OAK BLUFFS, Mass. — One of the most anticipated documentaries at the 24th Annual Martha’s Vineyard African American Film Festival (MVAAFF) is Soul Patrol, a powerful new feature documentary that uncovers a little-known chapter of American military history while honoring the courage of Black soldiers who served during the Vietnam War.
Scheduled to screen on Saturday, August 8, from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the Martha’s Vineyard Performing Arts Center, the 96-minute film will be followed by a Color of Conversation discussion featuring director J.M. Harper, former U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, and renowned Harvard scholar Dr. Henry Louis Gates Jr.
The documentary chronicles the story of the “Soul Patrol,” believed to be the first all-Black special operations reconnaissance unit to serve during the Vietnam War. Through the experiences of veteran Ed Emanuel and his fellow soldiers, the film explores how these elite servicemen carried out dangerous military missions overseas while confronting racial injustice and the Civil Rights Movement unfolding back home in the United States.
Directed by J.M. Harper, Soul Patrol combines archival footage, personal testimony, and historical analysis to reveal a forgotten story of heroism, sacrifice, and resilience. The documentary premiered in the U.S. Documentary Competition at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival, where Harper received the festival’s U.S. Documentary Directing Award, further establishing the film as one of the year’s most acclaimed documentaries.
A Festival Celebrating Black Storytelling
Founded in 2002 by filmmakers Stephanie Tavares-Rance and Floyd Rance, the Martha’s Vineyard African American Film Festival has grown from a small community gathering into one of the nation’s premier showcases for Black cinema. Today, the Oscar-qualifying festival attracts acclaimed filmmakers, Hollywood actors, producers, executives, and audiences from across the country for more than a week of feature films, documentaries, panel discussions, networking events, and conversations centered on Black storytelling.
Over the years, the festival has hosted appearances by many of the entertainment industry’s most influential voices and has become an important venue for launching films that later receive national distribution and awards recognition.
Why Martha’s Vineyard Matters
The setting for the festival is as significant as the films themselves.
For more than a century, Martha’s Vineyard has occupied a unique place in African American history. Beginning in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Black families from Boston, New York, Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, and other East Coast cities found the island to be one of the few welcoming vacation destinations during the era of segregation.
The town of Oak Bluffs became the heart of this legacy. Unlike many resort communities that excluded African Americans through discriminatory practices, Oak Bluffs developed into a thriving summer destination where Black professionals, educators, artists, entrepreneurs, military officers, and civic leaders could purchase homes, gather with family, and enjoy recreation free from many of the racial barriers they experienced elsewhere.
Among the island’s most treasured landmarks is Inkwell Beach, whose name originated during segregation. While its origins are debated, the beach evolved into a symbol of Black leisure, achievement, and community, eventually becoming one of the country’s most recognizable gathering places for African American vacationers.
Throughout the decades, Martha’s Vineyard has welcomed generations of distinguished visitors, including Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Harry Belafonte, Paul Robeson, Vernon Jordan, Spike Lee, Oprah Winfrey, Barack and Michelle Obama, and countless leaders in business, education, entertainment, sports, and public service.
Today, the island remains one of the nation’s most important centers of Black culture and heritage.
History Meets Storytelling
The screening of Soul Patrol at MVAAFF represents a fitting intersection of history and place.
The documentary preserves the legacy of Black servicemen whose contributions have often gone unrecognized, while the festival itself continues a long tradition of amplifying stories that have too frequently been overlooked by mainstream media.
The post-screening conversation featuring Secretary John Kerry—a decorated Vietnam veteran—and Harvard historian Henry Louis Gates Jr. promises to deepen audiences’ understanding of the film’s historical significance and the broader experiences of African Americans in military service and American society.
As the Martha’s Vineyard African American Film Festival enters its 24th year, films like Soul Patrol demonstrate why the event has become one of the country’s most influential celebrations of Black cinema. By preserving overlooked chapters of history and bringing them before new audiences, the festival continues to fulfill its mission of elevating diverse voices while honoring the enduring legacy of African American culture, resilience, and achievement.
