Studio 3531
Monochromatic - TBFS 2024 Short Film
TBFS 2024 Slate of Films
Coming together for the love of film & the Culture
Happening March 20-23, The Black Film Summit brings you 47 outstanding films from across the country and around the world.
The Black Film Summit is dedicated to creating a welcoming environment for filmmakers across the Pan African diaspora to gather, be heard, and have their work showcased. We strive to give the African American community and its allies a safe space where they can enjoy, converse, and celebrate independent films featuring people of color.
About 2024
Film Slate
TBFS 2024 offers 47 films from across the United States and around the world. Here you can delve into the films and plan your time at The Black Film Summit.
Film Sections
*Note that film information and descriptions are provided by the filmmakers.
Nightly Feature Films
Each Night TBFS will have a Feature Presentation to conclude the the day of films.
Finding Tony
Director/Screenwriter: Raven Magwood Goodson, Producers: Raven Magwood Goodson, Joyce Licorish, Anthony Davis, Chandra Magwood, Andreas Olavarria
When a depressed, widowed NBA star loses everything, he reluctantly begins coaching a junior college women's basketball team, where he meets an orphaned basketball phenom who will change his life forever.
Cast: Stephen Bishop, David Banner, Rayven Symone Ferrell, Columbus Short, Brook Sill, Josh Ventura, Jock McKissic, Rodney Perry
Freedom Hair
Director/Screenwriter: Dianne Houston, Producers:Rob Pfaltzgraff, Lana Link, Stacey Parks
Based on the inspiring, true story of Melony Armstrong, a mother who works at a shelter for battered women decides to start a natural hair braiding business to achieve financial independence for herself and others. To do so she must overcome unexpected obstacles imposed by a powerful cartel and the state of Mississippi.
Cast: Simona Brown, Sophia Bush, Erica Tazel, Jeremie Harris, Sharon Conley
Lukas
Director/ Producer:Philippe Robert Jean Talavera, Screenwriter: Mikiros Garoes
A child in the streets of Windhoek. After witnessing the brutal murder of his mum and being chased away from his auntie’s house, Lukas starts a journey in the streets of Windhoek, Namibia. As the past constantly catches up with his present, will Lukas be able to escape the streets?
Cast: Alejandro Cooper, Hernandes Gaonakgosi, Treazurique Titus
Sway
Director: Charlie Hamilton, Zach Ramelan, Producers: Emmanuel Kabongo, Chris Morsby, James Stewart, Mishael Morgan, Daniel Govia
A Black community leader, who has it all, sees his life spiral out of control within hours after his brother goes missing, he’s blackmailed by a strange woman, and a murder tests how far he will go to protect the ones he loves.
Cast: Emmanuel Kabongo, Mishael Morgan, Lovell Adams-Gray, Brittany Raymond
Feature Films
These feature length films will be presented throughout TBFS during matinee hours, 10am-6pm respectively.
Kikum Spirit
(The Untold African Story)
Director: Anurin Nwunembom, Producer: Lukong Dieudonne Yufenyuy, Screenwriters: Forkwa Blaise Babila, Lukong Dieudonne Yufenyuy, Anurin Nwunembom
Fonyuy thinks people bearing gifts don't come with bad intentions. So he takes the gifts from Pedro and Enrico.The Fon thinks his people can benefit from knowing more about the strangers land. So he sends his son Mumu to the foreigners' land to learn about them.When they return without his son, the truth about their initial visit and intentions hits the villagers and leaves them beyond shocked.
Cast: Ngwa Muma Bernard, Sutchou Jean Claude, Bryan Batif Guillamon
Light In Us Dark Ones
Director/ Producer/ Writer: Alicia Buckner
The story of VISIONS co-founder, Dr. Valerie Batts’ early life. Inspired by true events, the film crafts a narrative of a young woman whose upbringing and connection to family and community leads her to take on big challenges and begin building a legacy of healing in a world steeped in division.
Cast: Ilia Jones, Matthew Gademske
SHAPES OF AFRICA
Directors: Carolina Boco, Luca La Vopa, Producer: Corrado Azzollini, Screenwriters: Francesca Muci, Corrado Azzollini, Carolina Boco, Serena Porta
Cast: Roberta Mastromichele, Corrado Fortuna, Diane Fleri, Marlon Joubert, Grace Neema Enock, Maria Grazia Cucinotta
The Pages Of My Heart: Volume One
Director: Deon Gibson, Producers: Carrie Gibson, Deon Gibson, Shellita Boxie, Jeremy Perez, Ben Woods, Writer: Sheila Velazquez, Melissa Amos, Deon Gibson,
Cast: Geneva Maccarone, Jarron Webster
Short Films
TBFS 2024 presents impactful short, 40 minutes or less, films from around the world.
