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Afro Pride Federation

@afroprideflorida

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Empowering Afrocentric LGBTQ+ communities & the African diaspora through pride, culture, & wellness. ✊🏾🏳️‍🌈Follow us also @southfloridablackpride

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Still taking Friday night in. ❤️

Shades of Black began with time to gather, connect, explore the art and community tables, and settle into the space before we welcomed everyone into the film program.

We heard from Afro Pride Federation and Black Alphabet, then shared seven films centering Black LGBTQ+ stories across identity, family, creativity, health, memory, resilience and joy.

As the films played, I looked around the theater and realized we had a full house. That moment made me smile.

For the third year, I had the honor of producing and coordinating Shades of Black for Afro Pride Federation / South Florida Black Pride through Niki Lopez Creative. This year brought an unexpected pivot too, and I stepped into moderating our Beyond the Screen: Community Chat.

Our panelists shared honestly, the audience leaned in, asked questions, laughed with us and stayed engaged.

Afterward, people told me how much they appreciated the films, the range of stories, the art, the conversation and the care that went into the evening. One person spoke about how much knowledge they walked away with for the price of a ticket. Another shared gratitude that, alongside the weekend’s celebrations, there was also space for film, art and meaningful conversation.

That meant a lot.

I also loved that the night continued at Chocolate City Bar & Grill, whose owner, Marcele Bassett, had just joined our conversation about supporting one another and our community spaces.

Thank you to everyone who screened work, shared art, spoke, partnered, sponsored, promoted, volunteered, supported and simply showed up.

And thank you to everyone who trusted us with your Friday night.

This is why spaces like Shades of Black matter. ❤️

@southfloridablackpride
@afroprideflorida
@black_alphabet
@blackalphabet_fest
@nikilopezcreative_
@nikilopez19
@chocolatecity_bar

#ShadesOfBlack #SouthFloridaBlackPride #BlackQueerStories #BlackQueerCinema #NikiLopezCreative

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🎬 What does it take to feel at home in your own body when the world keeps telling you who you’re supposed to be?

Chestbound, directed by Janine Anne Uyanga, explores identity, self-expression, and the complexities of navigating gender expectations.

Some stories ask us to look beyond what we see and listen to what someone is experiencing.

This is one of those stories. And tomorrow, you’ll have a chance to experience it on the big screen.

Join us for Chestbound at the Shades of Black Film Showcase.

📅 TOMORROW, Friday, October 9 | 6–10 PM
📍 Victory Black Box Theatre | Fort Lauderdale
🎟️ $10 Early Bird Tickets
🔗 http://bit.ly/SOB26FilmShowcase
(link also in bio)

Film | Art | Community Chat

#ShadesOfBlack #SouthFloridaBlackPride #BlackQueerCinema #BlackQueerStories #HeatWaveWeekend

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We’ve shared the films. We’ve shared the artists. We’ve shared the trailers.

But this is the part we don’t want to get lost in the promotion.

Shades of Black matters because Black LGBTQ+ stories still deserve more spaces where they are not an afterthought, a special category, or one voice among many. They deserve to be centered.

This Friday, we’re bringing together film, visual art, memory, identity, health, creativity, resilience, and community conversation in one room.

And while Shades of Black centers Black LGBTQ+ stories and creative voices, everyone is welcome to be part of the experience.

🎬 Friday, Oct. 9 | 6–10 PM
📍 Victory Black Box Theatre, Fort Lauderdale
🎟 Early Bird Tickets: $10
🔗 http://bit.ly/SOB26FilmShowcase

Come for the films. Stay for the conversation. Celebrate the culture.

#ShadesOfBlack #SouthFloridaBlackPride #BlackQueerStories #BlackQueerCinema #HeatWaveWeekend

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🎬 South Florida stories deserve a place on the screen, and so do the filmmakers creating them.

Local filmmaker Nastassia Dillon brings Sea Salt to this year’s Shades of Black Film Showcase.

It may be the shortest film in our lineup at just under two minutes, but sometimes a story doesn’t need much time to leave something with you.

