2024 official selections
BLUE HOUR
BOX BROWN: A BOX MARKED FREEDOM
BOX BROWN: A BOX MARKED FREEDOM
Two personal journeys intersect when a struggling young photographer is hired for a cheap last minute portrait gig. The unfolding photo session, while transient, leaves an indelible mark on both women.
Writer/Director: J.D Shields
Producers: Diana Ward, Maya Korn, and Lauren Avinoam
Time: 16 minutes
BOX BROWN: A BOX MARKED FREEDOM
BOX BROWN: A BOX MARKED FREEDOM
BOX BROWN: A BOX MARKED FREEDOM
The incredible TRUE story of Henry "Box" Brown, an enslaved man who mailed himself to freedom in 1849.
Directors: Robert Alan Underhill and Aravind Ragupathi
Writers: Mike Wiley, Allen Gies, and Rob Underhill
Producers: Aravind Ragupathi, Rob Underhill, and Mike Wiley
Time: 90 minutes
FARMING WHILE BLACK
BOX BROWN: A BOX MARKED FREEDOM
FARMING WHILE BLACK
Examines the historical plight of Black farmers in the United States and the rising generation reclaiming their rightful ownership to land and reconnecting with their ancestral roots.
Writer/Director: Mark Decena
Producers: Elizabeth Lupino Decena and Lynn Kincaid Waymer
Time: 75 minutes
THE FIRST CLASS
THE FIRST CLASS
FARMING WHILE BLACK
An up-close and personal look at the founding class of Crosstown High in Memphis, one of the XQ schools across the nation. Join Crosstown students on their journeys from 9th grade through the triumph of graduation as they imagine life on Mars, step into the lives of refugees, learn to think critically, and ultimately find themselves.
Writ
An up-close and personal look at the founding class of Crosstown High in Memphis, one of the XQ schools across the nation. Join Crosstown students on their journeys from 9th grade through the triumph of graduation as they imagine life on Mars, step into the lives of refugees, learn to think critically, and ultimately find themselves.
Writer/Director: Lee Hirsch
Producers: Lee Hirsch, Robert Fernandez, Laurene Powell Jobs, and Russlynn Ali
Time: 96 minutes
FOOT THE BILL
THE FIRST CLASS
FOOT THE BILL
Oh no! A historically black restaurant has been seized by white ownership! Meanwhile, two financially struggling friends argue over who should pay the bill.
Writer/Director/Producer: Lloyd J Tunstill
Time: 10 minutes
THE GOOD MAN
THE FIRST CLASS
FOOT THE BILL
Reggie and Monica have a tumultuous toxic relationship. Reggie is a hardworking provider while Monica is a stay at home drunk. One day they get in a huge argument and Reggie has a psychotic break.
Director: Andrew AJ Jackson
Writer/Producer: Celeste A Engley
Time: 22 minutes
HOW'S MAN MADE
HOW'S MAN MADE
HOW'S MAN MADE
Coltrane, undergoes a tumultuous journey of emotions after discovering a life-changing truth about his daughter. That forces him to question his role as a father.
Writer/Director: Edward L Varnie
Producer: Natalie Sidbtury
Time: 19 minutes
INNOCENCE
HOW'S MAN MADE
HOW'S MAN MADE
After witnessing several instances of racial bias, a young Black boy's worldview is forever changed.
Writer/Director: Marcella Taylor
Producers: Marcella Taylor, Dennis Beier, and Nandi George
Time: 11 minutes
LETTING GO
HOW'S MAN MADE
THE NIGHTS OF VERONA: A ROMEO AND JULIET TALE
Tracy finds herself caught in a love affair when a terminally ill woman pushes her husband to find another woman before she passes away.
Writer/Director/Producer:
Lynette Jones
Time: 26 minutes
THE NIGHTS OF VERONA: A ROMEO AND JULIET TALE
THE NIGHTS OF VERONA: A ROMEO AND JULIET TALE
THE NIGHTS OF VERONA: A ROMEO AND JULIET TALE
A contemporary prequel to Romeo & Juliet that follows Mercutio who must broker an alliance between his family and the Capulets, in order to quell the power of the Montagues, while being terrorized by Queen Mab with visions of his imminent death.
Writer/Director: Maxwell Michael Towson
Producer: LaTonya Joyce
Time: 11 minutes
P.S. NO WORRIES
THE NIGHTS OF VERONA: A ROMEO AND JULIET TALE
P.S. NO WORRIES
A famous Hollywood director returns to his home town to premier his latest film just as his old friends are being stalked by an unstoppable killer, mirroring his latest movie. The town has many secrets that will unravel as he navigates his past to get justice for some and truth for others.
Writer/Director/Producer:
Lee Vishion Bumgarner
Time: 61 minutes
REBOOT
THE NIGHTS OF VERONA: A ROMEO AND JULIET TALE
P.S. NO WORRIES
A boy that’s too addicted to his computer gets a reality check when a file corruption causes him to get sucked into a digital disaster and unknowingly brings his avatar to life.
Writer/Director: Tyra Pacheco
Writer: Liv Bullock
Producer: Imi Hunterbert Parham
Time: 3 minutes
THE RIVER
SEEKING MAVIS BEACON
SEEKING MAVIS BEACON
After discovering the drowning of a little girl, an unnamed narrator describes her community's response while battling the memories of her own fight with The River in this experimental take on sexual violence, grief, and trauma.
Writer/Director: Janay Kelley
Producers: Amanda Wiloughby and Joseph Carr
Time: 11 minutes
SEEKING MAVIS BEACON
SEEKING MAVIS BEACON
SEEKING MAVIS BEACON
The most recognizable woman in technology lives in our collective imagination. Mavis Beacon Teaches
Typing taught millions globally, but the software’s Haitian-born cover model vanished decades ago. Two DIY detectives search for the model while posing questions about identity and artificial intelligence.
Director: Jazmin Jones
Producer: Guetty Felin
Time: 102 minutes
SLICE
SOMEWHERE IN BROOKLYN
SOMEWHERE IN BROOKLYN
Black folks and water don’t mix, right? SLICE explores how Rico Golden and his homeboys from Memphis, TN, submerge themselves in an original swimming art form of athleticism, creativity, and joy called slicing while refusing to drown in a pool of society’s expectations.
Writer/Director: Zaire Love
Producers: Charolette Cook, Caitlin Mae Burke, and Joyya Baines
Time: 16 minutes
SOMEWHERE IN BROOKLYN
SOMEWHERE IN BROOKLYN
SOMEWHERE IN BROOKLYN
A police officer rekindles a romance with a woman he was involved with while undercover during Quarantine of 2020, unbeknownst to him, the criminal he was pursuing has put a hit out on him.
Writer/Director: Brandon D. Wilkerson
Producers: Laniya Ailes and Brandon D. Wilkerson
Time: 21 minutes
Don't miss a scene
VIP ALL-ACCESS PASS
Access to ALL festival events including the Opening reception, Awards Ceremony and Closing Party. -$150
OPENING NIGHT CELEBRATION - THURSDAY, OCT. 10
Special salute to Emmy-nominated screenwriter and producer Chuck Hayward. The Delaware native has penned episodes of Ted Lasso, WandaVision and Dear White People. His latest work is the remake of Don't Tell Mom the Babysitters Dead.. - $30
AWARDS & CLOSING PARTY - SATURDAY, OCT. 13=2
Learn which of the amazing films received awards in their selected categories then party the night away. . - $75
DAY PASS
View films and other activities at Theatre N on the selected day. (Friday , Saturday, or Sunday) -$30 a day