Ada Ani (The Awakening)
Director: Andrea R. Ciobanu, Producer: Lydia Idakula, Screenwriters: Nnanna Kalu, Ndukwe Onuoha
Tormented by constant nightmares about drowning, Ada cannot sleep through the night and is even now terrified by the thought of getting into a bathtub. After constant persuasion from her flatmate, she finally agrees to see someone – a “guide” – about her condition.
Cast: Natisha Williams–Samuels, Diana Yekini, Christopher Iheuwa
Black Girl From Portland
Director: Iyore Odighizuwa, Producer: Iyore Odighizuwa, Screenwriter: Iyore Odighizuwa
An experimental short film that journeys through a few well known streets in Portland, Oregon, as the main character simultaneously journeys through her feelings about her city as a Black girl. The good, the bad and the unfortunate.
Cast: Anntwannette McKenzie, Dejuanae Toliver
Bottled Spirits
Director: Elizabeth Carter, Producer: Reginald Edmund, Simeilia Hodge-Dallaway, Nataki Garrett, Screenwriter: Cat Brooks
Louise is a native of West Oakland, California; a community once known as the Harlem of the West. Gentrification has turned her beloved community into unfriendly and unrecognizable territory and the weight of being Black in America now threatens to crush her. She straps on the daily armor of alcohol, cigarettes and a sharp tongue to block out the constant ache of losing everything that ever mattered. On this day however, a door she has been banging on for years magically opens, an ancestor arrives to help and Louise battles her demons - and herself - in a desperate attempt to find the courage to walk the difficult path toward redemption.
Cast: Margo Hall
Death & Taxes
Director/Screenwriter: Matthew Morris, Producer: Krushan Naik, Andre J Ferguson, Alitl Luna Flores
Death & Taxes focuses its lens on Chester, PA - a small Black city in the midst of a violent state of emergency. Through a layered analysis of the absurdity of being numb to death, our lead is a hyperbole of this phenomenon-a mortician's assistant working overtime to pay for his brother's funeral.
Cast: Adrian Hospedale, Ade Chike Torbert, Shea Buckner
Dignity
Director/Screenwriter: Pat Battistini
Producer: Pat Battistini, Jason Goulet, Adam W. Karwowski, Lorey Hayes, Tom Katsis
"Dignity" is a love story between a woman and her family. However, the family's strength is tested when a moral decision must be made.
Cast: Lorey Hayes, Tom Katsis, Mildred Langford, Clay Cureton
Déni Choubaga
Director: Django Schrevens, Producer: Babacar BA, Screenwriter: Ibrahim Sano, Aissatou Bassene, Django Schrevens, Oumar Diolo
On the outskirts of Ziguinchor, in southern Senegal...
A young woman is accused of witchcraft while her village is mysteriously plunged into illness. Anger mounts in the neighborhood and the young woman is trapped: her fate is now in the hands of her two older brothers, who will have to decide whether she is innocent or not.
Cast: Oumar Diolo, Ramata Sissoko, Babacar BA
Hypnopompia
Director/Screenwriter: Cyrus Richardson
Producer: Cyrus Richardson, Patrick Phillips, Oliver Mann
Michelle experiences a sleep state of Hypnopompia that makes her nightmare a reality.
Cast: Dwayne Eggerson, Nicole Stubbs
Just Enough
Director/Screenwriter: Cat Hurston, Producer: Cat Hurston, Jaylin Gant, Patrecia Moore
Story about a man and a woman from two different cultures who fall in love and plan a life together but jealousy from someone in their circle does all they can to block that from happening.
Cast: Jean Charles, Cat Hurston
Lifeline
Director: Shaun Heard-Mckoy, Edwin Walker, Producer: Jeff Gaylan, Ellis White, Robin Hill, Stephanie Hill, Screenwriter: Shaun Heard-Mckoy, Shannon Clark,
Marcus has lived life with the weight of the world on his shoulders. Well, today it all comes crashing down when he terrifyingly contemplates suicide in a game of Russian roulette.
