The seventh annual Arkansas Black Independent Film Festival (ARBIFF) is scheduled to occur Sept. 6 to 9. Philander Smith College will host the festival on Sept. 6 to 8 with screenings and directors and film workshops held Elder’s Lecture Hall inside the Kendall Building. Other screenings will be held at Arkansas Baptist College and Mosaic Templars Cultural Center. A closing ceremony will be held at the Dreamland Ballroom.

Special guests will include M.K. Asante, director of Black Candle: A Kwanzaa Celebration which is narrated by Maya Angelou depicting the origins of Kwanzaa. This film is one of several that will be screened on Philander’s campus. Julie Dash is also scheduled to be present during the festival. Dash is the director of Daughters of the Dust, a drama film depicting the culture of the Gullah people and an African-American family’s decision to move North during the early 20th century. Both film makers will be conducting workshops on campus as well. Film screenings are schedules to start at 11 a.m. each day.

Students from both Philander Smith College and Arkansas Baptist College are eligible to receive free tickets to the festival due to a $1,000 donation by Michael L. Williams, former railroad commissioner of the state of Texas. Williams is the uncle of Matt Ra Butterfly, executive producer of the ARBIFF. For non-students, standard admission tickets will be $15 while a four day pass is available for $75. Philander students must stop by the Office of Institutional Advancement inside Kelly Hall, Tuesday, Sept. 4 to obtain tickets. Tickets will be distributed on a first-come-first-served basis.

The Henry L. Dumas Foundation is the primary sponsor of the festival. For more information about tickets, locations, and film screenings, please visit www.arbiff.com.