The 31st annual New Orleans Film Festival has updated this year’s festival dates, running for three weeks this November (4-22). The New Orleans Film Festival is celebrated for its brilliant and diverse independent film selections spotlighting emerging regional and international storytellers. 

This year’s festival aims to reach wider audiences while maintaining social distancing measures by featuring some of its lineup online. Favorite live event components like film premieres, galas, Q&As, virtual reality experiences, filmmaker panels, workshops, networking events, and parties will be incorporated into the festival and announced in the coming months. New Orleans Film Festival recognizes the importance of keeping audiences safe while still enjoying fun, creative in-person activities. 

Additionally, in solidarity with the #BlackLivesMatter movements occurring around the country, the New Orleans Film Society has compiled a list of films from Black filmmakers that highlight the Black experience and have made most of them available to stream for free. The films include Belly of the Beast, directed by Erika Cohn; Straight Line, directed by Carl Harrison Jr.; Just Mercy, directed by Destin Daniel Crettin; I Am Not Your Negro, directed by Raoul Peck; and selected free titles brought to you by Criterion Channel which include Julie Dash’s Daughters of the Dust, Maya Angelou’s Down in the Delta, Shirley Clarke’s Portrait of Jason, Ousmane Sembène’s Black Girl, Kathleen Collins’ Losing Ground, and more. 

The 31st annual New Orleans Film Festival will take place November 4 through 22. Lineup and events will be announced in the coming months. For more information, click here.