Welcome to Reel Sisters of the Diaspora

Reel Sisters - Virtual Program 6 - Otiti
2022-10-27 - 2022-11-08 | Vimeo
OTITI
Writer: Chijioke Ononiwu
Director: Ema Edosio Deelen
Producers: Ema Edosio Deelen, Jeff Jacobson, Nunu Deng
90 min., Narrative
A seamstress with commitment issues faces strong opposition from her half-brothers when she decides to take care of the ailing father who had abandoned her as a child.

Reel Sisters - Virtual Program 7 - Environmental Justice
2022-10-27 - 2022-11-09 | Vimeo
For Tigray
Director: Gabrielle Tesfaye
4:08 min., Animation
On November 4th, 2020, Prime Minister of Ethiopia Abiy Ahmed declared a genocidal war on Tigray, the northernmost regional state of Ethiopia. His administration has limited and blocked access to electricity, aid, food, and water for millions of Tigrayan civilians. Through a conflict so saturated in political debates, For Tigray looks through the lenses of the people. From life before the war, and the collective future on the horizon.

Section A – 1-2:15 pm EST
2022-11-05 13:00 - 14:15 UTC | Maysles Documentary Center, 343 Lenox Ave., Malcolm X Blvd., NY, 10027, United States
Section A – Saturday, November 5 – 1-2:15 pm EST
Dear Diary
Producer/Director: Ringling College of Art & Design Writer: Yulong Christina and Yang Jones
animation, 2 min.
A woman cleaning out her childhood room is uncomfortable with facing her past self. The old diary that she disregards magically finds its way back to her, echoing the voice of her childhood self.
The Lifted
Producer: TJ Ali, Jayce Baron and Tre Wesley Director: Shayla Racquel Writer: TJ Ali narrative, 24 min.
narrative, 24 min.
Inspired by the cultural awakening to dismantle assault against women and conquer their own past trauma, two best friends of over thirty years attempt to rescue a young woman they believe to be in danger in a car share ride. When things take a bad turn, the aunties take matters into their own hands in this short, thrilling adventure.
Are you still there?
Producer: Reef Oldberg Directors: Rayka Zehtabchi and Sam Davis Writers: Rayka Zehtabchi and Sam Davis
narrative, 16 min.
TBA
Silk
Writers: David Caudle and Marissa Ghavami
Producers: David Caudle, Marissa Ghavami, Carlos Ibarra, and Lauren Sowa
Director: John Magaro
narrative, 14:42 min.
In this short narrative nod to the classic film Gaslight, gifted aerialist Cara falls hard for Sol, the lighting designer on her upcoming high-stakes solo show. When safety and communication issues plague rehearsals, Cara begins to doubt her perceptions and grows more and more dependent on Sol.

Section B – 2:25-3:50 pm EST
2022-11-05 14:25 - 15:50 UTC | Maysles Documentary Center, 343 Lenox Ave., Malcolm X Blvd., NY, 10027, United States
Ro & the Stardust
Producers: Rachel K. Ofori and Elvis Nolasco Director/Writer: Eunice Levis
narrative,17:39 min.
A free-spirited teen fulfills her terminally ill grandmother’s dying wish of building a rocket ship to launch her into outer space.

Amina
Producer: Taryn Nagle Director/Writer: Shanrica Evans
Exe. Producers: Lena Waithe, Rishi Rajani. Doménica Castro and Constanza Castro
narrative, 13 min.
Haunted by the loss of her partner, a former astronaut struggles to connect with her unborn child.
Contraban
Exe.Producers: Chelsea Hicks and Sherri G. Sneed Director/Writer: Chelsea
narrative, 31 min.
Desperate to maintain Whiteness in a dystopian future, the American government bans BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) citizens from reproducing after they become the majority of the population. CONTRABAN follows the heart-wrenching story of Essence and Elijah as they go about their everyday lives while navigating the danger of illegally conceiving a child in this society.

True Freedom
Producers: Issac Ingram,Michael DiLeonardo and Bob Hercules Director: Issac Ingram Writers: Issac Ingram and Naz Pankey
narrative, 28:39 min.
After his father leaves the family, a black kid grows up to build a time machine to save his mom, but when he ends up in the year 1860, the real insight begins when brings a slave to the year 2014.

Section C – 4:00-5:05 pm EST – World & Harlem Film Premiers
2022-11-05 16:00 - 17:05 UTC | Maysles Documentary Center, 343 Lenox Ave., Malcolm X Blvd., NY, 10027, United States
In honor of Reel Sisters 25th Anniversary, we proudly present a world premiere for Gro Up (Micro Budget Film Fellow) and a Harlem premiere for Take Me Home (Micro Budget Film Fellow) with our season official selections Chico Virtual and Bria.
Tickets: $12 ($8 – seniors/students with valid I.D.)
Chico Virtual
Producers: Tom Sidi and Ori Chevio Director/Writer: Olivia De Camps
narrative, 14:22 min.
A boy must come to terms with the harsh reality of his immigrant status when his brother alarmingly doesn’t come home.
Gro Up
Producer: Camille Simone Thomas Director: Nina Lucia Rodriguez
Writers: Camille Simone Thomas, Nina Lucia Rodriguez, Jasmine Sharma
narrative, 13 min.
Ollie, BK, and Carmichael are three girls who are NOT going back to juvie. When given the opportunity to stay locked up or to “gro up” they decide to spend the summer sifting through soil and their own personal shit.
Take Me Home
Producer: Minos Papas Director/Writer: Liz Sargent
narrative, 16 min.
When her mother becomes unresponsive, Anna, a young Asian-American woman with an Intellectual Disability, must turn to her sister in New York for help. The two sisters navigate their grief and miscommunication, the dysfunctional Florida health system, and a difficult move away from the only home Anna has ever known. Amidst this uncertainty, Anna has to hold her own and make her voice heard.
Bria
Producer/Director/Writer: Ophilia Davis
narrative, 7 min.
While going for a routine walk, a non-verbal autistic woman living with Asperger’s syndrome named BRIA, comes across a yellow object seen in an unknown garden. Peeked by curiosity, Bria steps out of her comfort zone to explore the unknown, where she is given a chance to experience the authenticity of nature in her own autistic world.

