Please refer to the official websites for events to ensure that you have the most up-to-date information about ticketing, reservations, delays, rescheduling, cancellations, and other guest policies for venues, including relevant COVID-19 requirements. Inclusion in the Philadelphia Monthly Cinema Arts Round-Up does not signify cinéSPEAK’s endorsement of an event or organization’s mission or political affiliations.
It’s finally spring in Philly, which means cherry blossoms, the return of the Phillies, and a blooming independent film scene! There are film events celebrating Earth Month, Jazz Appreciation Month, and the return of outdoor screenings.
There are also many opportunities to see filmmakers talk about their work: RaMell Ross and Joslyn Barnes will do a post-screening discussion for their film Nickel Boys; several local filmmakers including gabe castro and S.L. Sawyer will offer engaging activities after a screening of their horror shorts; and local writer and DJ John Morrison (you may recognize his voice from WXPN!) will be in conversation with Anyabwile Love, the local creator of the jazz-centered short film Speakn’ Trane.
Make sure to read the full round-up to plan your April of indie film.
Wednesday, April 1, 2026 at 7 PM
Strange Truth: Nickel Boys with RaMell Ross and Joslyn Barnes
Sent to a brutal juvenile reformatory in the Jim Crow South, two Black teenagers rely on one another to survive and sustain their hope. Adapting Colson Whitehead’s Pulitzer-winning novel using a stunning first-person style, Nickel Boys was nominated for Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay at the 97th Academy Awards. Writer/director RaMell Ross and writer/producer Joslyn Barnes will join for a post-film conversation, moderated by Haverford Assistant Professor Swetha Regunathan, Ph.D.
Cost: $0-$16.25
Bryn Mawr Film Institute — 824 West Lancaster Avenue, Bryn Mawr, PA 19010
Thursdays, April 2, 9, 16, 23, 2026
Confluence Film Festival
The third annual Confluence Film Festival is presented by the Academy of Natural Sciences in partnership with cinéSPEAK, PAAFF, BlackStar Projects, and PHLAFF. A month-long environmental film series in celebration of Earth Month, this year’s program includes MUNDURUKUYÜ – The Forest Of The Fish Women, Nocturnes, Seeds, and El Tren y la Península. Make sure to check out opening night on April 2, produced by cinéSPEAK, with the party at 5 PM and film program and Q&A starting at 6:30 PM.
Cost: $10 per event
The Academy of Natural Sciences — 1900 Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Philadelphia, PA 19103
Saturday, April 4, 2026 at 7 PM
Under the Influence Film Screening: Horrors of Social Media
Presented by South Philly Autonomous Cinema, Dusky Projects, and the Ghouls Next Door with support from cinéSPEAK, this screening will explore the horrors of social media through independent short horror films. Films are followed by IRL activities to bring people off screen and into the room. Featured artists include David Dylan Thomas, S.L. Sawyer, gabe castro, and Carlos Meléndez.
Cost: $10 (Suggested Donation)
Vox Populi — 319 North 11th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107
Friday, April 10, 2026 at 7 PM
Scribe Storyville: You Don’t Have to Go Home, But… by Aidan Un
You Don’t Have to Go Home, But . . . is a grimy love letter to Philly. Following dancers at different stages of their artistic lives, with legendary party Second Sundae as backdrop, this film examines the possibility of spiritual fulfillment in a socioeconomic configuration that ultimately doesn’t value the practices that make us free. The documentary will be preceded by the short Hip Hop Life, made by students in Scribe’s Documentary for History Project for Youth.
Cost: $3-$5
Scribe Video Center — 3908 Lancaster Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19104
Monday, April 13, 2026 at 6 PM
cinéSPEAK x Two Locals Movie Mondays: Speakn’ Trane and Sylvie’s Love
In April, celebrate Jazz Appreciation Month with Eugene Ashe’s Sylvie’s Love and Anyabwile Love’s Speakn’ Trane (local short). In the 2020 film Sylvie’s Love, when a young woman meets an aspiring saxophonist in her father’s record shop in 1950s Harlem, their love ignites a sweeping romance that transcends changing times, geography, and professional success. Following the program, culture writer John Morrison will be in conversation with Anyabwile Love. Enjoy happy hour 5-7 PM, BYO dinner, and eat free popcorn!
Cost: Free (Donations Encouraged)
Two Locals Brewing Company — 3675 Market Street, Suite 100, Philadelphia, PA 19104
Thursday, April 16, 2026 at 7 PM
cinéSPEAK x Vox Populi Third Thursdays: The People Rise Up (Part 2)
This Third Thursdays screening will include three short documentaries from Third World Newsreel, as a follow up from the People Rise Up screening in February. Third World Newsreel documents grassroots movements for land sovereignty both domestically and around the world. This program showcases revolutionary struggles in the Dominican Republic, Palestine, and New York City.