Cast: Shuan Heard-McKoy, Brent Grimes, Chantal Nchako, Sheila Heard, Maylon McKoy
Monochromatic
Director/Screenwriter: Karen Bryson, Producer: Shakyra Dowling, Lorraine Bhattachary
The film is seen through the eyes of Grace, age 6. The world as she sees and experiences it, innocent, carefree and mischievous. Grace is Black. 1977, Wood Green London. The political climate is volatile with the rise of the National Front. The UK is dealing with the aftermath of Enoch Powell’s ‘Rivers of Blood’ speech, calling for the repatriation of immigrants and appealing to racial hatred, skinhead subculture is prevalent. Grace plays hopscotch in her garden. Bored, she opens the back gate seeking adventure…
Cast: Stephanie Levi-John, Sonnyboy Skelton, Kenedy McCallam-Martin, Elisha Robin
Mosiah
Director: Jirard, Producer: Alima Albari, Danielle ''Pockett'' Brown, Screenwriter: Jirard, Samuel Lee Fudge
Marcus Mosiah Garvey, a Jamaican-born political activist and founder of the Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA), is on trial in New York in 1923. Following the leadership of J. Edger Hoover & the BOI (later, the FBI), the government has charged Garvey with mail fraud in connection with selling stocks for the Black Star Line - a shipping line designed to forge a link between North America and Africa. Garvey sees the trial for what it is: an attempt to end the movement by way of character assassination.
Cast: Samuel Lee Fudge, Brit Scales
Pictures Only
Director/Producer/Screenwriter: Charles A. Honeywood, Producer: Jennifer Goodman (Karum), Ryan Atkins, Screenwriter: Rachel Soland, Khierra M. Peggs
Set in 1950s Bronzeville, Louise Parker is facing eviction from her home. Desperate to keep her independence and status, she is introduced to a lucrative performing opportunity. While attempting to keep this new venture a secret, she simultaneously gains popularity, risking being exposed to and disowned by her mother. After being offered a promotion, she is left with two choices, become the headliner, or allow her family to lose everything.
Cast: Deja Anderson Ross, Jessica Gillespie, Estavion White, Melba Brown, Darian Tene, Jennifer A Goodman (Karum)
PIGMENTS
Director/Producer/Screenwriter: Kossi Armand Sossah, Screenwriter: Angelo Rutayisire, Nyka Mbaya
This short film highlights the crucial importance of taking action to defend a threatened cultural identity and to free oneself from the constraints imposed by society. Each character represents a facet of this struggle, challenging established norms and positioning themselves for a future where the freedom of the black community is preserved, affirmed and celebrated.
Potlako (Hurry up)
Director/Producer/Screenwriter: Pretty Renae Mangena, Producers/Screenwriters: Boitumelo Molalugi, Keamogetswe Mere
In a case of stubbornness and bad luck, Potlako, a 21-year-old young man is captured by slave traders on his way to asking his uncles to go ask for the hand of his lover, Morwesi.
Cast: Molatseli Elias Nthoba, Thabiso Maseko, Tshegofatso Nethe
Princess Love
Director/Producer/Screenwriter: Chris Dabney, Producer: Donald Welch, Szymon Kozak
After losing her mother, 16-year-old Madison becomes pregnant as a result of being sexually assaulted. Alone, scared and confused, she decides to take matters into her own hands as she turns to the only person she has left - her father.
Cast: Eric Roberts, Heaven Howard
Reparations
Director/Producer/Screenwriter: Darius Montrezz Frye, Director: Czharcus Marquis Jones
Three years after a brutal war for reparations, we follow the life of Phillip Hall, a software-mechanical engineer and his family as they navigate their daily lives, in a dystopian society, but the family holds a secret that if revealed could have grave consequences
Cast: Brett Lark, Rachel Hale, Rudolph Massanga
Returned
Director: Janet Marrett, Producer: Lorraine Bhattachary, Shakyra Dowling, Screenwriter: Janet Marrett
A psychologist attempts to conceal her past until she is forced to confront it
Cast: Michelle Greenidge, Jeffery Kissoon, Max Fincham
Side B
Director/Producer/Screenwriter: Brandon Jones
During the holidays, "Side B" tells the story of a record-store owner finding catharsis from her past through the healing power of music.
The Ancestors
Director/Screenwriter: Zodwa Nyoni, Producer: Barrington Paul Robinson
Three Zimbabwean spirits descended to earth on a mission to connect with their descendant, a University student living in Leeds.