Section CD – Theater 2 – 5-6:30 pm EST
2022-11-05 17:00 - 18:30 UTC | Maysles Documentary Center, 343 Lenox Ave., Malcolm X Blvd., NY, 10027, United States
Mary
Producers: Mark Herzog and Canyon Prince Director/Writer: Michelle Renee Jackson
narrative, 15 min.
While speaking the actual words transcribed from Mary Armstrong’s 1930s U.S. Federal Writer’s Project interview about her experience with slavery as an African-American enslaved woman who loved to dance, a modern-day and taciturn Custodian trails a Ballet Mistress and her company dancers’ rehearsals until his true identity is revealed.

Fearless 11
Producer/Director: Ashley E. Gibson
documentary, 62 min.
In the fall of 1965, eleven courageous Black students volunteered to integrate John W. Provine High School in Jackson, Mississippi. Amidst a sea of raging students, parents and teachers, these 11 seniors endured unimaginable hostility with their heads held high. Now, 50 years later, the students share the impact it has had on their lives, reflecting on their feelings as unsung integration pioneers.

Section D – 5:15-6:45 pm EST
2022-11-05 17:15 - 18:45 UTC | Maysles Documentary Center, 343 Lenox Ave., Malcolm X Blvd., NY, 10027, United States
he Blue Drum
Producer: Alicia Herder Director/Writer: Angelita Mendoza
narrative, 17 min.
A woman mourning her father’s passing is tormented by memories of a mother she never knew. A presence reveals secrets hidden within her family home.

Yae: Blind Samurai Woman
Producer: Akiko Izumitani Director: Akiko Izumitani
Writers: James Doc Mason and Akiko Izumitani
narrative, 19 min.
In the mountains of the Edo Period Japan, when a blind woman’s samurai father is killed by a young samurai avenging his own father’s death, she agrees to be escorted to the nearest village, but she’s not as helpless as she appears.

Jordan
Producer: Pheobe Brown and Brandon Puncho Williams
Director/Writer: Ebony Blanding
narrative, 19 min.
When a tween mermaid enthusiast discovers an ailing water creature, she uses a magical wish to change the fate of their existence…and her own. JORDAN engages the genre of fantasy and cli-fi (climate fiction) to shape a fairytale where everyone has agency and representation.
Cranberry Chorus
Producers: Queen Kim and Christopher Ma
Director/Writer: Lina Yuchen Guan Li
narrative, 19 min.
An autistic boy becomes a new member of Cranberry Chorus, which made of deaf kids. He makes friend with the member Ken and finds out a secret about Cranberry Chorus.

Section E – 7-8:30 pm EST
2022-11-05 19:00 - 20:30 UTC | Maysles Documentary Center, 343 Lenox Ave., Malcolm X Blvd., NY, 10027, United States
Journey – Cuba
Producer: LisaMcFadden Director: Sean Kim
experimental, 3:29 min.
Destination deferred is found in imagination as the COVID-19 Pandemic begins to take a downward turn during the Summer of 2021. Millinery collection concept by Lisa McFadden comes to life in this first of many far away daydream destinations that become reality in the mind of a stifled traveler.

When We Arrive As Flowers
Producers: Susan O’Brien, Elizabeth Raia, Giselle Byrd and Margaret Montavon.
Director: Susan O’Brien Exec. Producers: Alexandra Billings and Chrisanne Blankenship-Billings.
Diovanna, a dancer realizes her transfemme identity through a choreographic journey of self-discovery, celebration, and the poetic metaphor of a flower coming to bloom.
The Sound She Saw
Producers: Crystal Whaley and Caralene Robinson Director/Writer: Crystal Whaley
Documentary, 51 min.
The Sound She Saw is a documentary film featuring contemporary, ground-breaking Black women photographers. The film reveals the history & struggle of Black women photographers while showcasing and celebrating their work and answering the question: What happens when a Black woman photographer has the agency and the control to reverse the gaze and see the world through her unique lens?

Section A – 1-2:20 pm EST
2022-11-06 13:00 - 14:20 UTC | Maysles Documentary Center, 343 Lenox Ave., Malcolm X Blvd., NY, 10027, United States
More Than Cute
Writer: Joshinder K Chaggar
Director: Joshinder K Chaggar Producer: Joshinder K Chaggar
15 min., Documentary
A seniors Bollywood dance class in Melbourne city, is the perfect intercultural setting, to discover new friendships and to unpack misconceptions about ageing. Through the lens of the traditional costume, stories are uncovered and shared. Simultaneously, underneath all the fun, colour and laughter, a miraculous healing is taking place on many different levels.
ALL I EVER WANTED
Writer: Van B. Nguyen Director: Erin Lau Producer: Selena Leoni, Fiona Hardingham
14 min.Narrative Short
Rom-com obsessed teen Christine has always longed for the picture-perfect romance – but she’s soon confronted with the fact that her ideal prince charming might actually be a princess charming instead.
Albion Rose
Director/Writer: Tiffany Tenille Producers: Tiffany Tenille, Dr. Trevor Grand
15 min., Narrative
Following the arrival of an unwanted guest, a tightly-knit bond between two sisters is put to the test when their idyllic playdate takes a dark turn.
Pillow Fight
Writers: Evey Yu, Preston Francis Director: Evey Yu Producer: Risanta Li
8 min., Narrative Short
A heterosexual couple has an argument about sex after the guy came prematurely.
Aleeya
Director/Writer: Nina Mahesh Producers: Elizabeth Grupp, Kavita Hari
12 min., Narrative Short
Aleeya follows a transgender woman as she embarks on a day long journey to buy a gift for her lover, while attempting to persevere through India’s societal inequities and prejudice, as well as the growing rape culture of male youth.

