Mpenzi: Black Women’s International Film and Video Festival® grew out of a small Toronto Queer women’s organization. One of their programs was a “movie nite” of films and videos made by women. Adonica Huggins joined the group in 2001 because she was interested in film, and transformed this event into the “Black and Queer Black Women’s Film and Video Festival”. The new Festival was held in February and organized by Huggins as Program Director and other Black women and Women of Colour. In 2002 the newly named event screened at The 519 Church Street Community Centre, drawing well over the room’s capacity of 100 people. The Festival attendance jumped to 200 people in 2003 at the Central YMCA, and then to a sold-out audience of well over 200 in 2004 when it moved to the National Film Board of Canada.

Later in 2004 the Festival became independent of its original host organization, and with the assistance of the 2004–2005 Advisory Committee (Filmmakers Alison Duke and Dawn Wilkinson; Camera Operator Collette Browne; Programmers Kathleen Mullen and Nadia Hohn; Writer and Equity Consultant Annemarie Shrouder; Civil Rights Lawyer Kikélola Roach; Mentor Yvonne Huggins; and Web Master Natasha Sawyer), Huggins founded and trademarked Mpenzi: Black Women’s International Film and Video Festival®. In 2005 Mpenzi screened at the NFB and tickets were sold out well in advance. In 2006 Mpenzi moved to the Medical Sciences Building Auditorium at the University of Toronto where it was able to accommodate over 300 people. Mpenzi has consistently received rave reviews from its audiences.