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The DC Black Film Festival returns to Miracle Theatre – WTOP News

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The DC Black Film Festival returns to Miracle Theatre – WTOP News


Filmmakers of color are getting to shine this week on Barracks Row in Southeast D.C. as part of the eighth annual D.C. Black Film Festival.

WTOP’s Jason Fraley previews the D.C. Black Film Fest (Part 1)

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Filmmakers of color are getting a chance to shine this week on Barracks Row in Southeast D.C.

“The Garden of Edette” is one of the film screening this week at the D.C. Black Film Festival. (Courtesy DC Black Film Festival)

The eighth annual D.C. Black Film Festival returns to the historic Miracle Theatre on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, followed by a virtual festival extension from Aug. 18 to Aug. 25.

“It’s just been awesome to see how the competition [has grown] in terms of the films, oh my goodness, every year it just gets stronger and stronger,” founder and festival director Kevin Sampson told WTOP.

“We’ve definitely had submissions from all over the globe. The only stipulation of submitting to the festival is that one or more of the above-the-line crew is of African descent, so that helps us to be more inclusive, it’s not exclusive.”

The festival kicks off Thursday, Aug. 15 with the narrative feature “Money Game” directed by Julian Lowenthal.

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“It’s set during the COVID-19 pandemic where a young widowed father of two struggles to navigate a broken financial system while fighting to give his daughters the life his late wife promised him,” Sampson said.

“It’s a really good, moving feature. It’s interesting because we know that films are going to show us what we lived during the pandemic and the different struggles of it, so it’s a really good film that I think people will really like.”

The festival continues Friday, Aug. 16 with Ilana Trachtman’s feature documentary “Ain’t No Back to the Merri-Go-Round,” narrated by Jeffrey Wright to chronicle a troubling true story at Glen Echo Amusement Park in Maryland in 1960.

“This is really dealing with five Howard University students that sat on a Maryland carousel in the 1960s — that arrest made headlines,” Sampson said. “It’s dealing with segregation, integration and the 1961 Freedom Riders. … It’s information that is not necessarily hidden but maybe it’s just something that you’ve never heard of before.”

Friday also includes the narrative feature “The Novelist” by prolific D.C.-area filmmaker Harold Jackson III.

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“Listen, this one is our Friday night feature film and it has everything you want in a film,” Sampson said.

“It’s a thriller, it’s also a dark comedy, it’s a kind of mystery, so you want to find out what’s going to happen to certain characters. Basically it’s about a woman who steals a manuscript from someone else, then out of nowhere his estranged son comes to seek compensation. It’s just a fun ride and I think people will be talking to the screen.”

Saturday, Aug. 17 brings “A Time to Yell: More Than a Statue” by Eric Newman and Daniel Levin about the infamous “Unite the Right” rally around the Robert E. Lee statue in Charlottesville, Virginia, seven years ago.

“We all remember Charlottesville on Aug. 12, 2017, but one thing you don’t know about what kicked that off is there was a certain catalyst to kind of start those events and ‘A Time to Yell’ really covers that,” Sampson said.

Saturday also brings “Running Our Way: The Story of Chocolate City Relay” directed by Jason Taylor.

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“It’s a 60-plus-mile relay crafted to go deep into each of D.C.’s wards,” Sampson said. “This is looking at a group of Black women runners who come together — running brings them together — but they’re also running through the District, so you’ll definitely see some spots that you’ve seen all the time and also some people you might know.”

It all wraps up on Saturday with the closing-night film “ToxiCITY” by filmmaker Felix Wayne Jordan.

“That is about an up-and-coming app developer who really struggles with his past, trying to break free from childhood trauma and trying to balance family, work and love,” Sampson said. “It’s a beautifully shot film.”

Attendees can use the promo code “WTOP” for 20% off individual tickets.

Find more information here.

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WTOP’s Jason Fraley previews the D.C. Black Film Fest (Part 2)

Listen to our full convention here.

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Bruno Mars tour 2026 coming to DC region

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Bruno Mars tour 2026 coming to DC region


Bruno Mars is bringing The Romantic Tour to the Washington, D.C. region this spring!

The Grammy-winning star will stop at Northwest Stadium on Saturday, May 2, 2026.

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The stadium’s website lets fans sign up for presale access now. Tickets go on sale Thursday, January 15 at 12 p.m.

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – FEBRUARY 02: Bruno Mars performs onstage during the 67th Annual GRAMMY Awards at Crypto.com Arena on February 02, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images for The Recording Academy)

Bruno Mars – The Romantic Tour 2026 DatesApril – October 2026

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Apr 10, 2026 – Allegiant Stadium, Las Vegas, NV

Apr 14, 2026 – State Farm Stadium, Glendale, AZ

Apr 18, 2026 – Globe Life Field, Arlington, TX

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Apr 22, 2026 – NRG Stadium, Houston, TX

Apr 25, 2026 – Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field, Atlanta, GA

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Apr 29, 2026 – Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, NC

May 02, 2026 – Northwest Stadium, Landover, MD

May 06, 2026 – Nissan Stadium, Nashville, TN

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May 09, 2026 – Ford Field, Detroit, MI

May 13, 2026 – U.S. Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, MN

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May 16, 2026 – Soldier Field Stadium, Chicago, IL

