2026 Pulling Focus African American Film Festival of the Quad Cities -- June 4 through 7
Thursday, June 4, through Sunday, June 7
Various Area Locales
Launched in 2023 by the Azubuike African American Council for the Arts and taking place in various area locales June 4 through 7, the fourth-annual Pulling Focus African American Film Festival of the Quad Cities will again bring together filmmakers, artists, educators, and audiences for independent film screenings, filmmaker conversations, cultural dialogue, and community celebration throughout the Quad Cities region.
Presented by the Azubuike African American Council for the Arts, the festival continues to grow into a vibrant regional platform dedicated to amplifying the voices and stories of Black filmmakers worldwide while fostering meaningful conversations through cinema. Founded in 2014, Azubuike African American Council for the Arts is a Quad Cities-based nonprofit organization dedicated to uplifting underserved youth and communities through arts, culture, film, education, and Black-history programming. Through initiatives such as the Urban Exposure Independent Film Project, community screenings, youth arts education, and the Pulling Focus African American Film Festival, Azubuike creates platforms for expression, cultural preservation, healing, and creative opportunity through the arts.
Festival venues include The Last Picture House (325 East Second Street, Davenport IA), the Putnam Museum & Science Center (1717 West 12th Street, Davenport IA), the Figge Art Museum (225 West Second Street, Davenport IA), TMBC Lincoln Resource Center (318 East Seventh Street, Davenport IA), and STEa.m. on Wheels (2106 Fourth Avenue, Rock Island IL) – reinforcing the festival’s commitment to serving audiences throughout both Iowa and Illinois in the bi-state Quad Cities region.
Saturday evening’s featured presentation will be the powerful film The Kahiki 3 & Me from award-winning director Amber Monet, award-winning producer Safiya Songhai, Esq., and producer Nikki Johnson-Alfano. Set in 1970s Columbus, the film begins with what should have been a joyful family celebration at the famed Kahiki Supper Club before a police confrontation turns the evening into tragedy. Decades later, the infant at the center of that night’s trauma – now a lawyer – confronts the hidden scars, family secrets, and generational wounds that shaped both her family and her own journey toward resilience. The screening will include an in-person and virtual Q&A with the filmmakers following the film.
“This festival was created to provide space for Black filmmakers and storytellers to be seen, heard, and celebrated,” said Gaye Shannon Burnett, co-founder of Azubuike African American Council for the Arts and festival director. “Pulling Focus is about more than film. It’s about connection, representation, dialogue, and creating opportunities for our community to experience powerful stories together.”
The festival’s 2026 lineup will feature narrative films, documentaries, student work, experimental cinema, animation, and the festival’s Sunday Matinee documentary selections – films curated to spark conversation about social justice, healing, identity, history, and community transformation. The festival is made possible through the generous support of Hubble Waterman Foundation, Regional Development Authority, Humanities Iowa, Gma Jackson Howze Charitable Foundation, and Azubuike African American Council for the Arts.
This year's schedule of events and screenings includes:
Thursday, June 4 – Matinee Screening
TMBC Lincoln Resource Center
11:30 a.m. – 1:45 p.m.
Thursday, June 4 – Opening Night Premiere
The Last Picture House
Opening Reception: 5:30 – 6:30 p.m. Screenings begin immediately afterward, followed by a short Q&A with available filmmakers.
Friday, June 5 – Matinee Screening
STEa.m. on Wheels
11:30 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Friday, June 5 – Evening Screenings (Section One)
Putnam Museum & Science Center
5 – 7 p.m.
Friday, June 5 – Evening Screenings (Section Two)
Putnam Museum & Science Center
7:30 – 9:30 p.m.
Saturday, June 6 – Matinee Screenings
Figge Art Museum
11 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.
Saturday, June 6 – Filmmakers Mixer & Reception
Figge Art Museum
2:30 – 4:30 p.m.
Saturday, June 6 – The Kahiki 3 & Me Screening & Filmmaker Q&A
The Last Picture House
6 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Sunday, June 7 – Matinee Screenings
Figge Art Museum
noon – 2:30 p.m.
Sunday, June 7 – Awards Ceremony
The Last Picture House
3 – 5 p.m.
For more information, visit PullingFocusFilmFestival.com.
