She built MVAAFF. August culture runs through her.

Stephanie Tavares-Rance

Black film, culture, and August on the Vineyard

Most people think August on the Vineyard is about the beach. For a certain crowd, it's about the film festival. Stephanie Tavares-Rance built MVAAFF with Floyd Rance — from a Yahoo chat-room call for Black filmmakers into a nine-day institution in Oak Bluffs. Pratt, marketing, PR, years of showing up. If you're trying to understand where culture concentrates in August, this is where you start.

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