2021 American Black Film Festival Movie Guide
by IMDb-Editors | created - 27 Oct 2021 | updated - 24 May 2022 | Public- Instant Watch Options
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1. King Richard (2021)
PG-13 | 144 min | Biography, Drama, Sport
A look at how tennis superstars Venus and Serena Williams became who they are after the coaching from their father Richard.
Director: Reinaldo Marcus Green | Stars: Will Smith, Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, Jon Bernthal, Saniyya Sidney
Votes: 137,068
Opening Night Film
2. A Message from Brianna (2021)
TV-14 | 80 min | Horror
When a African-American couple move into their new home, their 2 year-old daughter becomes a terrifying messenger from the other side.
Director: DeShon Hardy | Stars: Vernon Davis, Asia'h Epperson, Amanda Felix, Kevin Benton
Votes: 142
Category: Narrative Features
3. B-Boy Blues (2021)
TV-MA | 103 min | Drama
Class and culture clash when a college educated journalist from Brooklyn and a homeboy-bike messenger from Harlem fall in love.
Director: Jussie Smollett | Stars: Timothy Richardson, Thomas Mackie, Landon G. Woodson, Brandee Evans
Votes: 681
Category: Narrative Features
4. Bitter Sugar (2021)
119 min | Drama
Bitter Sugar follows two dancers balancing ambition, and friendship in the extremely competitive world of dance.
Director: Malik Isasis | Stars: Amina Ben Ismaïl, Soraïa Scicchitano, Kenneth Browning, Taher Ben Ali
Votes: 6
Category: Narrative Features
5. Dr. Gama (2021)
92 min | Action, Biography, Drama
'Doutor Gama' is based on the life of Luiz Gama, one of the most important characters in Brazilian history. A black man who used the law and the courts to free over 500 slaves. Born a free ... See full summary »
Director: Jeferson De | Stars: César Mello, Pedro Guilherme, Angelo Fernandes, João Carlos Andreazza
Votes: 277
Category: Narrative Features
6. I'm Fine (Thanks for Asking) (2021)
86 min | Comedy, Drama
When a recently widowed mother becomes houseless, she convinces her 8-year-old daughter that they are only camping for fun while working to get them off of the streets.
Directors: Kelley Kali, Angelique Molina | Stars: Wesley Moss, Kelley Kali, Dominique Molina, Lucas Byrd
Votes: 359
Category: Narrative Features
7. Liam White: The Forgettable Life of Liam White (2021)
TV-14 | 87 min | Drama
An author fights for his life while reconciling his past.
Director: Harold Jackson III | Stars: Jasmine Guy, Terrence 'T.C.' Carson, Karon Riley, Tamieka Chavis
Votes: 25
Category: Narrative Features
8. Margarine (2021)
115 min | Drama
A short-tempered trigger happy gun fiend terrorizes his community until he meets a charming girl named Margarine who drives him to question his ways.
Director: Thabo Khambule | Stars: Finito Bullet, Thembeni Joni, Sibusiso Makqate, Mammy Manique
Votes: 56
Category: Narrative Features
9. Maya and Her Lover (2021)
106 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
The mundane life of a 39 year old introvert is disrupted when she begins a steamy but contentious affair with a much younger Man.
Director: Nicole Sylvester | Stars: Ashanti J'Aria, Shomari Love, Al Thompson, Faiven Feshazion
Votes: 112
Category: Narrative Features
10. Outsiders (2021)
R | 85 min | Mystery, Sci-Fi, Thriller
A Black high school student finds himself under suspicion after his classmate's mysterious disappearance.
Director: Delmar Washington | Stars: Taryn Manning, Shane West, Rutina Wesley, Clark Backo
Votes: 405
Category: Narrative Features
11. Raise Your Hand (2021)
94 min | Drama
Gia and her best friend, Lila, try to survive a rough childhood in a neighborhood where every kid has a sad story to tell. As teenagers, their problems become more complicated, and the stakes get raised.
Director: Jessica Rae | Stars: Jearnest Corchado, Hanani Taylor, Evan Allen-Gessesse, Gracie Marie Bradley
Votes: 18
Category: Narrative Features
12. Ten-Cent Daisy (2021)
90 min | Drama
Three sisters from a fishing village in the West Indies take refuge in Berkeley, California, following a traumatic event that threatens to reveal a centuries-old family secret.