Section B – 2:30-3:45 pm EST
2022-11-06 14:30 - 15:45 UTC | Maysles Documentary Center, 343 Lenox Ave., Malcolm X Blvd., NY, 10027, United States
Luka
Producer/Director/Writer: Shiyue Xu
3 min., narrative
On a hot summer afternoon, as various people come and go at the central market, a young boy starts noticing his own shadow.
Pocha
Writer: Carly Oscar
Director: Carly Oscar Producers: Carly Oscar, Rachel Brown, Maite Elias-Nava,Remi Renlib 13 min., Narrative
As she nears her fifteenth birthday, Vic struggles to solidify her personal and cultural identity, caught between family tradition and the desire to fit in with her peers.
The Funnel
Director/Writer: Charlene A. Carruthers
Producer: Elizah Turner Duration:
16 min., narrative
Trina lives on the South Side of Chicago with her mother amidst an escalating housing crisis. After falling into an intimate recollection of her family’s history, she awakes in a world with people, sounds, and possibilities she’s never known. An encounter with a familiar spirit opens Trina’s eyes and heart to a new gift.
CATCHING SPIRITS
Director/Writer: Vanessa Beletic
Producer: Natalie Mattozzi
12 min., Narrative
Destiny has been told since childhood she has seizures when she dances. An unexplained phenomena that’s resulted in deep fear and her refusal to dance- despite being drawn to it. What she doesn’t know, is that she has an ancient ability – a birthright of the Haitian women in her lineage going back for ages.
Zafar
Directors/Writers: Aqsa Altaf, John X Carey
Producer: Amina Nada
15 min., Narrative
A Pakistani immigrant juggles demanding ride share customers while talking on the phone to his mother in Pakistan.

Section C – 4-5:05 pm EST
2022-11-06 16:00 - 17:05 UTC | Maysles Documentary Center, 343 Lenox Ave., Malcolm X Blvd., NY, 10027, United States
Maternity
Writer: Maria Warith Wade
Director: Maria Warith Wade
Producer: Maria Warith Wade, Rebecca Malaret, Kendra Mitchell, Kim Coleman, CSA
15 min., narrative
When a second-time mother gets an unexpected complication postpartum, she must fight to save her life in the fractured American health care system.
Nails
Director/Writer: Eliana Pipes Producers: Revel Rosa and Eliana Pipes
5 min., animation
When Catalina develops a crush on another girl in her Quinceañera court, her fingernails grow at a superhuman pace — a blessing in Black and Latina beauty culture, but a curse for a lesbian (at first glance). A whimsical, intersectional, uplifting coming-of-age story.
Empire of My Melodious Mind
Writer: Jeannette Louie
Director: Jeannette Louie Producer: Jeannette Louie
8 min., Experimental
In the space of a moment, inside a cabinet, perception embarks on an epic journey through the terrain of memories that form the identity of an American born Asian.
Have a Good Night
Writer: Shengluo Zhang
Director: Shengluo Zhang, Xiaojia Lisa Li
Producer: Shengluo Zhang, Ella Rouwen Chen
4 min., Animation
A young Asian female tourist finds a scary person behind her while walking back to her motel late at night on the romantic streets of France. Having read similar stories on the news, she imagines different dangerous circumstances and tries to run away from the stalker.
An Island Drifts
Director/Writer: Vivian Ip
Producer: Jasmine Tay, Kim Mariel
18 min., Narrative
Set in Singapore, a young teacher presses for the truth from a maladjusted student, the act leads to devastating results and they suffer the ignominy of losing everything that matters to them. The story holds a mirror up to society, where a mistake can derail a life in an overly pressurized world.

Section D – 5:15-6:55 pm EST
2022-11-06 17:15 - 18:55 UTC | Maysles Documentary Center, 343 Lenox Ave., Malcolm X Blvd., NY, 10027, United States
Joy’s Garden
Director/Writer: Ngwatilo Mawiyoo
Producers: Ngwatilo Mawiyoo, Mungai Kiroga, Hawa Essuman, Firul Maithya
13 min., Narrative Short
Edwin is no one’s ideal Dad. Can he step up when his estranged daughter Joy needs a home?
Blurring the Color Line
Writer: Crystal Lee Kwok
Director: Crystal Lee Kwok Producer: Daniel Wu, Lisa Ling, W. Kamau Bell
77 min., documentary
Digging into her Grandmother’s past growing up Chinese in Augusta, Georgia’s Black neighborhood during Jim Crow, director Crystal Kwok complicates the black and white narrative while exposing uncomfortable truths behind today’s Afro-Asian tensions.

Section A
2023-10-21 13:00 - 14:49 (America/Halifax) | City Tech Theater, 285 Jay Street, Brooklyn, NY, 11201, United States
Sin Raices
Director/Writer: Gabriella Athena Moses
Producers: Lissette Feliciano, Charlie Schmidlin, Annalie Gernert, Shruti Rya Ganguly, Polina Buchak
Narrative, 15 min.
ALMA, a recently adopted 8-year-old refugee from El Salvador, spends a day preparing for her first red carpet appearance at an awards show with her new pop star mother, YAHAIRA. She learns from example and mirrors a series of routines as she absorbs that perhaps to cement her place in this new like she must be “liked” in more ways than one. As she takes in her new environment, she finds herself haunted by whispers of the life she left behind and awakened to the fragility of her new one after an innocent series of actions and encounters with her newfound fans on social media doesn’t go as planned.

A Homecoming I’ll Remember
Director: Jasmine Rene’ McCaskill
Producesr: Jasmine Rene’ McCaskill, Ciara Franklin
Documentary, 17 min.
There’s no telling what can happen when you meet with your memory. In this experimental documentary, Zoe Hinds and Pamela McKelvy remember their groundbreaking crownings that span nearly 30 years apart and tell of their journeys through the institutions at which they paved the way.

