enjoy the company of other fellows and scholars from the Harvard community, including the Edmond & Lily Safra Center for Ethics, the Carr Center for Human Rights Policy, the Center for African Studies, the Film Study Center, the Charles Warren Center for Studies in American History, the Radcliffe Institute, the Graduate School of Design, the Global History Seminar, and the Nieman Foundation for Journalism. Many of our fellows build strong bonds with faculty and graduate students in Harvard’s Department of African and African American Studies. The aim of the fellowship program is to provide a vibrant and supportive environment in which to research, develop work, collaborate, and thrive. The Black Film Project Fellowship offers: - An $80,000 stipend, plus an additional $5,000 for project development expenses. - Office space in the Hutchins Center with 24/7 access. - A Harvard University ID providing access to all University facilities, including libraries and online research resources. - A Harvard email account. - Access to the Film Study Center’s equipment, as well as editing and post-production facilities. - Invitations to participate in the Film Study Center’s community of filmmakers through workshops, screenings, and other events. - The possibility to screen Black Film Project Fellows’ work at the Carpenter Center Theater during the fellowship year. - Black Film Project Fellows may choose to pursue a joint fellowship with the Film Study Center. The BFP-FSC Fellows meet twice monthly for Nonfiction workshops to discuss works-in-progress and connect with visiting filmmakers, fostering a collaborative environment that enriches their creative and professional growth. Each Black Film Project Fellow will present their work-in-progress at a W. E. B. Du Bois Research Institute colloquium. In addition, Black Film Project Fellows will have opportunities to present their work at various Harvard venues, including the Film Study Center and Harvard Film Archive. Eligibility: - Applications, including letters of recommendation, project descriptions, and film samples, must be submitted in English. Non-native English speakers must demonstrate proficiency via TOEFL/IELTS scores or a Zoom conversation with Hutchins Center staff, which may also be required for visa purposes. Each Fellow is expected to present a colloquium talk in English on a topic related to their research and is encouraged to be available for informal consultation by faculty and students with related interests. Application Process: - We use [Submittable](https://hutchinscenter.submittable.com/submit) to manage the Black Film Project Fellowship application process. If you do not have a Submittable account, you will be asked to create one. There is no application fee. - [Preview Application](https://hutchinscenter.fas.harvard.edu/sites/g/files/omnuum10831/files/2025-11/BFP%20Sample%20Application_0.pdf) (PDF) - The application deadline is February 26, 2026. - All inquiries should be directed to . - UPDATE: Notice of acceptance will be given by the end of May 2026. *The deadline for 2026-2027 has passed. Best of luck to all applicants.* ## Press [### The Hutchins Center for African & African American Research Announces its Fourteenth Class of W.E.B. Du Bois Research Institute Fellows ](https://hutchinscenter.fas.harvard.edu/fourteenth-class-du-bois-fellows) June 15, 2026 ![Exterior photo of the Hutchins Center in Harvard Square](/sites/g/files/omnuum10831/files/styles/hwp_16_9__480x270/public/facade_full-size_06.jpg?itok=bhw063XP) [### The Hutchins Center for African & African American Research Announces its Thirteenth Class of W. E. B. Du Bois Research Institute Fellows ](/news/2025/05/hutchins-center-african-african-american-research-announces-its-thirteenth-class-w-e-b) May 16, 2025 ![Exterior photo of the Hutchins Center in Harvard Square](/sites/g/files/omnuum10831/files/styles/hwp_16_9__480x270/public/facade_full-size_06.jpg?itok=bhw063XP) [### Boston Globe, 'Harvard’s Black Film Project will spotlight Black history and culture through documentary, narrative stories' ](https://www.bostonglobe.com/2024/02/11/arts/harvards-black-film-project-will-spotlight-black-history-culture-through-documentary-narrative-stories/) February 11, 2024 Harvard University recently announced the creation of the Black Film Project, which is designed to support filmmakers of any race who illuminate Black history and culture through nonfiction films. ![black-film-globe.jpg](/sites/g/files/omnuum10831/files/styles/hwp_16_9__480x270/public/hutchins/files/black-film-globe.jpg?itok=AVu7CrW4) [### Harvard Crimson, 'Harvard Launches Black Film Project With 2 Prizes To Support Independent Filmmakers' ](https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2024/2/6/harvard-black-film-project/) February 06, 2024 Harvard announced the launch of the Black Film Project on Thursday, a new initiative within the Hutchins Center for African and African American Research to support filmmakers with a focus on Black history and culture. ![031505_1368341.jpg.1500x1000_q95_crop-smart_upscale.jpg](/sites/g/files/omnuum10831/files/styles/hwp_16_9__480x270/public/hutchins/files/031505_1368341.jpg.1500x1000_q95_crop-smart_upscale.jpg?itok=EQA_bRbP) [### Harvard Gazette, 'Harvard announces Black Film Project, prize with Smithsonian' ](https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2024/02/harvard-announces-the-black-film-project/) February 01, 2024 In partnership with the Smithsonian Institution, the Black Film Project will inaugurate the Henry Hampton Prize for Documentary Filmmaking on Black History and Culture, awarding $200,000 annually to a first-place winner. ![facade-official-low-res_2_2_02.jpg](/sites/g/files/omnuum10831/files/styles/hwp_16_9__480x270/public/hutchins/files/facade-official-low-res_2_2_02.jpg?itok=_bI5BgOV)