6 hours ago
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by Mell P
Harlem’s Apollo Stages at the Victoria buzzed with creative energy on Thursday evening as Black Public Media (BPM) hosted the PitchBLACK Awards, capping off the nation’s largest pitch competition for films and immersive media telling Black stories. With hundreds of thousands of dollars in project funding distributed on the night, the ceremony drew together some of the most vital voices in documentary filmmaking, public media, and emerging tech storytelling.
BPM executive director Leslie Fields-Cruz welcomed guests to the storied venue at 233 West 125th Street, just steps from the neighborhood where Black Public Media has long planted its roots. The event followed a full day of competitive pitching at the PitchBLACK Forum on Wednesday, which was emceed by advertising futurist Tameka Kee. NPR’s Brittany Luse, host of It’s Been a Minute, moderated a warm and probing Artists’ Chat that gave the audience a rare extended look at two of documentary film’s most enduring partnerships.
(l-r) BPM Trailblazers Marcia Smith and Stanley Nelson with Black Public Media Executive Director Leslie Fields-Cruz at Black Public Media’s 2026 PitchBLACK Awards. Photo credit: Ed Marshall The evening’s most anticipated moment arrived with the presentation of the 2026 BPM Trailblazer Award to Firelight Media co-founders Stanley Nelson and Marcia Smith. The couple, who have spent 25 years building Firelight into a powerhouse for socially conscious documentary filmmaking and filmmaker mentorship, were saluted before a room full of peers and emerging creators they have helped shape. Film Producer Sekiya Dorsett, in a video tribute, described Smith as “a documentary Phylicia Rashad”, an acknowledgment of her warmth, stature, and grace within the field.
During the Artists’ Chat, Nelson and Smith reflected on a quarter century of Firelight Media and what sustaining a Black-led production company truly demands. Their message to the next generation was clear-eyed and direct. Nelson said, “Learn your craft and finish the film.”
Smith offered some hope for the future not just for filmmakers, but all creatives, saying, “The future is bright because we are gonna make it so. Black people have a psychological advantage because of crises we’ve been through. We will continue to do what we always did.”
Award-winning filmmakers Joe Brewster and Michèle Stephenson were among those in attendance, alongside PBS Chief Programming Executive and General Manager of General Audience Programming Sylvia Bugg, PBS Senior Director of Programming and Development Wendy Llinás, New York Women in Film & Television CEO Cynthia López, former Corporation for Public Broadcasting Senior Vice President Kathryn Washington, and 2022 BPM Trailblazer Award winner Marco Williams. Director Sekiya Dorsett was also present for the evening’s festivities.
The Winners
(l-r) BPM Trailblazers Marcia Smith and Stanley Nelson with Black Public Media Executive Director Leslie Fields-Cruz at Black Public Media’s 2026 PitchBLACK Awards. Photo credit: Ed MarshallThe PitchBLACK top Film Award of $150,000 went to Hiding in Plain Sight, a documentary directed by Luchina Fisher and Yvonne Welbon that excavates the history and enduring cultural impact of Black queer performers on music and culture. The immersive media competition yielded equally striking work.
The immersive category showcased the range of emerging talent competing for BPM support. First-place honors and $50,000 went to Squidpunk, a high-energy beat-’em-up video game centered on sisterhood and street fights in Y2K Japan, created by Naomi Urey and Georgiana Wright. Second place and $25,000 went to Connor Wall’s Omnivores Rule, a third-person biological simulation game exploring an android learning ecological empathy. The NCU Innovator Award went to Amirah Adem for work recognized as the Nonso Christian Fellow. Nile Price took home the $500 Viewer’s Choice Award for Silent.
Black Public Media Director of Emerging Media Lisa Osbourne with Liberian-American concept artist and graphic designer Naomi Urey whose game Squidpunk (created with Georgiana Wright) won the top Immersive prize of $50,000 at Black Public Media’s 2026 PitchBLACK Awards. Credit: Ed Marshall
Connor Wall, whose Omnivores Rule video game received $25,000 in production funding at Black Public Media’s 2026 PitchBLACK AwardsCredit: Ed Marshall
Nile Price 2026 AfroPoP Digital Shorts Viewers’ Choice winner for his film Silent at Black Public Media’s 2026 PitchBLACK AwardsPhoto credit: Ed Marshall
PitchBLACK is sponsored by Netflix, Andscape and the Sonder Foundation. The competition remains the largest of its kind in the United States dedicated to amplifying Black stories across both traditional documentary film and the rapidly expanding world of immersive media.
English (US) ·