Sundown Road
Director/Writer: M. Asli Dukan
Producers: M. Asli Dukan, Nikki Harmon, Trevite Willis
Narrative, 20 min.
Three students get stuck on an isolated road after their car breaks down while driving back to college. With no phone reception, they argue with each other over what to do before separating to find help. In an unfamiliar area, they each experience a terrifying discovery that makes them feel like their lives may be in danger. Forced to take refuge in the car, the students resolve their personal conflicts just in time to face a new frightening reality when help finally reaches them.

Proximity Study (Sight Lines)
Director: Elizabeth M. Webb
Experimental, 5:40 min.
Proximity Study (Sight Lines) is an attempt to measure closeness despite temporal distance. My grandfather (whom I never met) worked as a longshoreman on the Brooklyn waterfront for 37 years. From Governors Island, I am able to look directly at his place of work; many years ago, he would have returned my gaze from the other side. I filmed the Red Hook docks on 16mm film from my perspective on Governors Island, and rowed in the Buttermilk Channel between these two locations. The physical film print trailed behind the boat, tracing our route, recording our sight lines, and reaching to bridge the distance across the channel. Yet, the longer we rowed, the more the water erased the image.

Reality Is Not Good Enough
Director/Writer: Rashayla Marie Brown
Producer: Jennifer Reeder
Experimental, 21 min.
Reality Is Not Good Enough is a moving tribute to Black women who dream of being reality TV stars, no matter how exploited they might become. This comedy-drama experimental short remixes never-before-seen documentary footage of a failed WeTV pilot featuring the director’s mother, a biracial adoptee from a Trumpmaniac family. The director’s sisters and nieces humorously flip stereotypes and tragic devices of unscripted TV with surprising dexterity, citing Josephine Baker to Oprah Winfrey. Set to a masterful jazz score by MacArthur Genius musician Tomeka Reid, RINGE shows Black women with power behind the camera as much as they are in front of it.

How Hair You
Producer/Director/Writer: Kennedy Marie Dunning
Documentary, 8 min.
Budding feminist comically criticizes the shame of body hair through an educational expedition of razor advertisements and femininity.

Section B
2023-10-21 15:00 - 16:00 (America/Halifax) | City Tech Theater, 285 Jay Street, Brooklyn, NY, 11201, United States
Hard
Writer: Eboni Price
Directed by: Eboni Price
Producer: Lauren E. Banks, Kristofer Cross, Dot McDonald, Musau Onwubiko
Narrative, 28 min.
12-year-old Javonte is currently struggling with the woes of puberty. She’s being bullied, she doesn’t think she fits in, her home life’s a mess and on top of that, she’s still grappling with the loss of her brother. We open on her fighting her bully, Imani and losing in front of her entire neighborhood. Her sister Renesha watches and takes Javonte home. Javonte’s mother sees her bruises and punishes her for losing and being “weak”. Meanwhile, we see Renesha is currently working to break the family cycle and get her GED. However, she can’t help but notice Javonte struggling and decides to toughen Javonte up, teaching her how to be hard in order to survive. In this process, Javonte and Renesha develop a close bond, providing Javonte with a sense of security she’s been missing since her brother’s death. In the midst of this, Renesha secures a job contingent on her GED, affording her the opportunity to move her and her kids out of the neighborhood and start a better life. This new life is threatened, however, when Renesha’s boyfriend, Jordan asks her to take the fall for a crime as he’s on his 3rd strike, stating it will be Renesha’s first and she’ll get off easy. Choosing for her kids to have their father in their life, Renesha agrees and gets arrested just as Javonte wins a brutal fight against her bully. Javonte is once again left alone, and we see a broken family cycle continue.
Wonders
Director/Writer: Huriyyah Muhammad
Producer: Okema Moore
Narrative, 15 minutes
Hardworking moms, Teeni and Cherice don’t ask for much. Like everyone else, they are on the grind, just trying to make a better life for themselves and their toddler. Struggling financially, things get worse when they come home to find an eviction notice plastered on their door. The solution however surprises even them when their cranky, constipated toddler poops three golden nuggets. While WONDERS is a response to the eviction crisis across the country, at its heart is a celebration of the wisdom of our elders and the magic of our babies.

Section C
2023-10-21 16:10 - 17:30 UTC | City Tech Theater, 285 Jay Street, Brooklyn, NY, 11201, United States
Jelly
Writer: Anndi Jinelle Liggett
Directed by: Anndi Jinelle Liggett
Narrative, 10 min.
Jelly is a magical-realist coming-of-age about Jelly Johnson, a young, Black girl with a peculiar fascination with death. While trying to solve the mysterious case of a missing neighbor, she comes to terms with a more personal disappearance in the process. Narrated by André Holland.

Champion
Writer: Kim J.Y. Han
Directed by: Kim J.Y. Han
Producer: D.J. Jiang and Diana Ward
Narrative, 13:09
It’s 1997, and 9-year-old Jimin just moved to California. Jimin refuses to speak to her father who stayed behind in Korea, but when a major financial crisis devastates their home country, all hopes that he can join them in America dissipates. Now, Jimin must gather the courage to take the next steps alone.

Slick Talk
Writer: Courtney Zhi-Xian Loo
Directed by: Courtney Zhi-Xian Loo and David Karp
Producer: Thrice Cooked Media
Narrative, 9:03 min.
Feeling the pressure of an important meeting with a potential music manager, Kiki struggles with her identity as an outsider in the Chinese-American community, a culture vulture in the hip-hop world, and a potential sellout for mainstream success. Slick Talk follows Kiki through a single day in her life, where we watch her battle an inverse conflict: the thing she tries to hide/avoid is the thing the music industry tries exploit.