Director: Lisbon Okafor | Stars: Jamal Ademola, Dionne Audain, Siranne Garness, David Germaine
Votes: 25
Category: Narrative Features
13. Trees of Peace (2021)
TV-MA | 97 min | Drama
In April of 1994, four women from different backgrounds and beliefs are trapped and hiding during the Genocide Against the Tutsi in Rwanda. Their fight for survival against all odds unites the women in an unbreakable sisterhood.
Director: Alanna Brown | Stars: Eliane Umuhire, Charmaine Bingwa, Ella Cannon, Bola Koleosho
Votes: 1,817
Category: Narrative Features
14. Voodoo Macbeth (2021)
108 min | Drama
In 1936 Harlem, the first all-Black cast production of 'Macbeth' struggles to make it to opening night amid the downward spiral of their young and untested director - Orson Welles.
Directors: Dagmawi Abebe, Victor Alonso-Berbel, Roy Arwas, Hannah Bang, Christopher Beaton, Agazi Desta, Tiffany K. Guillen, Zoe Salnave, Ernesto Sandoval, Sabina Vajraca | Stars: Inger Tudor, Jewell Wilson Bridges, June Schreiner, Jeremy Tardy
Votes: 76
Category: Narrative Features
15. 100 Years from Mississippi (2021)
60 min | Documentary
Mamie Lang Kirkland was seven years old when she fled Ellisville, Mississippi in 1915 with her mother and siblings as her father and his friend, John Hartfield, escaped an approaching lynch... See full summary »
Director: Tarabu Betserai Kirkland | Star: Robb Derringer
Votes: 30
Category: Documentary Features
16. Anatomy of Wings (2020)
84 min | Documentary
What is only supposed to last 10-weeks turns into a 10+ year journey for 10 Baltimore City Girls who frame how their cinematic story is shared with the world.
Directors: Kirsten D'Andrea Hollander, Nikiea Redmond | Stars: Brittany Backmon, Brienna Brown, Sheila Butler, Quanisha Carmichael
Votes: 17
Category: Documentary Features
17. Big Chief, Black Hawk (2021)
53 min | Documentary
An exploration into effects of gentrification, COVID -19, and other issues The Culture faces in New Orleans, through the eyes of the youngest Black Masking Mardi Gras Indian Big Chief in the city.
Director: Jonathan Isaac Jackson | Stars: Joseph Boudreaux Jr., Charity Clay, Jeffery Darensbourg, Dow Edwards
Votes: 13
Category: Documentary Features
18. Little Satchmo (2021)
60 min | Documentary
The secret daughter of Louis Armstrong.
Director: John Alexander | Stars: Louis Armstrong, John Boutté, Sharon Preston-Folta
Votes: 40
Category: Documentary Features
19. The Neutral Ground (2021)
82 min | Documentary
In December 2015, the New Orleans City Council voted to remove four Confederate monuments from public grounds. A forceful group of critics protested the decision, and fearing retaliation, no crew would agree to remove the statues.
Director: CJ Hunt | Stars: CJ Hunt, Mr. Hunt, Mitch Landrieu, Jason Williams
Votes: 126
Category: Documentary Features
20. Subjects of Desire (2021)
103 min | Documentary
Subjects of Desire is a culturally significant, thought-provoking documentary that ultimately deconstructs what we understand about race and the power behind the beauty.
Director: Jennifer Holness | Stars: India Arie, Jully Black, Rachel Dolezal, Alexandra Germain
Votes: 139
Category: Documentary Features
21. Unzipped: An Autopsy of American Inequality (2021)
90 min | Documentary
Feature doc about the growing affordable housing crisis in America. Filmmakers follow families in iconic Venice CA 90291 while investigating plans for a controversial new homeless shelter.
Director: Colin K. Gray | Stars: William Attaway, Sunny Bak, M.B. Boissonault, Mike Bonin
Votes: 14
Category: Documentary Features
22. Why Is We Americans? (2020)
101 min | Documentary
The story focuses on Newark's Baraka family and its involvement in social activism, poetry, music, art and politics.
Directors: Udi Aloni, Ayana Stafford-Morris | Stars: Jabbar Ali, Maya Angelou, Amiri Baraka Jr., Amandla Baraka
Votes: 14
Category: Documentary Features
23. Art Broken (2021– )
5 min | Drama
Mockumentary follows Los Angeles-based visual artist Sabina on her journey of self-destruction during the global pandemic.
