Kakos School of Arts & Sciences
The Sixth Borough Film Festival
Where the Bronx Meets the Big Screen
The Sixth Borough Film Festival is back for year two. After a debut that filled Manhattan University's Riverdale campus with new stories from filmmakers across the world, SBFF returns April 2–4, 2027 for three days of global and Bronx-inspired filmmaking, just a short subway ride from midtown Manhattan. Whether you make shorts, features, documentaries, or anything in between, we want to see your work on the big screen.
Celebrating the Art of Storytelling Through Film
Located in the Riverdale neighborhood of the Bronx, Manhattan University's picturesque campus, just a short subway ride from midtown Manhattan, is home to the Sixth Borough Film Festival (SBFF), a three-day celebration of global and Bronx-inspired filmmaking.
The second annual festival, running April 2–4, 2027, features a dynamic lineup of shorts and feature-length films across genres, including narrative, documentary, animation, music video, and "Bronx Tales," stories about or inspired by the Bronx. Highlights include a special horror showcase, which brings audiences together for an evening of suspense and cinematic thrills.
SBFF is also a defining example of experiential learning at Manhattan University. Students will assist in the festival, gaining hands-on experience in areas such as press and media relations, social media strategy, programming, filmmaker engagement, community outreach, and event operations.
Watch the 2027 Sixth Borough Film Festival Trailer
See what's coming. Get a first look at the second annual Sixth Borough Film Festival, returning to Manhattan University April 2–4, 2027.
Awards & Prizes
- Best Student Film
- Best Narrative Short Film
- Best Narrative Feature
- Best Documentary Short
- Best Documentary Feature
- Best Horror
- Best Music Video
- Best Animation
- Best Bronx Tale
- Jury Chair Award
- Audience Award
- Best Borough Award
Rules & Terms
By entering their film, all entries agree to have their film screened at the Sixth Borough Film Festival, and their name and likeness as well as clips and stills from their film used for promotional materials related to the festival. All entrants must be 18 years old or older and have the legal right to submit their film. Music videos must have all rights to music as a component of the video for submission. Void where prohibited by law. Entries will be made by digital submission to FilmFreeway; no physical copies will be accepted. The festival is not responsible for films that are missing, damaged, unreadable, lost in transit, or stolen. The festival reserves the right to refuse service to anyone. Festival dates are subject to change. All screening times and venues may be subject to delay or change. Festival organizers reserve the right to change terms of agreement at their sole discretion.
The decisions of the festival judges and organizers are final.
Important Dates
| Date | Milestone |
|---|---|
| September 8, 2026 | Opening Date for Submissions |
| November 20, 2026 | Earlybird Deadline |
| December 21, 2026 | Regular Deadline |
| January 11, 2027 | Extended Deadline |
| February 8, 2027 | Notification |
| April 2–4, 2027 | Film Festival |
Honorary Jury Chair (2027)
Daphne Rubin-Vega
All the world's a stage, and the stage has always meant the world for Daphne Rubin-Vega, the Sixth Borough Film Festival's 2026 Vanguard Award winner and 2027 Honorary Jury Chair. The multi-Tony Award-nominated actor, producer and Broadway legend blazed trails in the mid-'90s by originating the role of free-spirited doomed lover Mimi Marquez in the groundbreaking, Tony-winning, New York City-centric show, Rent. Her showstopping performance fittingly earned the Panama-born, NYC-raised actress and singer a Theatre World Award for Broadway breakout star and her first Tony Award nomination for Best Leading Actress in a Musical, launching a highly acclaimed career spanning stage and screen.
Rubin-Vega earned her second Tony nomination for originating the role of Conchita in Nilo Cruz's Pulitzer Prize-winning Anna in the Tropics, and her Broadway credits also include The Rocky Horror Show, Les Misérables and A Streetcar Named Desire. On screen, she has appeared in Smash, Katy Keene and the film adaptation of Lin-Manuel Miranda's In the Heights, where her turn as salon owner Daniela introduced her to a new generation of fans, as well as tick, tick... BOOM! More recently, she has been seen in the Hulu series Only Murders in the Building and voices Carmilla Carmine in the A24/Prime Video animated series Hazbin Hotel.
Behind the camera, Rubin-Vega is an accomplished producer and storyteller in her own right. She co-starred in and co-produced the film Allswell in New York, and co-wrote and executive-produced Prime Video's The Horror of Dolores Roach, adapted from the popular Gimlet podcast and the solo stage play in which she starred. A fearless artist who moves between Broadway, film and television with equal command, Rubin-Vega embodies the boundary-crossing, New York-rooted spirit of the Sixth Borough Film Festival, and we are thrilled to welcome her back as our 2027 Honorary Jury Chair.