Over the Causeway
Writer: Pablo Mejia
Directed by: Pablo Mejia
Producer: Pablo Mejia
Narrative, 15:51 min.
Over the Causeway is the coming-of-age story of Victoria, a twenty-year-old jazz musician born and raised in Galveston TX. As she ties up loose ends around town, she is confronted by doubtful neighbors, childhood friends, and dependant family members who question her decision to leave. Saying goodbye to the island that raised her, Victoria must reckon with complicated feelings about her community, career, and the sacrifices she must make to seek new opportunities over the causeway.

Section D
2023-10-21 17:40 - 18:40 UTC | City Tech Theater, 285 Jay Street, Brooklyn, NY, 11201, United States
Mind Yours
Writer: Rachel Hughes, Tiffaney Robinson
Directed by: Rachel Hughes, Tiffaney Robinson, Brittany Simone Daniels
Producer: Rachel Hughes, Tiffaney Robinson, Brittany Simone Daniels
Narrative, 5:14 min.
A short film initially created for the Collaboration Filmmakers Challenge based on the following quote: “Our lives begin to end the moment we stay silent about the things that matter.”

Funny Face (Invited)
Writer: Jude Hope Harris, Krista Fatka
Directed by: Jude Hope Harris
Producer: Genevieve Jones, Nick Vitale
Narrative, 15 min.
When country singer, Randy travels to take care of his sister Sophie as she recovers from facial feminization surgery, he meets her girlfriend, Morgan, for the first time. The three bond over family history, love, and an extremely chaotic home nurse.

Rumi
Director/Writer: Aisha Amin
Producers: Annie Ning, Meetra Javed, Cameron Morton, Underhill Films
Narrative, 13 min.
When Rumi, a budding actress, is scouted by an agent and invited to an open casting call for models, she comes face to face with a troubling industry.

Fake It Til You Make It
Director/Writer: Kimrie Lewis
Producer: Sonja Perryman
Narrative, 8:46 min.
Based on a true story, Fake It Til You Make It is a comedy that tells the story of a hustler-at-heart finally deciding to play by her own rules. In order to succeed as a black actress in 2005 Hollywood, Kira Lawson has to first take on the role of a white man.

Section E
2023-10-21 18:45 - 20:45 UTC | City Tech Theater, 285 Jay Street, Brooklyn, NY, 11201, United States
To the End
Writer/Producers: Rachel Lears and Robin Blotnick
Director: Rachel Lears
Producer: Sabrina Schmidt Gordon
Documentary, 95 minutes
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cv2jtKboDi0&t=5s
Filmed over four years of hope and crisis, To the End captures the emergence of a new generation of leaders and the movement behind the most sweeping climate change legislation in U.S. history. The award-winning team behind Knock Down the House follows four exceptional young women— Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, activist Varshini Prakash, climate policy writer Rhiana Gunn-Wright, and political strategist Alexandra Rojas— as they grapple with new challenges of leadership and power and work together to defend their generation’s right to a future.

Section A
2023-10-22 13:30 - 15:00 UTC | City Tech Theater, 285 Jay Street, Brooklyn, NY, 11201, United States
A Loving Tribute to Esther Duran
Friends and family honor the life of award-winning documentary filmmaker Esther Duran, the director of A Chocolate Conquest. The web series took viewers into the world of cocoa farming as seen through the eyes of fifteen rural communities in 30 videos about Cacao in Venezula. A Chocolate Conquest won Reel Sisters 2018 Best Web Series Award.
Reel Sisters will share clips of Esther’s short films and other works as a filmmaker, researcher, curator, activist, philanthropist and champion of artists and filmmakers.

Section B
2023-10-22 15:10 - 16:38 UTC | City Tech Theater, 285 Jay Street, Brooklyn, NY, 11201, United States
Brownsville Bred
Writer: Elaine Del Valle
Directed by: Elaine Del Valle
Producer: Leslie Cohen,Adrienne Lovette,Debbie Esko-Gold,Elaine Del Valle
Narrative, 20:00 min.
Set in 1980’s Brownsville, Brooklyn, NY– At the height of the crack and crime epidemics–A spunky Latina must find her own path as she comes of age to face the grim realities of the deteriorating neighborhood she calls home and the musician father she once idolized.

NEGRITA
Writer: Magdalena Albizu
Directed by: Magdalena Albizu
Producer: Ingrid Matias, Eddie Savoy Bailey
Documentary, 50 min.
NEGRITA is a feature documentary about diverse Afro Latinas who explore and confront culture and racism while defining their own identity in the United States. NEGRITA explores the ideology of Blackness, and how both American and Latino cultures perpetuate the belief that Blackness is to be destroyed. Through personal accounts, family pictures, old videos, and interactions with family and friends, NEGRITA will follow the director’s own struggle with identity.

Section C
2023-10-22 16:45 - 18:00 UTC | City Tech Theater, 285 Jay Street, Brooklyn, NY, 11201, United States
Dancing identities
Writer: Julia Martinez Heimann, Josefina Itoiz
Directed by: Julia Martinez Heimann
Producer: Natalia Laclau, Mariana Miño
Narrative, 13 min.
This short films series reflects on the construction of identity in terms of cultural diversity, and explores different social expressions based on dance and migrant experiences. With each dancer, it is investigated how dance is part of the historical-cultural heritage of people and their affective memory. In the experiences of the interpreters of this short film, these heritages are resignified and mixed, opening up new identity possibilities. Thus, with their words and movements they shape the multicultural identity of society.

Esperanza
Writer: Shruti Parekh
Directed by: Shruti Parekh
Producer: Laura Scarano,Shruti Parekh
Narrative, 18 min.
When an immigrant taxi driver in upstate New York takes an undocumented couple to the Canadian border, they find themselves at odds in the shared pursuit of a better life.

Speak Up Brotha!
Writer: James J. Johnson, Obbie West, Roderick Lawrence
Producers: Salma Qarnain, Roderick Lawrence, Ron Gillyard, Will Campbell, Cameron Carr, Ike Mbanefo, Obbie West, Dario Harris
Narrative, 15 min.
Grad student Ahmad Jones drives for a rideshare company. He receives a request from a mysterious woman — a poet. They connect over music, but she seems to ignore him. When the opportunity arises to see her again, Ahmad must learn how to communicate in ways beyond his understanding to win her heart.