Stars: Niles Abston, Bianca Cristovao, Jessica Mulder, Heremela Kebede
Category: Web Series
24. Bald (2021– )
8 min | Comedy
In a world of smoke and mirrors where appearance is everything, a struggling actor in his late 20's tries to hold on to his last redeeming quality - his hair.
Stars: John-Jonne Smith, Javon Carey, Brendon Hudson, Dyrel White
Category: Web Series
25. Click Next to Continue (2021 TV Short)
7 min | Short, Sci-Fi
Dr. Royce Shakir finds himself trapped in a game of revenge after being kidnapped via teleportation by a former colleague and lover.
Director: Abdul Stone Jackson | Stars: Jasmine Acosta, Jaleesa Capri, Catherine Corcoran, Lidiane Fernandes
Category: Web Series
26. Fade (II) (2021)
24 min | Short, Sci-Fi
When Myles inherits a watch that gives him the power to teleport, he begins to discover the mystery behind his father's untimely death.
Director: LaVarro Jones | Stars: Sabrina Athena, Rohan Davis Jr., Christine Davis, Krystal Farris
Category: Web Series
27. Indemnity (2021– )
10 min | Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi
Austin Ellis, off-grid tech wiz and self proclaimed 'reality-theorist', must race to find his AWOL parents before vaccine mogul, Delilah Green forces their return, using nothing but his memories from childhood and stolen Indemnity Points.
Stars: Candice Coke, Tyler Parks, Jacqueline Nwankwo, Zoe Yeoman
Votes: 18
Category: Web Series
28. Kontaxt (2021– )
9 min | Thriller, Short
Danny wakes up in the desert with no memory of how got there and quickly finds himself in the middle of an interdimensional conspiracy theory.
Stars: Christa B. Allen, Tone Bell, Stanislav Tabirta, Simmi Singh
Category: Web Series
29. Last Bodega in Brooklyn (2021– )
6 min | Comedy
A Brooklyn family must band together to save their bodega and neighborhood from a new organics store owner.
Stars: Hadas Pacholder, Emmy Wheeler, Mitch Lerner, Peter Bowden
Category: Web Series
30. Looking for Me (2021– )
7 min | Comedy
The misadventures of a life coach who has hit rock bottom.
Stars: Dayna Dooley, Kristina Bustamante
Category: Web Series
31. Maternally Yours (2021– )
10 min | Comedy, Drama
Maternally Yours, is a whirlwind journey of excavating to create a thrilling coming of age story that will create dialogue around the interesting complexities of mother/daughter relationships, personal identity, and generational trauma.
Stars: Jessica Johnson, Brionne Collins, Nicoye Banks, Lance E. Nichols
Category: Web Series
32. Ms/Manage (2022– )
13 min | Comedy, Drama
MS/MANAGE is a new digital series about navigating the corporate landscape as a woman of color. On the surface Skye has it all, a successful career at one of the hottest retail brands and a... See full summary »
Stars: Adwoa Duncan Williams, Zen Dot, Siobhán Carroll, Kelsey Senteio
Votes: 9
Category: Web Series
33.
No Church in the Wild: Act 1 (2020– )
Episode:
Traitor
(2020)
6 min | Documentary
A failed escape attempt turns Leslie Wagner-Wilson into an outcast inside of a spiraling cult.
Director: Richmond Obeng | Star: Leslie Wagner-Wilson
Category: Web Series
34. Owners (2021– )
14 min | Short
A black man tired of being a minority in the office decides to create his own company, but a positive thought creates a whirlwind of negatives.
Stars: Ohene Cornelius, Allison Blackman, Nathan Harding, Brenden Bazilio
Category: Web Series
35. Perfect (2020– )
10 min | Drama
A love-struck son and his post-divorce father try to find the perfect relationship - through all its imperfections.
Stars: Michael J. Patterson, Alex Michell, Tiffany Yancey, Chinna Palmer
Category: Web Series
36. QuaranDream! (2021– )
9 min | Comedy
Jerri Cooper moves from Atlanta to the Big Apple to make her QuaranDreams a comedy reality.
Stars: Melvin Taylor II, Shem Pennant, Desola Jegede, Aaron LaRoche
Category: Web Series
37. Second Hand (2021– )
5 min | Drama
Two sisters bump heads while moving out of their childhood home.
