The festival began in 2012, showcasing 20 films, which aired on the PBS website and YouTube channel.
The festival ran from March 1 to April 16 and was hosted by filmmakers Patrick Epino and Stephen Dypiangco of the National Film Society.
The award was determined by adding all views, votes and Facebook and YouTube "shares" and "likes."
In 2017, films were additionally streamed on Apple TV, Amazon’s FireTV and the PBS app on Android and iOS.
[14][15] The 2019 festival ran July 15 to 26 and began with a screening event at the Howard Theater.
[16] The 2019 jury included Washington Post film critic Ann Hornaday.
[17] The festival included Balloon Girl, a film by children's TV creator Shabnam Rezaei.
[21] That year, selected films were separated into six topical categories: culture, family, race, humanity, identity and society.
[23] The films were presented in five categories: family, identity, culture, humanity and race.