Cast: Pamela Nomvete, Clint Dyer, Daniel Ogbeide-John, Kaitlyn Akinpelumi, Akiem Toussaint Buck
The Final Tour
Director/Producer/Screenwriter: Todd M. Webb, Producer: Aman Tulsian, Forrest Renaissance, Synell Formey, Kayla Brooks
In the summer 1960, Milton Davis and his quartet hit the road on a European tour. At the time the band leaders of the group, Milton D. and "Catfish" Evans, were engaged in a contentious relationship held together only by their mutual love for "the music". Agreeing that it is time for the two to go their separate ways, the two jazz icons decided this tour will be their last. Tensions and expectations are high as the group prepares to take the stage for the last time. It is the end of an era.
Cast: Forrest Renaissance, Khalif Cotton, Chloé Groussard, Paul Forrest Quinn, Nicholas Ferracamo
The Wait We Carry
Director/Producer/Screenwriter: Eugene Valentino McKinney
The Wait We Carry is a drama that follows the challenging, complicated and sometimes funny lives of four lifelong friends that while busy, they stay connected but never scratch beneath the surface on each other's lives. They may seem to have it all together but when tragedy in the group forces them to lean on each other like never before and in doing so, find connection to get them through the darkest days
Truth Detector
Director/Producer/Screenwriter: William Reliford
"The Truth Detector" follows the journey of a high school science teacher with a penchant for exploring quirky technology at weekend yard sales. One day, he stumbles upon a peculiar device that possesses the remarkable ability to distinguish between true and false statements.
Cast: Timothy Mantil, Katie Otten, Cassandra Schomer
Unicorn Training
Director/Producer/Screenwriter: Craig Alan, Producer: William J Webber, Kevin Saunders
A dejected man on the verge of divorce meets a bodacious woman dolled in fur at a bar... arousing a whimsical night of eroticism.
Cast: Kevin Saunders, Ashley Forrestier, Jahi Trotter, Kennedy Harris
Welcome to Afrotree
Director/Producer/Screenwriter: Chase Parker, Producer: Greg Rhem
Steven and Janet are fed up with gentrification, whitewashing, and code switching in the big city. They move to Afrotree, an experimental, gated community populated by only African-American residents. Their dream of living in a cultural oasis suddenly becomes a nightmare when they discover they might not be “Black” enough.
Cast: Charlie Q Smith, Wilson Christopher, Tra'lynn Husbands, Colin Pieters, Jade Cayne
Documentaries
Documetaries at TBFS are sure to engage, entertain, enlighten, and educate!
Faith in Blackness:
An Exploration of AfroLatine Spirituality
Director: Charles Reynoso, Producer: Charles Reynoso, Guesnerth Josue Perea, Michael A Lopez, Jr., Screenwriter: Charles Reynoso, Guesnerth Josue Perea, Michael A Lopez, Jr.
“How can the creator of the universe be smaller than me?” Black Latine people around the world practice a myriad of faith traditions. This short-form documentary explores dynamic identities of these AfroLatine people and their journey for a home, a faith in Blackness.
Her Time is Now
Director: Meg Martin, Tiane Parris, Producer: Joe Adams, Hezekiah Lewis, Jameson Ford, Kristine Rivera, Screenwriter: Jameson Ford, Sydney Porter, Olivia Speaker, Irene Awino, Asata Mander
"Her Time Is Now" follows two powerful women of Siaya, Kenya as they rewrite their narratives within a dominant patriarchal context. Watch as they navigate the various economic and social challenges that they encounter and discover the creative methods of self-determination that women employ to empower themselves and future generations.
Cast: Irene Awino, Trezzer Auma Omoro, Duren Adhiambo Oyuga
MANDILAKHE - LET ME BUILD
Director: Adrian Madikisa, Wonga Lucas, Producer: Lauren Groenewald, Screenwriter: Zukiswa Pakama
Cast: Mandilakhe Ikhaya
The Route To Emancipation
Director: Talib Abdullahi, Riley Engemoen, Producer: Talib Abdullahi, Lauren Vunderink, Riley Engemoen
The Route To Emancipation by Black History Bike Ride follows 3 friends as they embark on a 350 mile cycling route from the Texas Capitol in Austin to the site where Juneteenth began in 1865. The journey takes viewers back through centuries of Black history in Texas, with interviews from educators, historians, and community leaders along the way.
