Festival dossier

Reel Sisters of the Diaspora Film Festival & Lecture Series

New York, United States · Est. 1997 · High structural score (80–100) for legitimacy and industry clout — not limited to Oscar-qualifying festivals

Tier ATrustedOscar Qualifying
New York, United States
100
Legitimacy Score

Should I submit?

Strong legitimacy signals

Tier A score for legitimacy and industry clout. Still confirm deadlines, fees, and categories on the festival site before paying.

  • Oscar Qualifying Festival
  • 29 years of verifiable history
  • Physical screenings at 270 West 96th Street New York, NY 10025

Overview

The Reel Sisters of the Diaspora Film Festival & Lecture Series is an annual Brooklyn-based festival founded in 1997 that is dedicated to showcasing narrative, documentary, experimental, and animated films produced, directed, or written by women of color and non-binary filmmakers of color. It is notably the first Academy Award-qualifying film festival for narrative shorts dedicated to women of color, providing a critical pathway for these filmmakers to gain Oscar consideration. The festival's significance lies in its mission to address industry representation gaps by screening over 5,000 films from women of African, Caribbean, Latino, Asian, Indian, and Native American descent while offering workshops and panels to advance their careers.

Last updated Aug 27, 2026

Legitimacy Analysis

Positive Indicators (+74 pts)

  • Oscar Qualifying Festival
  • 29 years of verifiable history
  • Physical screenings at 270 West 96th Street New York, NY 10025
  • 2 verified pro signals
  • Verified trusted status
  • Legitimacy signals outweigh concerns (5 vs 0)
  • Major accreditation with net-positive trust signals

Red Flags (-0 pts)

No red flags found

Trust Signals

Positive Signals

  • FilmFreeway Gold festival
  • Documented history with archived programs

Festival Details

Founded

1997

Venue

270 West 96th Street New York, NY 10025

Screenings

Physical screenings confirmed

Award Categories

2

Visit Festival Website

Related Festivals in United States

Research

Live web research is off to control API cost. This shows cached scheduled research when available, plus analysis from our database.

Hard research (cheap model + thorough prompt) runs on a cron for suspicious festivals; a biweekly job refreshes others. No live API calls from the site.

At a glance

Legitimacy Score100/100
TierTier A
Reviews0
Community Reports0

How scoring works

Scores are calculated from structural indicators: accreditations, physical screenings, award category count, submission frequency, and acceptance rate. Higher scores reflect more verifiable legitimacy signals.

Filmmaker reviews

No community reviews yet. If you submitted here, your experience helps others avoid award mills.

Write a reviewOr report a problem →

Write a review

Review Reel Sisters of the Diaspora Film Festival & Lecture Series

Get Alerts

Get notified when Reel Sisters of the Diaspora Film Festival & Lecture Series's tier changes or new reports are filed.

See something wrong?

Filmmakers and festival teams can propose listing corrections or submit verified evidence. Verified evidence can change a tier, but it is weighed alongside every other flag on this listing.

Request a correction
Compare Reel Sisters of the Diaspora Film Festival & Lecture Series with another festival →