2022 Festival Archive

“Queen Tahj” Williams, 22, has been a part of the Black Masking Indian culture in New Orleans since she was a young girl. Now after opportunity calls for her to leave the Crescent City, “The Young Queen” must now consider her future. In 2021, as the COVID-19 pandemic decimates communities across the globe, Black Masking Indians continue sewing their hand crafted suits. Some suits can take up to a full calendar year of intense focus and painstaking labor to complete.

After more than 300 days of work on what is potentially her final suit, Queen Tahj is ready to dazzle onlookers once again with her new “Black Suit” inspired by the legacy of African Queens. But less than two months before Mardi Gras, city officials cancel all parades for the season. For the first time in the centuries old tradition of Carnival in Louisiana, Black Masking Indians won’t be seen on the streets of New Orleans. But some still sew…

“Chicago Guy” poses the question, What would you do with your last 24 hours of life? This darkly comedic, day in the life, dance with spirituality against the backdrop of Chicago’s city scape features Derek Dow as Guy, David Leonard as God. Also features, Amariss Harris, Corey Hendrix and Kimm Beavers.

After Austin Ellis (Tyler Parks), off-grid tech wiz and self proclaimed ‘reality-theorist’ receives a package in the mail, he is sent on a journey to find his AWOL parents before vaccine mogul, Delilah Green (Zoë Yeoman) forces their return. Austin tries to calm his anxiety through weekly therapy sessions with Dr. Charlotte Walker (Candice Coke), who doesn’t always see eye to eye. With the aid of his best friend, Kat Frederick (Jacqueline Nwankwo), a modern day Robin Hood, Austin navigates this new world where cash is obsolete and Indemnity Points are the only form of currency.

After the racially charged shooting of an unarmed teenager, an officer of color must decide whether to stand on the side of the law or seek justice for his community.

A mother, suffering from a terminal illness, escapes hospice care to make a perilous journey across Newark NJ to attend her son’s graduation.

Craft beer generates tens of billions of dollars annually for the US economy. Despite beer’s Egyptian and African heritage, these traditions have been mostly forgotten and are rarely found in American brewing culture. Today, Black-owned breweries make up less than 1% of the nearly 9,000 breweries in operation. Eager to shift the historical perception of who makes and drinks beer, Black brewers, brand owners and influencers across the country are reshaping the craft beer industry and the future of America’s favorite adult beverage.

A cinematic poem bringing a different perspective and positivity in the fight against racial injustice.

The Stew is the story of a father’s struggle to recreate the stew that’s been passed down through his family for generations. But growing up, he never paid attention when his mother was trying to teach him. Now when it’s his opportunity to make the family stew for his son’s wedding, he’s out of luck. So he spends his nights literally trying to reach into the past and capture the magic his mother had.

“Welcome to the Friend Zone” is a romantic fantasy comedy set in a mysterious basement where men who have fallen in love with women who only see them as friends preside for the rest of their lives, unless they give up hope with their one true love and walk out of the basement and out of the lives of the only women they will ever truly love.

Woman is an in depth look into the relationships between black women and their mothers. This film explores reason, response and reflection of generational cycles.

The Blue Cave

Ali, a troubled yet imaginative boy, has one dream in life: to become a screenwriter. Neglected by his mother, brutalized by his stepfather, and bullied by members of the neighborhood gang; he longs for a safe space to simply write screenplays and immerse himself in the world of his imagination. As he searches for a safe haven, he discovers a magical cave. Nestled inside of the cave, he begins to write and draw prolifically. But as the violence from his stepfather and the local gang turn deadly, he must decide to either take a stand or lose his dream forever.

An 8 year old girl takes matter in her own hands when her mom denies her information about her dad.

A young witch who’s ready for romance casts a spell on her dreamy neighbor, only to learn a fiery love can burn.

When two irresponsible film school students have to make a short film for their final project, they decide to put a comedic twist to a horrific local cold case. But nothing ever goes as planned.

A comedy about feminist couple planning a commitment ceremony free from patriarchal traditions.