Virtual Program 1 - Chaos & Magic
2023-10-28 - 2023-11-10 | Virtual Program
Daughter of the Sea
Writer: Alexis C Garcia
Directed by: Alexis C Garcia
Producer: Debora Perez
Narrative, 19:03
After the death of her grandfather, a young woman experiences a spiritual awakening when she is called by Yemaya, the orisha Goddess of the Sea.

Supa Hair
Director/Writer: Glenís Hunter
Producer: Ricky Rosario, Sara Seligman
Animation, 14:20 min.
After the death of her mother, Luna and her sister, Carmen move from Dominican Republic to Arizona to live with their estranged grandmother. There, Luna is confronted with bullying and her sister’s cold shoulder. At this point, Luna has neglected her hair as a manifestation of her grief. One night, Luna decides to comb her hair with an old comb she found in the river in the Dominican Republic prior to her exit. Unbeknownst to her, the comb is actually part of her family lineage that activates a magic power that had been lost for decades.

Grandma’s Magic Pills
Director/Writer: Jing-Yu Xiao
Narrative, 14:09 min.
A young girl discovers her grandmother’s mysterious magic pills. A beautiful story on a strong bond between a granddaughter and grandmother who loves dancing.

The Silence of the Seeds (INVITED)
Writer: Miguel Ángel López Hernández
Directed by: Elizabeth Pirela
Producer: Elizabeth Pirela
Documentary, 9:11 min.
The pandemic forces a Wayuu woman to return to her maternal territory in Alta Guajira-Colombia. This exile becomes a journey where she meets her own knowledge, and with her dead and close spirits.

Virtual Program 2 - UK & Beyond
2023-10-28 - 2023-11-10 | Virtual Program
A.V. Van
Writer: Morayo Akandé
Directed by: Morayo Akandé
Producer: Helen Gladders, Moyo Akandé
Narrartive, 12:17 min.
Two film-fanatic sisters try to reconnect with their estranged deceased father by selling his vintage porn collection.

Daddy’s Girl
Writer: Jessica Magaye
Directed by: Jessica Magaye
Producer: Koby Adom, Dola Araoye, Domenique Fragale, Danielle Goff
Narrative, 12:55 min.
After facing eviction, Sade, a young desperate carer enters the Influencer Olympics – a game that allows players around the world a chance at a large cash prize and internet stardom. However, the game soon takes a dark and twisted turn.

Yellow Fever
Writer: Shan Gao
Directed by: Shan Gao
Producer: Shan Gao
Documentary, 18:32 min.
Yellow Fever is an investigative documentary that uses participants’ first-hand tales of emotional abuse and pain in their interactions with racial obsessions to show viewers how the phenomena of Yellow Fever/Asian Fetish occur in contemporary culture. The setting is real life. This is the first investigative documentary that explores the specific forms of sexual and emotional abuse experienced by a large number of young Asian women and is worth the time and funding invested in its production.

Teju’s Tale
Writer: Teniola Zara King
Directed by: Teniola Zara King
Producer: Danielle Goff
Narrative, 14:49 min.
Set in the 1950s, Teju relocates to London from Lagos to study nursing but faces challenges when her colleagues demand to see her tail.

Impurrfection
Writer: Yen-Chiao Huang, Chiang Yao
Directed by: Chiang Yao
Producer: Yiju Chiang
Animation, 13:10 min.
Mr. Cat has aquaphobia, and he was too terrified to swim in the zodiac race to fulfill his dream of becoming the Guardian God of the Year. He has since lived regretfully by the sea, overlooking the race’s destination every day for countless years, until an accident brings him closer and closer to the water…

Virtual Program 3 - Phoenix: David's Dream
2023-10-28 - 2023-11-10 | Virtual Program
Phoenix: David’s Dream
Writer: Vinicius Donola, Roberta Salomone, João Rocha
Directed by: Vinicius Donola, Roberta Salomone, João Rocha
Producer: Roberta Salomone
Documentary, 74 min.
After helping to fight the fire that destroyed the National Museum, in Brazil, a firefighter decides to look for wreckage to transform them into art. The musical instruments are made with the help of artists such as Gilberto Gil, Paulinho da Viola and Hamilton de Holanda.

Virtual Program 4 - Pregnancies & Circumstances
2023-10-28 - 2023-11-10 | Virtual Program
Good Egg – USA (CA)
Writer: Mitra Shahidi
Directed by: Mitra Shahidi
Producer: Samara Al-Jumaily
Narrative, 8:29 min.
When a self-reliant woman is thrust into fertility treatments, she goes to painstaking lengths to become a mother.
Sitting the Month – USA (CA)
Writer: Rebecca Chu
Directed by: Felicity LuHill
Producer: Rebecca Chu, Felicity LuHill
Narrative, 18:20 min.
A new mother struggles with Chinese postpartum traditions. SITTING THE MONTH is a carefully considered story about the emotional and cultural complexities of postpartum motherhood, particularly in the absence of one’s own mother. Through Iris, we pivot between cultural experiences and attitudes; a Western perspective lauds new mothers for “bouncing back” while a Chinese belief system encourages rest and recuperation, and it’s between these two cultural points of view that Iris is torn.

The Best Time
Writer: Shaunic Stanford
Directed by: Shaunic Stanford
Producer: Shaunic Stanford, Edrei Hutson
Narrative, 18:29 min.
Sydney is doing everything she can to meet the demands of being a new mom. She feels the pressure to bounce back, care for the baby, and be the best wife. Exhausted from a lack of uninterrupted sleep, a never-ending stream of dirty laundry, and pumping. Sydney decides to return to the office as a means to feel “normal” again. However, unable to secure childcare, she remains tied to the house. Turning to her husband Derrick for comfort, who is blind to her unhappiness, a depressed and seemingly alone Sydney loses the battle within herself.