May 20, 2026 – Ohio Stadium, Columbus, OH

May 23, 2026 – Rogers Stadium, Toronto, ON

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May 24, 2026 – Rogers Stadium, Toronto, ON

Jun 20, 2026 – Stade de France, Paris, FR

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Jun 21, 2026 – Stade de France, Paris, FR

Jun 26, 2026 – Olympiastadion, Berlin, DE

Jul 04, 2026 – Johan Cruijff ArenA, Amsterdam, NL

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Jul 05, 2026 – Johan Cruijff ArenA, Amsterdam, NL

Jul 10, 2026 – Riyadh Air Metropolitano, Madrid, ES

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Jul 14, 2026 – Stadio San Siro, Milan, IT

Jul 18, 2026 – Wembley Stadium Connected by EE, London, UK

Jul 19, 2026 – Wembley Stadium Connected by EE, London, UK

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Aug 21, 2026 – Metlife Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ

Aug 22, 2026 – Metlife Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ

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Aug 29, 2026 – Acrisure Stadium, Pittsburgh, PA

Sep 01, 2026 – Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, PA

Sep 05, 2026 – Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, MA

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Sep 09, 2026 – Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, IN

Sep 12, 2026 – Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, FL

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Sep 16, 2026 – Caesars Superdome, New Orleans, LA

Sep 19, 2026 – Hard Rock Stadium, Miami, FL

Sep 23, 2026 – Alamodome, San Antonio, TX

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Sep 26, 2026 – Falcon Stadium, United States Air Force Academy, CO

Oct 02, 2026 – SoFi Stadium, Los Angeles, CA

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Oct 03, 2026 – SoFi Stadium, Los Angeles, CA

Oct 10, 2026 – Levi’s Stadium, Santa Clara, CA

Oct 14, 2026 – BC Place, Vancouver, BC

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More information on the tour can be found online.

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‘Completely avoidable’: DC’s mayor reacts to ICE killing in Minneapolis

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‘Completely avoidable’: DC’s mayor reacts to ICE killing in Minneapolis


D.C.’s mayor and interim police chief took questions on immigration enforcement after an ICE agent shot and killed an unarmed woman in Minneapolis.

“If we don’t want ICE in our communities, we have to stop funding ICE – and that decision isn’t made here; it’s made at the Congress,” Mayor Muriel Bowser said.

The mayor was asked about her reaction to the killing.

“To me, it just is reflected, when you have people who are unaccustomed to urban policing trying to police in an urban environment. What it looked to me like – very bad, and I’m not a police officer, I’m not in law enforcement – but what I saw was completely avoidable, and a woman died,” she said.

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“ICE is patrolling American cities. If we don’t want that, the Congress has to stop funding ICE, because thousands of agents who are untrained to police in urban environments are on our streets,” Bowser added.

In two recent incidents in D.C., federal agents opened fire on drivers who the agents claimed were trying to hit them with their vehicles. In those cases, no one was injured.

Interim Chief of Police Jeffery Carroll was asked about public concerns that might happen here again.

“A lot of these individuals, they don’t work in urban policing. So, us working with federal authorities in the policing operations, being out there, actually helps us make sure that we can work in those areas to help control what’s going on,” he said.

“Obviously, I can’t assure you of anything. Obviously, I can assure you every situation is different, right, that officers encounter out there,” he added. “But I think having the relationship and having the federal authorities working with the officers does help to mitigate some of the challenges that we have with that.”

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Nadeau’s report on DC cooperation with immigration enforcement

Departing D.C. Councilmember Brianne Nadeau released a scathing report Thursday that’s critical of how MPD and the Bowser administration have cooperated with federal immigration enforcement.

“The primary finding is the loss of trust between the public and MPD,” she told News4. “The challenge that we’re finding is that the mayor and the chief’s interpretation of the Sanctuary Values Act has opened up a vulnerability whereby they are essentially cooperating with ICE in a manner that does not match with the intent of the law.”

Bowser declined to comment on the report.

Carroll said he has not decided whether to make any changes to MPD policies on cooperating with immigration enforcement.

Last month, Councilmember Brooke Pinto, who oversees public safety, sent a letter to the then-chief requesting detailed answers to several questions related to MPD’s cooperation with federal law enforcement. Carroll said Thursday that he will provide a response, which is due to the council by Friday.

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In this 4 More Context, News4’s Ted Oberg explains how many people in the D.C. area have been arrested by ICE and why.



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DC weather: Dry, mild Thursday with highs in mid 50s; rainy start to weekend

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DC weather: Dry, mild Thursday with highs in mid 50s; rainy start to weekend


A dry and mild Thursday is ahead for the Washington, D.C., region, with highs in the mid‑50s before a rainy start to the weekend.

What we know:

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The morning begins on the chilly side with some patchy fog. FOX 5’s Taylor Grenda says conditions stay dry as temperatures climb into the afternoon, with clouds building by evening.

Rain showers may develop late Friday afternoon into the evening, with highs in the upper 50s.

What’s next:

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Steadier rain moves in Saturday morning. Temperatures rise into the 60s, but on‑and‑off rain is expected through the afternoon and evening.

Sunday turns much drier, though highs fall back into the 50s. By Monday, colder air returns with highs in the 40s.

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DC weather: Dry, mild Thursday with highs in mid 50s; rainy start to weekend

The Source: Information in this article comes from the FOX 5 Weather Team and the National Weather Service. 

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