Diamond (early 20’s) decides to put her house up for sale after her mother dies from cancer. When Diamond walks into the house for the last time, she discovers a photo that brings up memories of her and her mother in the house before she passed. Diamond then enters into her past, re-living the moments leading up to her moving out and leaving her mother to live alone. When Diamond comes back to reality, she realizes she will keep the house because she knows it will keep her mother’s memory alive.

A Young Sketch Artist visits a well renowned psychiatrist as his life begins sprawling out of control after years of Physical and Verbal Abuse has taken a toll on him.

After decades of Black Americans consuming insulting misrepresentations of their culture, they find a familiar home in Japanese culture and in anime characters like Piccolo.

71 Seconds follows Trayvon Martin’s journey on the last page of his life written on February 26, 2012. This story highlights Martin’s innocence, as well as typical teenage angst. After making a stop at a convenient store, Martin is followed by the neighborhood watch member, George Zimmerman. Zimmerman called the police and expressed concern due to Trayvon’s appearance and demeanor while he was walking back to the home he was visiting. After a brief and violent altercation, Zimmerman fatally shot and killed Trayvon Martin. Zimmerman was later acquitted of second degree murder after claiming self defense based on Florida’s Stand Your Ground Law. This film is an exploration of the 71 seconds that are unaccounted for in the report of the altercation.

Atatiana Jefferson was murdered by a Fort Worth Police Officer while playing video games with her nephew. This short documentary is a reflection of her life. Friends and family remember her while the city of Fort Worth comes under fire for her murder.

Ensuing their father’s abandonment, two young brothers quarrel for control over their farm. Little do they know, there is a looming wolf in the woods.

Black Love Manifesto; A Suite in 5 movements uses photography, video, poetry and music to illuminate and celebrate the beauty and power of Blackness. It is a poetic mosaic of Black history, Black resilience, resistance and revolution, Black excellence, Black Joy and Black Love. It’s a medicinal balm for a weary and wounded people during these horrifying times. It is a battery for perseverance, remembering and hope.

With the ongoing campaign of police terror and the violence of white supremacy, Black Love Manifesto is poetic mediation on the indelible spirit of African Americans that pulled a mighty people through centuries of trauma. It is a celebration of melanin magic, antiquity and the life force of love… the kryptonite. Black Love Manifesto honors our past, salutes our current journey and envisions freedom.

Why do we dance for the dead? To most people, jazz funerals are a mystery.

After having chronic writer’s block, a grieving sister finds solace in virtual reality.

After an explosion rocks a small town, Lady M is abandoned and bullied by the company that took everything from her. Left with no options, she takes matters into her own hands. There is only one person that can stop her. Revenge is Justice.

A secret obsession leads down a dark path resulting in grim consequences.

New youth are hatched to Lovebugs Honey and Zoe in New Orleans, Louisiana. Join the adventure as these new parents make the tough decision not to mate their youth at hatch. This is truly a love story the entire family can enjoy.

Terrell Jones has all the ingredients anyone needs to give up. His father deceased, leaving him “man of the house”, to take care of his younger sister and now drug addicted mother. He doesn’t live in the best of neighborhoods and his only other real friend is his girlfriend Tracey. Yet through a series of events (with help from a particular entity) Terrell not only manages to cope, he thrives. His next accomplishment lies at his fingertips, as he receives a partial acceptance letter from an HBCU. Only catch, he has to tell them why they should accept him. With what seems like a simple task, the unexpected loss of Terrell’s go-to support entity spirals him into a world of self-doubt. Can he do this on his own? Can he accomplish anything else with without what he feels, is responsible for him flourishing?

After a fun and wild night in New Orleans, a tourist wakes up in his motel room to an awful surprise.

The Road to Justice follows two groups on a civil rights tour through the American South as they reckon with our painful history of racial injustice. The first, a group of predominantly Black middle school students from Chicago, and the second, a group of older Americans who lived through the 1960’s Civil Rights era. They come face to face with the leaders and everyday heroes whose courage and perseverance paved the way for future generations. The film was produced in partnership with The Nation, which began as the abolitionist newspaper “The Liberator” in 1831

A cinematic poem bringing a different perspective and positivity in the fight against racial injustice.

A young girl with an out-of-world musical ability discovers that she’s just been hanging with the wrong crowd after picking up celestial messages from an alien colony.