Cost: $10
Vox Populi — 319 North 11th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107
Friday, April 17, 2026 at 7 PM
Scribe Producers’ Forum: True North by Michèle Stephenson
Through the use of never-before-seen archives and the voices of those who lived through the tumultuous period of 1960s Montreal, True North explores the pivotal events of a moment that impacted the global movement for Black liberation by centering the Congress of Black Writers and the Sir George Williams affair. Michèle Stephenson is a documentary filmmaker who was born in Haiti and now lives in Brooklyn. She directed Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project (2023), and True North is her latest film.
Cost: $4-$8
Scribe Video Center — 3908 Lancaster Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19104
Friday, April 17 – Thursday, April 23, 2026
Philadelphia Film Society SpringFest
SpringFest returns with double the screens for an even bigger and more vibrant seven days of storytelling from a dynamic slate of new voices and bold stories featuring global and local filmmakers. Presented as part of PFS’s year-round festival programming, SpringFest is a first taste, featuring film premieres, filmmaker conversations, and community-focused events. Full program details coming soon.
Cost: $12-$115
Philadelphia Film Society East — 125 South 2nd Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106
Friday, April 24, 2026 at 5 PM
cinéSPEAK Under the Stars Preview Party
Attend this special evening with cinéSPEAK to be the first to hear this year’s full Under the Stars festival lineup and celebrate the season ahead. Enjoy tunes by DJ Jamz, cash bar, complimentary light refreshments, and great company as we gather to kick off cinéSPEAK’s annual outdoor film festival in style.
Cost: Free (Donations Encouraged)
The Lawn at uCity Square — 3701 Filbert Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104
More Events:
Thursday, April 2, 2026 at 7:30 PM
Philly Premiere: Room Temperature
Cost: $14.52
PhilaMOCA — 531 North 12th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19123
Saturday, April 4, 2026 at 2 PM
The Secret Cinema Presents: Films from the Free Library of Philadelphia
Cost: Free
Parkway Central Library — 1901 Vine Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103
Wednesday, April 8, 2026 at 5 PM
The Center for Africana Studies at Penn Presents: 4 Little Girls
Cost: Free
Jon M. Huntsman Hall Auditorium (G06) — 3730 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104
Wednesday, April 8, 2026 at 7 PM
Lightbox x Ars Nova Present: The Magic City: Birmingham According to Sun Ra
Cost: $13.24-$15.28
Bok Auditorium — 800 Mifflin Street, Philadelphia, PA 19148
Wednesday, April 8, 2026 at 7:30 PM
Local Filmmakers: MCCC Five Day Film Festival
Cost: $8-$13.50
The Ambler Theater — 108 East Butler Avenue, Ambler, PA 19002
Thursday, April 9, 2026 at 7:30 PM
The Secret Cinema Presents: From Philadelphia With Love
Cost: $11.75-$16.25
Bryn Mawr Film Institute — 824 West Lancaster Avenue, Bryn Mawr, PA 19010
Friday, April 10, 2026 at 5:30 PM
Conversation & Screening with Rea Tajiri
Cost: Free
Fisher-Bennett Hall 401 — 3401 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104
Sunday, April 12, 2026 at 1 PM
The Ancient Law with Live Klezmer Score by Donald Sosin and Alicia Svigals
Cost: $13.75-$21.75
Bryn Mawr Film Institute — 824 West Lancaster Avenue, Bryn Mawr, PA 19010
Sunday, April 12, 2026 at 5 PM
Lightbox Presents: Suburban Fury
Cost: $13.24-$15.28
Bok Auditorium — 800 Mifflin Street, Philadelphia, PA 19148
Sunday, April 19, 2026 at 7 PM
PJFM and Penn Cinema & Media Studies Present: Tropical Paradise
Cost: $0-$20
Weitzman Museum of American Jewish History — 101 South Independence Mall East, Philadelphia, PA 19106
Wednesday, April 22, 2026 at 7:30 PM
Local Filmmakers: First Take Shorts Series
Cost: $0-$10
The Ambler Theater — 108 East Butler Avenue, Ambler, PA 19002
Saturday, April 25, 2026 at 2 PM and 6 PM
Diamond Screen Presents: Film and Media Arts Festival
Cost: Free
Temple Performing Arts Center — 1837 North Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA 19122
Monday, April 27, 2026 at 7 PM
Stepping Into The Unknown: Films From The Bob Dylan Center
Cost: $13.75-$21.75
Bryn Mawr Film Institute — 824 West Lancaster Avenue, Bryn Mawr, PA 19010
Wednesday, April 29 and Thursday, April 30, 2026 at 7 PM
Table Sessions: Kristal Sotomayor
Cost: $28.52-$113.89
Bartram’s Garden — 5400 Lindbergh Boulevard, Philadelphia, PA 19143
*Featured Image: Still from Nocturnes. Courtesy of Grasshopper Film.
Sophia Abraham-Raveson is the Managing Editor for the cinéSPEAK Journal. In addition to working at cinéSPEAK, Sophia is a licensed social worker in Pennsylvania, a volunteer with the restorative justice group Let’s Circle Up, and a musician and songwriter in her band Charm School Looks.
