The Roxbury Film Festival (RFF) is the largest festival in New England dedicated to celebrating the work of filmmakers and film industry professionals of color. Their mission is to support these filmmakers and provide an opportunity for audiences to view their works and experience stories often overlooked in mainstream media.

RFF showcases feature-length films, documentaries and short films by New England Filmmakers of Color. RFF also features panel discussions by industry professionals and networking opportunities for filmmakers. This festival is co-sponsored by ACT Roxbury and The Color of Film Collaborative and is held annually as part of the Roxbury Arts Series developed by ACT Roxbury. Films are screened at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, the Tower Auditorium at Massachusetts College of Art, and at the Blackman Auditorium at Northeastern University.

· Retrospective Classic Screening - THE SPOOK WHO SAT BY THE DOOR. Screening Wednesday, August 18, 2004 at the Tower Auditorium, Massachusetts College of Art. Followed by Q&A with author Sam Greenlee and actress Daphne Maxwell Reid.

· Opening Night Feature - LOVE, SEX & EATING THE BONES. Screening Thursday, August 19, 2004 at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Followed by Q&A with actor Hill Harper (invited) and director Sudz Sutherland.

· Meaningful Panels for filmmakers and film enthusiasts including: From Production to PBS, Music for Movies: Scoring Your Film, and An Animated Conversation about Animation.

· Actor's Workshop with featured guest Ernie Hudson - "Tips for Sustaining an Acting Career"

· Celebrity Guests - Special Guests for this year's festival include: actor, Ernie Hudson; actress, Daphne Maxwell Reid; actor, Hill Harper (invited); author, Sam Greenlee; and director, Topper Carew.

· Q & A with filmmakers after most screenings.

· Private and public receptions with special guests and filmmakers that are among the most diverse in Boston.

· Closing awards ceremony. Awards include the Audience Favorite Award, the Henry Hampton Award for Excellence in Documentary Filmmaking, the Award for Emerging Local Filmmaker, the Award for Technical Excellence in Filmmaking, and the Festival Award for Best Short Film.

Among the local filmmakers who will show their films are Martha's Vineyard resident Stanley Nelson, Brookline native Robin Berghaus, WGBH-TV La Plaza Producers Patricia Alvarado and Arturo Sheimberg, Brookline resident Jean P. Boucicaut, and 11 student interns from the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem who created WHAT'S THE POINT? THE HOPE OF A GROWING COMMUNITY. Student filmmakers from the Institute of Contemporary Art's Fast Forward Teen After School Video program will show their films, GRANDMA TO THE TUMMY RESCUE and TABLE MANNERS.