The Charlotte Hawkins Brown Museum (CHB) at Historic Palmer Memorial Institute (PMI) will host the second annual Sedalia Film Festival on Saturday, Nov. 21, from 11 a.m.- 1 p.m. The festival, which is free and open to the public, honors the legacies of Dr. Charlotte Hawkins Brown and PMI by highlighting films that showcase stories of legacy, heritage, and education. The Charlotte Hawkins Brown Museum is administered by the Division of State Historic Sites within the N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources (DNCR).
Through the power of cinema, the festival strives to preserve the spirit of resilience and tenacity, holding true to the rich history of CHB and PMI. This year’s program will feature six short films and one feature-length film, followed by time for filmmakers and attendees to interact. Film-inspired music for the day will be provided by North Raleigh Christian Academy’s Piano and Music Club. Awards for Best Film, Best North Carolina Filmmaker, Best Actor and Best Actress will be presented as well. A full program with film synopses and creator biographies will be available on the day of the film festival. Attendees can reserve free tickets here: https://www.tinyurl.com/SedaliaFilmFestival2026.
The selected films for the 2026 Sedalia Film Festival are as follows:
- “Alone Now” directed by Blake Martin
- “305 Fishkill Avenue” directed by Ramel Westry
- “Figaro, Figaro” directed by Tyler Schwartz
- “Through Their Eyes” directed by Amyna Price, Shronda Major, and Marcus January
- “PARAGRAPHS of a PAIGE” directed by Isaac Yowman
- “Broken Promises” directed by Joseph Giitter
- “A Class of Her Own” directed by Boaz Dvir
Sedalia Film Festival founder Dr. Eric Winston will be presented with the Charlotte Hawkins Brown Museum’s Trailblazer Award. Winston is a 1959 graduate of PMI and the founder and executive director of the Indianapolis Black Documentary Film Festival. He is a retired vice president of institutional advancement at Wilberforce University in Wilberforce, Ohio, and Columbia College in Chicago. He has been in the film industry since 2013, when he began producing documentaries including “Taking Park City,” “Taking Israel,” and “The Correct Thing: Palmer Memorial Institute.” “The Correct Thing” will be screened at this year’s festival.
Eboni Price serves as the festival’s creative director this year. Price is an award-winning director and writer known for bringing authentic stories of Black life to the forefront. Within the industry, she has worked with major companies including Bad Robot, Legendary Picture, and Shondaland. Her wide swath of experience includes work on “Grey's Anatomy,” “Bridgerton,” and “Star Wars: The Force Awakens.” Independently, she has directed 83 projects and counting, including a feature film “Free,” starring Wendy Raquel Robinson and Clifton Powell. Price is a proud graduate of Howard University and Netflix’s Series Director program.
About the Charlotte Hawkins Brown Museum
Founded in 1902 by Dr. Charlotte Hawkins Brown, Palmer Memorial Institute transformed the lives of nearly 2,000 African American students. Today, the campus provides a setting where visitors can explore the place where boys and girls lived and learned during the greater part of the 20th century. The museum links Dr. Brown and Palmer Memorial Institute to the larger themes of African American history, women's history, social history, and education, emphasizing the contributions African Americans made in North Carolina. The site is located at 6136 Burlington Rd. in Gibsonville, N.C. For more information, call 336-449-3310.
About the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources
The N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources (DNCR) manages, promotes, and enhances the things that people love about North Carolina – its diverse arts and culture, rich history, and spectacular natural areas. At more than 100 sites across the state, the department enhances education, stimulates economic development, improves public health, expands accessibility, and strengthens community resiliency. For more information, please visit www.dncr.nc.gov.