No trailer for this one. You’ll have to experience it with us Friday. 👀

📅 Friday, October 9 | 6–10 PM
📍 Victory Black Box Theatre | Fort Lauderdale
🎟️ $10 Early Bird Tickets
🔗 http://bit.ly/SOB26FilmShowcase
(LINK ALSO IN BIO)

Film | Art | Community Chat

#ShadesOfBlack #SouthFloridaBlackPride #BlackQueerCinema #SouthFloridaFilmmakers #BlackQueerStories

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🎬 What does it mean to be Black, gay and Southern, and to tell your own story on your own terms?
Southern Sonshine brings together poetry, music and personal storytelling as Black gay men reflect on Southern identity, HIV, healthcare, faith, stigma, resilience, joy and legacy.

There are stories we don’t get to see nearly enough on screen. This is one of them.

Watch the trailer, then experience Southern Sonshine as part of Shades of Black this Friday.

📅 THIS FRIDAY, October 9 | 6–10 PM
📍 Victory Black Box Theatre | Fort Lauderdale
🎟️ Early Bird Tickets: $10
🔗 bit.ly/SOB26FilmShowcase
(LINK ALSO IN BIO)

Film | Art | Community Chat

#ShadesOfBlack #SouthFloridaBlackPride #BlackQueerCinema #BlackQueerStories #HeatWave2026

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🎬 What happens when the opportunity you’ve been waiting for asks you to compromise the very thing that got you there?

SCORED follows two Black queer creatives hired to score a film while navigating representation, artistic compromise, grief, creativity and the value of their work.

This is one you don’t want to miss.

Watch the trailer, then come experience SCORED as part of the Shades of Black Film Showcase.

📅 Friday, Oct. 9 | 6–10 PM
📍 Victory Black Box Theatre | Fort Lauderdale
🎟️ Tickets: bit.ly/SOB26FilmShowcase
Link in bio

Film | Art | Community Chat

#ShadesOfBlack #SouthFloridaBlackPride #BlackQueerCinema #HeatWave2026

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🎨 ARTIST SPOTLIGHT | ROV MARLEY

Art is part of the experience at this year’s Shades of Black Film Showcase.

South Florida artist Rov Marley brings his bold, expressive work into the space as we gather for an evening of Black LGBTQ+ film, art and community conversation.

I came across this clip of Rov talking about art and collecting and loved hearing him speak about the work in his own voice. Here’s a little glimpse before you experience his art in person at Shades of Black.

🎬 Friday, October 9 | 6–10 PM
📍 Victory Black Box Theatre, Fort Lauderdale
🎟️ Early Bird Tickets: $10
🔗 southfloridablackpride.com | Link in bio
🎨
@southfloridablackpride
@afroprideflorida
@blackalphabet_fest
@black_alphabet
@marvikoloc
@rovmarley
@nikilopezcreative_
#ShadesOfBlackFilmShowcase #SouthFloridaBlackPride #BlackArt #BlackQueerArt #FortLauderdale

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Link 🔗 in BIO🌊😈💦🔫 The Time Is almost here!!!! #Heatwave #southflorida #Pride🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

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𝗘𝘅𝗰𝗹𝘂𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲 🍿🎬🌈— South Florida Black Pride and Black Alphabet return with the Shades of Black Film Showcase, an evening of Black LGBTQ+ film, visual art and community conversation taking place Friday, October 9, 2026, from 6–10 PM at Victory Black Box Theatre at the L.A. Lee YMCA/Mizell Community Center in Fort Lauderdale.

~Swipe to view a trailers! 🎞️

Presented as part of South Florida Black Pride’s Heat Wave Weekend, Shades of Black creates space for Black LGBTQ+ stories, filmmakers, artists and community voices to be seen, heard and celebrated.

This year’s curated program moves across romance, family, gender identity, health, cultural memory, music, creativity, resilience and joy, bringing together local South Florida creatives with Black LGBTQ+ stories from beyond the region.