Cast: Talib Abdullahi, Ariel Marlowe, Brandon Grant
Return To Your Corner
Director/Producer/Writer: Ashley Malcolm Morrison
Who was the first Boxing World Champion from Africa? Why do so few people know his name? Sadly few know his name even in Africa because Battling Siki was a world Champion during the colonial era and so his world title is recorded as belonging to his colonial ruler.
Graduate Student Films
Filmmakers of all skill levels are welcome at TBFS.
A Fork In Love's Road
Director/Producer/ Writer: Bree K. Jones
Burnout
Director: Cheyenne Samara Downing, Producers: Parker Durnford, Screenwriter: Cheyenne Samara Downing, Zachary Wright
An anxious college student must choose between her relationship or pleasing her overbearing mother.
Cast: Jek Akino, Miguel Berlingeri, Santiago Castillo
Nalb Noum
Director: Xzaviah J. Stone Sr., Producer: Isabella Cubba, William Curtis, Screenwriter: Xzaviah J. Stone Sr.
An arcane massacre on the Black community is unfolding as a black teen and his friend’s journey to discover the truth behind an old folklore.
Cast: Alioth Carsyn, Bronwyn Rees, Martin Semelfort, Reginald Gaspard, Eilijah Stone
The Pillow
Director/Screenwriter: Sherean Jones, Producer: Stella Shi
A devoted wife struggles to fulfill her dying husband’s final wish, but when she learns of his betrayal, she can’t help but to “kill two birds with one stone.”
Cast: Michelle Lambert, Tjader Francé, Ashlei Shyne
UndergraduateStudent Films
All filmmakers have a story to tell, and they all must begin their cinematic journey somewhere. TBFS is a celebration of film and we are excited to uplift and support the next generation of artists!
Contagious Swagger
Director: Calvin Callins Jr., Producer: Justin James Colón, Lucas McFarland, Screenwriter: Calvin Callins Jr.
A Black young man visiting his Asian girlfriends' parents’ house for dinner for the first time. His Air Jordan footwear could be the answer to solve a dramatic forbidden love story.
Cast: Elvis Casely, Michael Huynh, Melissa Chin, Pang Thao
Hell of a Child
Director: Dominique Draper, Producer: Yussef Haridy, Mikayah Lee, Screenwriter: Dominique Draper
Young and unnurtured, a child is berated by the ways of the world with a need to survive but is faced with the inevitable defeat.
Cast: Camden Randall, Jovon Henry
Her Mother's Daughter
Director/Producer/Screenwriter: Xavia Faith Howard
A daughter seeks out the help of a therapist to gain independence from her financially and emotionally dependent mother.
Cast: Elise Moore, Renee Krapff, Daraja Rae
Her Time is Now
Director: Meg Martin, Tiane Parris, Producer: Joe Adams, Hezekiah Lewis, Jameson Ford, Kristine Rivera, Screenwriter: Jameson Ford, Sydney Porter, Olivia Speaker, Irene Awino, Asata Mander
"Her Time Is Now" follows two powerful women of Siaya, Kenya as they rewrite their narratives within a dominant patriarchal context. Watch as they navigate the various economic and social challenges that they encounter and discover the creative methods of self-determination that women employ to empower themselves and future generations.
Cast: Irene Awino, Trezzer Auma Omoro, Duren Adhiambo Oyuga
Rosemary
Director: Sierra Thoulouis, Producer: Anna Skillom, Ismet Kucuker, Screenwriter: Sierra Thoulouis
D'Mara a first generation Trinidadian-American tries to reconnect with her Caribbean roots as her grandmother loses her memory.
Cast: Maureen Azzun, Gale Cannon, Jonathan Towns, Medina Kiny
What About Daddy?
Director/Writer: Shannon S. Simpson, Producer: Paige Chew, Riley Eggleston
Cornell is a husband and a daddy of two. He must find a way to reconnect with his children without it backfiring in his face.
Cast: Derrick Parker, Meta Smith, Tristian Kinney, Bianca Bates
Where's Everybody At?
Director/Screenwriter/Producer: Lauryn Johnson, Producer: Aaliyah Plummer, Elise Gentry, Rachel McCain
A black HBCU student is transported into a world where all humans have been erased from the planet except for...white people.
Cast: Grant Fortune, Kameron Outland