Virginia Black Film Festival Founder Brings True-Story Drama ‘EFFIE’ to Williamsburg October 17

Film from award-winning Hampton Roads director explores injustice, perseverance and the humanity that can transcend racial and political divisions.

WILLIAMSBURG, VA, UNITED STATES, September 16, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Filmmaker and Virginia Black Film Festival founder Bryan G Thompson returns to the director’s chair with EFFIE, a powerful new film based on a true story, screening October 17, 2026, at 6:00 p.m. at the historic Kimball Theatre in Williamsburg, Virginia. The screening will be followed by a live conversation with Thompson and writer/executive producer Ted Knight.

Set in rural Georgia, EFFIE tells the story of a Black woman accused and ultimately convicted of killing her husband through a judicial process marked by profound inequities. Rather than simply recounting an injustice from another era, the film examines the courage, compassion and perseverance of people confronted with a system that appears determined to deny them justice.
For Thompson, the story carries a message that extends well beyond the period in which it takes place. “Hope, perseverance, and human decency can prevail in the face of injustice." People need that reminder in 2026 as much as they did in 1920.”

Thompson is the founder of the Virginia Black Film Festival and a filmmaker whose directing career spans 13 feature films across multiple genres. His work as both a filmmaker and festival founder has centered on creating opportunities for independent storytelling and bringing filmmakers and audiences together around stories capable of reaching beyond traditional boundaries.

Writer and Executive Producer Ted Knight notes that the story is universally relevant. “This is an American story beyond race and politics. It reminds us that oppression can build walls and bars, but it cannot imprison faith, dignity, or truth. The human spirit endures, and courage becomes an act of kindness.”

The October 17 presentation is designed to be more than a traditional film screening. Immediately following EFFIE, Knight and Thompson will take the stage for a live audience Q&A exploring the remarkable real-life case behind the film, which elements of the story are drawn from actual events, the process of translating those events to the screen, and the development of the upcoming feature film KINDNESS – The Effie Williams Story.

The Williamsburg screening provides audiences with an opportunity to experience the story on the big screen and then hear directly from the filmmakers about the history and people who inspired it.

EVENT INFORMATION
EFFIE — Film Screening & Filmmaker Q&A
Saturday, October 17, 2026
6:00 p.m.
Kimball Theatre
Williamsburg, Virginia
Screening followed by a live Q&A with writer/executive producer Ted Knight and director Bryan G Thompson.
Tickets are available through Eventbrite.

Bryan Thompson
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EFFIE Movie Trailer