BLACK LIVES MATTER.

BLACK STORIES MATTER.

BLACK FILMMAKERS MATTER.

Below is a retrospective on independent Black filmmakers who have screened with us over the years. This showcase explores feelings of rage, angst, warmth, humor, and resiliency. Please follow and support these filmmakers however you can. Demonstrate a commitment to changing the status quo. It can start here by becoming advocates for their work. Donate to their projects. Follow them on social. Amplify their voices. Listen to their needs. Hire them. In these difficult times, we must take action. We recognize that we share a responsibility to engage and empower artists everywhere.

Afropunk: Blackie

DIR. Simon Benjamin
After his performance at the hidden gem of the 2017 AFROPUNK Music festival The Punk Stage. One of Three short form films about the Punk and Hardcore scene– the less visible section of the Brooklyn festival.
GLANCE

DIR. Lemia Bodden
Jennifer Walkerson has a pretty banal and isolating life: She can't connect with her coworkers or relate to her parents, but she gets an instant connection from a prolonged stare from a stranger on a train.
SYRAH

DIR. Mike Holt
Two best friends are just trying to get a quick bite to eat when Siri takes them on an unexpected adventure.
LAS CHICAS

DIR. Elizabeth Bayne
Las Chicas is a humorous experimental short film about a romantically challenged African American protagonist, “Elizabeth.” When she prepares for a date with the help of her friends, “Mia” and “Erin,” deep-seated belief systems are challenged as they struggle to accept what Elizabeth believes is the source of her dating frustrations - her dark skin. This semi-autobiographical short film tackles the issue of colorism in the Los Angeles dating scene with wit and heart.
January 20th, 2017 - A Retrospective

DIR. Ron Brodie
Having attended several of the previous inaugurations (Bush in 2005, and Obama in 2009), I decided to attend Trump’s 2017 Inauguration along with three other photographers. The goal was to document the temperatures between what was taking place on the National Mall, vs. what would ultimately unfold beyond the checkpoint walls.
195 Lewis: Pop Party

DIR. Chanelle Aponte Pearson
A dramatic comedy series about a group of friends navigating the realities of being Black, queer, and polyamorous in New York City.
SHOOTERS: Trauma

DIR. Russell Craig
That person sitting next to you on the bus might be going through something inside. This is to magnify an element unnoticed by most. Deeply disturbing, way past the external, these scars are internal, often undiagnosed.
GET OUT FAST

DIR. Haley Elizabeth Anderson
A 15-year-old boy remembers his best friend Coyote Boy: a free-living train-hopper who has gone missing.
On the Ledge

DIR. Chelsi Bullard
A father and son fight to save a theater that played a part in civil rights, and is one of the last cultural markers in a neighborhood that is rapidly gentrifying.