The Bond – USA (CA)
Director/Writer: Jahmil Eady
Producer: Jahmil Eady, Selena Leoni, Reina Higashitani
Narrative, 15:50 min.
Pregnant and incarcerated, Aria fights for her most precious connection against a system designed to isolate her.

Virtual Program 5 - King of Kings: Chasing Edward Jones
2023-10-28 - 2023-11-10 | Virtual Program
King of Kings: Chasing Edward Jones
Director/Writer: Harriet Marin Jones
Writers: Michel Fessler, Giles Gardner
Producers: Harriet Marin Jones, Quincy Jones, Debbie Allen
Documentary, 98 min.
A filmmaker searches for the truth about her grandfather Edward Jones, a charismatic African American who rose to the heights of financial and political prominence in Depression-era Chicago.  In shaping the destiny of a city, Ed Jones could not however escape discrimination. In conflict with both the mob and the Feds, he was forced into a life on the run.

Section A
2023-10-28 13:00 - 14:25 UTC | Columbia University, Miller Theatre, 2960 Broadway, New York, NY, 10027, United States
Dance In Circles
Writer: Yuming Zhang
Directed by: Yuming Zhang
Producer: Yuming Zhang, Ryan Rosenthal, Hanna Dzaferovic
Narrative, 8:55 min.
Two women dance a duet piece together, exploring their collective traumatic experiences through their movements.

I AM NOT OKAY
Writer: Tiffiney Davis
Directed by: Gabrielle Lansner
Producer: Ben Glickstein, Dean Taucher, Gabrielle Lansner
Documentary, 12:10 min.
A mother and son respond to the unending killings of black Americans amidst the backdrop of the protests that followed the death of George Floyd. Dance and archival photographs are woven together to evoke fear, outrage, and anger and the need for communities to come together and find solutions.

Here Is A Man
Writer: Jarvis D. Matthews
Directed by: Sideeq Heard
Producer: Jarvis D. Matthews, Joanna White-Oldham
Narrative, 18:32 min.
Donny, a young black musician, is on the cusp of becoming the greatest soul singer of the 1970’s, but the quiet dread within his own mind threatens to derail his future. This is film is inspired by the life, legacy, and music of Donny Hathaway.

City of Dreamz
Writer: Imani Celeste
Directed by: Imani Celeste
Producer: Imani Celeste
Narrative, 12:06 min.
City of Dreamz follows four Black art students telling stories of community, divine intervention, and the artistry that led them to this very moment…smoking weed in a cramped NYC apartment trying not to get caught.

RIP, LOL
Writer: Khaya Fraites
Directed by: Charles Coleman, Khaya Fraites
Producer: Hannah Looney
Narrative, 16:22 min.
, goes back home to Richmond, Virginia with her best friend Jackie as her support system, to see her parents and ‘celebrate’ what would have been her older brother’s 26th birthday. RIP, LOL is an examination of grief and how loss affects an entire family.

Section B
2023-10-28 14:30 - 16:15 UTC | Columbia University, Miller Theatre, 2960 Broadway, New York, NY, 10027, United States
Confirmation
Writer: Nana Duffuor
Directed by: Nana Duffuor
Producer: Yaél Bermudez
Narrative, 11:49
Maame is a God-fearing mother who wants nothing but the best for her son, Kojo. But when he befriends an out and proud, expressive young man in their church, Maame must confront her fear of accepting Kojo’s burgeoning sexual identity or risk losing him.

Sunday Dinner
Director/Writer: Monique Needham
Producer: Kashif Boothe
Narrative, 18:30 min.
On paper, life for Maya looks perfect: an athlete, popular, has a loving family, and is head over heels for her girlfriend Jasmine. However, she’s about to risk it all by inviting Jasmine around to Sunday Dinner. With the help of her grandmother, with whom she shares a special bond, will dinner with her quirky family go smoothly, or will they scare Jasmine off?

Ring Shout Let The Circle Be Unbroken
Writers: Olubayo Jackson, Christopher Miles, Iyabo Kwayana
Producer/Director: Olubayo Jackson
Documentary, 17 min.
The exploration of sacred dance in Africa and diaspora leads a NYC teacher on a worldwide journey to reconnect severed cultural ties. Her quest to document the Ring Shout, an age-old praise dance rooted in African Spiritual Traditions leds her to a rural Georgia museum where she discovers a long lost branch of her family and her Gullah Geechee roots. There she must decide if she will honor her elder cousin’s dying wish and embrace the mantle of carrying his legacy and these vanishing traditions forward.

With Woman
Producer/Director: Mia Harvey
Producer: Mia Harvey
Documentary, 27:45 min.
The long-established tradition of African-American home-birth midwifery has been outlawed in the State of Illinois. At the same time, Black women suffer massively disproportionate maternal mortality in US hospital settings. ‘With Woman’ follows Star, a Black, direct-entry midwife, who has taken up the cause of providing Black women with home-births. Star guides Raven through her last month of her pregnancy, from prenatal visits to the astonishingly intimate and agonisingly perilous experience of her birth on the kitchen floor. Felony charges and being separated from her four children are at risk for Star if there is a poor outcome for mother or baby. Through intimate observational black and white footage, the film documents an act of both defiance and radical self-empowerment by Black women—mothers and midwives—in a country so hostile to their very existence.