The 2026 Shades of Black Film Showcase is produced and coordinated by Niki Lopez of Niki Lopez Creative. Following the films, Shades of Black continues with a live post-screening conversation exploring how Black queer stories move beyond the screen into lived experience, cultural memory, creativity, health, identity and…𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐮𝐥𝐥 𝐀𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐥𝐞 𝐚𝐭 𝐆𝐚𝐲𝐞𝐌𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐳𝐢𝐧𝐞.𝐜𝐨𝐦! 𝐓𝐚𝐩 🔗

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🎬 FILM SPOTLIGHT | COFFEE & LAVENDER

A tender summer romance between two young Black women. 🌈

Coffee & Lavender, directed by Allie Morgan, is one of seven films screening at this year’s Shades of Black Film Showcase during South Florida Black Pride.

And this is exactly why I love what film can do. We get to see Black queer stories that hold tenderness, desire, joy, complexity, family, identity and everything in between.

Come experience the films with us, then stay for the conversation.

📅 Friday, October 9 | 6–10 PM
📍 Victory Black Box Theatre, Fort Lauderdale
🎟 Early Bird Tickets: $10
🔗 southfloridablackpride.com | Link in bio

Film. Art. Community Conversation.

Presented by @southfloridablackpride @afroprideflorida + @black_alphabet
Production: @nikilopezcreative_
🎥 @muffyfilmproductions
🎥🌈✊🏽❤️
#ShadesOfBlack #SouthFloridaBlackPride #HeatWave2026 #BlackQueerCinema #BlackLGBTQ

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🎬 THE 2026 SHADES OF BLACK LINEUP IS HERE.

Film. Art. Community Conversation.

On Friday, October 9, Shades of Black returns for its third annual South Florida Black Pride Film Showcase at Victory Black Box Theatre in Fort Lauderdale.

This year’s program brings together seven films exploring love, creativity, family, gender identity, health, cultural memory, resilience, and Black queer life across generations:

🎥 Sea Salt — Nastassia Dillon
🎥 Final Ingredient — Lovely Jones
🎥 Coffee & Lavender — Allie Morgan
🎥 SCORED — Robert Henry
🎥 Chestbound — Janine Anne Uyanga
🎥 Tapestry: Reclaiming Our Past — Lorenzo Robertson / Ujima Men’s Collective
🎥 Southern Sonshine — Kevin Dapree Anderson

Following the films, Kenan Cooper-Gilmore of Black Gay Table Talk moderates:
Beyond the Screen: Black Queer Storytelling, Memory & Community
with Niki Lopez, Adam McMath, Lorenzo Robertson, and Lovely Jones.
🎨 The evening also features visual art by South Florida artists Rov Marley and Teepop.
This is more than a screening. It’s a space for Black LGBTQ+ stories, creative expression, memory, dialogue, and community.

📅 Friday, October 9
⏰ 6–10 PM
📍 Victory Black Box Theatre, Fort Lauderdale
🎟 Early Bird Tickets: $10
🌐 southfloridablackpride.com

🔗 Link in bio

Come for the films. Stay for the conversation. Celebrate the culture.

Presented by @southfloridablackpride @afroprideflorida + @black_alphabet @blackalphabet_fest
Live conversation: @bgttnetwork
Production: @nikilopezcreative_

#ShadesOfBlack #SouthFloridaBlackPride #HeatWaveWeekend #BlackQueerStories #BlackQueerCinema

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Have an idea that needs the right creative partner to bring it to life?

Niki Lopez Creative works with organizations, agencies, municipalities, and purpose-driven businesses to develop thoughtful, culturally grounded projects from concept to execution.

Our work can take many forms, from creative direction and design to cultural programming, placemaking, community engagement, curatorial work, and project production. Sometimes we’re shaping the vision. Sometimes we’re producing the experience. Often, we’re doing a little bit of everything to make sure all the pieces actually connect.

If you’ve been following our recent work, including the Shades of Black Film Showcase, you’re seeing some of that in action.

We’re interested in working with clients who value thoughtful creative work, understand its impact, and are ready to invest in doing it well.

Have something in mind? Let’s talk.

🔗 https://nikilopez.art/services
IG: Link in bio

#NikiLopezCreative #CulturalPlacemaking #CulturalProgramming #CreativeDirection #CommunityEngagement

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