Since 1981, the annual Black Maria Film and Video festival has been fulfilling its mission to advocate, exhibit and reward the poetic, expressive, and insightful vision of independent film and video makers. The festival is known for its national public exhibition program, which features a variety of bold contemporary works drawn from the annual collection of 50 award winning films and videos. Over 70 institutions welcome the Black Maria Festival, and each individual program is custom tailored, ensuring an accessible and meaningful experience for varied audiences at theaters, museums, colleges, libraries, film societies, microcinemas, and community organizations from coast to coast. There are no category restrictions, and the Black Maria is recognized by The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences as an Academy Award qualifying festival for short films (documentary, animation, and live-action).
