Section D – 5:15 pm-6:47 pm

On A Sunday at Eleven

Director/Writer: Alicia K. Harris

Producers: Jeff Chiu, Hayley Brown

narrative, 9 min.

A young Black ballerina performs her Sunday rituals, while facing the pressures to conform to Eurocentric beauty standards.

Yáamay: An Ode to Blooming

Directors: Casse Kihúut, Camaray Davalos Producers: Casse Kihúut, Camaray Davalos

Writers: Emily Clarke, Alexis Munoa-Dyer, Meadow Fuller, Avelaka Macarro, Marlene’ Dusek

narrative, 12 min.

Using original poetry as the foundation, we are taken through a journey examining what it means to be a contemporary California Indigenous woman. With a montage of modern, archival, and animatic visuals, this film becomes as dynamic and alive as the women telling their stories.

Headbang

Director/Writer: Anna Khaja

Producers: Raelle Tucker, Cameron Fife

narrative, 24 min.

An American perspective on the hijab and female empowerment that resonates with universal questions of selfhood and freedom. Through the lens of two different young women, Leila, from secular background, and Amara, from a religious one, HEADBANG explores the complex power of the hijab, and how a seemingly simple piece of cloth embodies both what the wearer imbues it with and what society project onto to it.

A Beauty Supply In Queens

Directors: Oluseyi Olatujoye, Princess Adenike

Writer: Princess AdenikeProducers: Princess Adenike, Caroline Chikezie, Shalom Obiago

narrative, 17 min.

An HBO Short Film Finalist, A Beauty Supply in Queens follows Ms. Aji, a Nigerian mother, and her daughter Tobi as they navigate the challenges of running a beauty supply store in Queens. Amidst fierce competition and underhanded tactics from rivals, the film celebrates their resilience and the strength of their community.

Nannies of New York (Invited)

Director: April Guscott

Doc., 10 min.

Nannies of New York provides uncensored, first-hand accounts of three Afro-Caribbean women’s perspectives working as nannies to wealthy white families in NYC, the stigma associated with the work, and the fight for their rights as domestic workers.

Kiss My Grass

Directors: Mary Pryor, Mara Whitehead

Producers: Justin Benoliel, Luke Anderson, Saki Fenderson

Doc., 15 min.

Kiss My Grass exposes the persistent inequities faced by Black women entrepreneurs in the booming cannabis industry. Executive produced by trailblazers Colin Kaepernick, Rosario Dawson, Mary Pryor, Luke Anderson, and Justin Benoliel, the film takes viewers on an emotional journey through the struggles, corruption, and lack of support these women encounter as they fight for their place in a landscape fraught with obstacles.