Under the Stars Film Festival Returns to Clark Park With Outdoor Movies, Live Music, and Community Programming
Under the Stars Film Festival Returns to Clark Park With Outdoor Movies, Live Music, and Community Programming
cinéSPEAK is bringing back its beloved Under the Stars Film Festival this summer, transforming Clark Park into a vibrant open-air cinema for four Friday nights of film, music, and community gatherings.
Running every Friday from May 29 through June 19, 2026, the festival combines award-winning independent films, live DJs, food trucks, and local advocacy partnerships into one of Philadelphia’s most unique outdoor cultural events.
Each evening begins with community programming and live music at 7 p.m., followed by film screenings at 9 p.m.
This year’s festival centers around the theme of community resilience, highlighting stories of collective care, grassroots organizing, cultural preservation, and social justice.
The selected films explore how communities resist systemic challenges while building spaces rooted in creativity, survival, and solidarity.
Alongside screenings, the festival will once again collaborate with organizations including:
- ACLU of Pennsylvania
- Free Library of Philadelphia
- WHYY
- BlackStar Projects
Festival Schedule
Opening Night — Friday, May 29
Opening night features the Pennsylvania premiere of Everybody to Kenmure Street, winner of the Special Jury Award at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival.
The documentary follows a powerful community-led resistance to an immigration detention in Scotland.
The evening also includes:
- Barriga Llena, Corazón Contento (Full Belly, Happy Heart)
- Live music from Mariposas Galácticas
- DJ Ripley
- An after-party at Dahlak featuring riva + bianca
Week 2 — Friday, June 5
The second week spotlights independent journalism with a screening of Steal This Story, Please, centered on journalist Amy Goodman and her work with Democracy Now!
The program also includes the world premiere of Abolition Conversations: Episode 1, featuring Philadelphia organizers discussing visions beyond mass incarceration.
Music for the evening will be provided by Vinyl Tap 215 DJs Duiji and Aura.
Week 3 — Friday, June 12
Week three features Niñxs, an intimate coming-of-age documentary set in Mexico exploring identity, adolescence, and gender.
The evening’s musical guest will be DJ Vicenta.
Closing Night — Friday, June 19
The festival concludes with TCB: The Toni Cade Bambara School of Organizing, honoring the life and legacy of writer and cultural activist Toni Cade Bambara.
The closing night lineup also includes the world premiere of:
- #FreeBlackMamas: Hear Her Voice from the Philadelphia Community Bail Fund
Music will be curated by Clubfriends Records and Radio with DJs Nine of Wands and Afro Fem.