Section C & D
2023-10-28 16:30 - 20:00 UTC | Columbia University, Miller Theatre, 2960 Broadway, New York, NY, 10027, United States
Join Reel Sisters and While We Are Still Here for Starring Harlem, a daylong film festival, on October 28 from 1pm -8 pm at the Miller Theatre at Columbia University. The afternoon will include film and music celberating the Harlem’s rich film and arts heritage.
Section C – 4:30 p.m.-6:05 p.m. EDT
The Five Demands
Directors: Greta Schiller and Andrea Weiss
Documentary, 75 min.
Directed by Greta Schiller and Andrea Weiss, The Five Demands (2023) revisits the untold story of the explosive student takeover and proves that a handful of ordinary citizens can band together to take action and effect meaningful change. In April 1969, a small group of Black and Puerto Rican students shut down the City College of New York, an elite public university located right in the heart of Harlem. Fueled by the revolutionary fervor sweeping the nation, the strike soon turned into an uprising, leading to the extended occupation of the campus, classes being canceled, students being arrested, and the resignation of the college president. Through archival footage and modern-day interviews, we follow the students’ struggle against the institutional racism that, for over a century, had shut out people of color from this and other public universities.
Moderator: Karen D. Taylor is a writer, curator, and multi-genre artist who has lived in Harlem for over thirty years. She is the founder and executive director of While We Are Still Here, a Harlem-based, heritage-preservation non-profit. Inspired by the national discussion on “gentrification,” Karen is moved to steward the creation of programming that wraps the arts and humanities in a package that is a gift to the future.
Section D – 6:20 p.m.-8:00 p.m. EDT
Sundays at the Triple Nickel
(13 minutes)
Written by Jess Colquhoun and directed by Colquhoun and Adam Rachlitz, Sundays at the Triple Nickel(2020) is a documentary short that features Marjorie Eliot, a woman who is making sure her apartment building’s iconic jazz legacy lives on in the iconic neighborhood of Sugar Hill, Harlem. Marjorie and her son have been hosting jazz concerts in her apartment every Sunday for the past twenty-six years—a pursuit of overcoming grief through music. This film tells the story of the woman behind the piano, and how Marjorie’s generous vision came to be.
Mary Lou Williams: Lady Who Swings the Band
(70 minutes)
Directed by Carol Bash, Mary Lou Williams: Lady Who Swings the Band (2015) features the life and legacy of jazz pianist, Mary Lou Williams, a genius ahead of her time. From child prodigy to “Boogie-Woogie Queen” to groundbreaking composer to mentoring some of the greatest musicians of all time, she never ceased to astound those who heard her play. But for a Black woman in the early 1900s, life as a star did not come easy.

Section A
2023-10-29 13:00 - 14:40 UTC | Maysles Documentary Center, 343 Lenox Ave., Malcolm X Blvd., NY, 10027, United States
Saturday
Director/Writer: Shandrea Evans
Producer: Lexx Truss, Kendra Mitchell
Narrative, 8:35
Feeling homesick after moving to Los Angeles, a young woman begrudgingly visits her great-aunt where she discovers friendship, communal history, and her new city through a fresh lens.

Crown
Writer: Nofisat Almaroof, Karisma Jay
Directed by: Nofisat Almaroof, Karisma Jay
Producers: Nofisat Almaroof, Karisma Jay, Nirine S. Brown
Narrative, 20 min.
Consumed by ballet, Afro-PUNK , and futuristic style- the last thing on Nia’s mind is her hair. her ex 90s prom queen mother Robyn however, is a different story. After learning Nia’s mane needs to be slayed for a dance audition that could change their
lives, Robyn initiates Nia into the tense world of black hair. It’s giving Pandora’s box at the beauty supply store and rollercoaster ride on wash day, all towards the glory of the perfect stage bun. On audition day an unexpected malfunction pushes Nia to fight for her life on the dance floor. This struggle helps Nia and Robyn finally uncover who really wears the crown.

How I Got Over
Director/Writer: Valerie Udeozor
Producers: University Of Louisville and Valerie Udeozor
Documentary, 22 min.
Delores Gordon Alleyne now Age 90 is the first black woman to graduate from University of Louisville Medical School in 1957. In the short documentary narrated with rap music, her story is used to promote health professions in the black community.

Hearsay
Director/Writer: Banban Cheng
Producer: Sheena Alexis Suarez
Narrative, 17 min.
Set in a Chinatown beauty salon, “Hearsay” follows Lili, an outgoing and talkative hairdresser who gets herself in trouble when she gossips about a customer.

Heather’s Voice
Director/Writer: Shicong Zhu
Producers: Robin Wang, Kara Fein, Lameng Bei, Ihsanul Huq
Narrative, 17 min.
Tasked with promoting a tech company’s VR innovations, a young scientist risks her job when she decides to use her creations to faithfully serve a grief-stricken family – rather than follow the company’s wish to stage a publicity stunt.

Section B
2023-10-29 14:50 - 16:12 (America/Halifax) | Maysles Documentary Center, 343 Lenox Ave., Malcolm X Blvd., NY, 10027, United States
Blueberry
Writer: Stephanie Glover
Directed by: Stephanie Glover
Producer: Stephanie Glover
Animation, Short; 5 min.
A determined, practical boy has a change of heart when his favorite food comes to life.

Passenger Seat
Writer: Neha Gautam, Angbeen Saleem
Directed by: Neha Gauam
Producer: Saleem Gondal
Narrative Short, 18:13 min.
A young Pakistani girl from Queens, New York finds her relationship to her father shifting as his taxi business starts to decline with the rise of ride-share apps.

Look Like You
Director/Writer: Snigdha Kapoor
Producer: Pulkit Datta, Lauren Sowa
Narrative, 12:40 min.
While visiting the adoptive family of her eight-year-old biological son, Tara overcomes the hesitation of his parents to relay advice she gathered from growing up as a queer outcast.

Everything Goes Dark
Writer: Mackenzie Chang Russell, Alex Casimir
Directed by: Alex Casimir
Producer: Lexi Notrica
Narrative, 15 min.
A Black high school student prepares to take her senior yearbook photo when insecurities and a tense friendship push her towards a breaking point.

Blue Hour
Writer: J.D Shields
Directed by: J.D Shields
Producer: Diana Ward, Maya Korn, Lauren Avinoam
Duration: 15 min.
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.
