About BAFF

This year's theme, "Freedom or War," is an ode to fallen revolutionaries like Huey P . Newton, who refused to accept the system's view on how things should be. The Black August Film Festival will be held on August 16 - 17,  2025, at the Flintridge Center in Pasadena. It is an event put on by the Pasadena African American Film Foundation. The festival will welcome films about social issues around the world. Black August is an annual commemoration and prison-based holiday to remember Black freedom fighters and political prisoners and to highlight Black resistance against racial oppression. It takes place during the entire calendar month of August.  Black August was initiated by the Black Guerilla Family in San Quentin State Prison in 1979 when a group of incarcerated people came together to commemorate the deaths of Pasadena residents and brothers Jonathan P. Jackson (d. August 7, 1970) and George L. Jackson (d. August 21, 1971) at San Quentin State Prison.  The Black August Film Festival is unique because it welcomes films that highlight social stigmas and issues, from oppression and minimum wage to the prison population and police abuse to a variety of other topics. The festival is filled with thought-provoking content and panels.  All proceeds go to the foundation. 

• The festival celebrates excellence with awards for categories such as Best Feature Documentary, Social Justice Film, and “Mood of Militancy”
   
• It serves as a springboard for films like Put the Guns Down and HoodTrophy Bino Story, bringing critical issues—and filmmakers—into the spotlight