Stars: Melan Perez, Alexis J. Smith, Tennyson Harris
Category: Web Series
38.
Sidetracked (2021– )
Episode:
A Trollop?
(2021)
15 min | Comedy
Leigh struggles to flirt her way to the top. Does she dare to dip her toes into dangerous waters with Donovan, while her loving husband is in the next room at the party? Can she keep the ... See full summary »
Director: Miles Crawford | Stars: E.D. Brown, Jee Young Han, Jim Holdridge, Jason E. Kelley
39.
Talia Versus (2020– )
Episode:
Talia Versus Wedding
(2020)
Short
Talia with her wingman Bo by her side, attempts to secure the affections of a hot guy at her friend's party.
Director: Saraphina Mattis | Stars: Elliot Elimasi, Leonie Haynes-Moses, Nobuse Jnr, Roxi Lee
Category: Web Series
40. The Electrics (2021– )
10 min | Short, Comedy, Romance
A young, Black woman, struggling to find love in a predominantly White city, has her world turned upside down when she gains the ability to hear other Black people's thoughts.
Stars: Xavier Alvarado, Jacqui Calloway, Monique Barsh, Peggy Schott
Category: Web Series
41. The Hero of a Thousand Faces (2021)
10 min | Documentary
Capt. Barrington Irving, Guiness Book of World Record holder for the youngest man to fly around the world and the first Black man to fly around the world, speaks about his upbringing and the adversity that made him successful.
Directors: Gabriel Andrews, Fabian Cardenas | Star: Barrington Irving
Category: Web Series
42. The Investment (2021– )
11 min | Short
A fast-paced procedural webseries about investing in what matters most.
Stars: Kim Estes, Alicia Brayboy, Rachel McCubbin, Lauren Wilkins
Category: Web Series
43.
The Secret Life of Muni Long (2021– )
Episode:
Episode One
(2021)
3 min | Animation, Short
Superhuman Muni Long has stayed out of the public eye for a long time, secretly helping the underdog with aid from her three mutant helpers, until one day her secret is exposed.
Director: Tusk | Stars: Adam Faison, Muni Long, O'Shay Neal, Franchesca Ramsey
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44. Therapy (2021– )
15 min | Drama
A therapist helps clients through different trauma, but is unaware how a mysterious client's trauma will soon affect his own life.
Stars: Gregg DaCosta, Eugene N. Walker, Giovanni Marine, Jada John
Votes: 12
Category: Web Series
45.
True Story (2021– )
Episode:
I Feel
13 min | Short, Drama
A Black therapist attempts to persuade his patient, who has a history of violence, into saying how he feels.
Director: Matthew Law | Stars: Reginald Lashaun Clay, Matthew Law
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46. Walking Forward (2020–2022)
6 min | Documentary
Creative entrepreneur Ndinomholo meets some of Namibia's most incredible human beings who share what they do to not only walk through a global pandemic, but to walk forward into an unknown and thrilling future.
Stars: Ndinomholo Ndilula, Jackson Wahengo, Beverly Kulan Ganes, Denver Kisting
Category: Web Series
47. Witchsters (2021– )
5 min | Short
Sister witches Michelle and Maya search for love in LA.
Stars: Sasha Compère, Jemina Lauriston, Jerah Milligan
Category: Web Series
48. Everyday Black Matter (2021)
22 min | Drama
Black joy as practice, motivating audiences to lean into dreams of Black cultural production rooted in pleasure, self-love, and nuanced identities that defy containment.
Directors: Chaz Barracks, Nicolas Taylor | Stars: Chaz Barracks, Kalyn Coghill, Mckayla Graham, Aurora Higgs
Category: ABFF Pride
49. Homegoing (I) (2021)
14 min | Short, Drama
Working as a mortician at his father's funeral parlor, Junior cycles through an unsatisfying life routine. A night out with friends forces him to see the world as it truly is.
Director: Carlton Daniel | Stars: Derrick Benton, Chazz Giovanni Bruce, Ayyhaunnah de la Renta, Karin Franklin-King
Votes: 36
Category: ABFF Pride
50. Into the Light: A Trip Through Baltimore Ballroom (2021)
25 min | Short
LGBTQ Baltimore Ballroom dancers as they prepare to compete at the ground breaking and inaugural, Peabody Ball, while facing real life obstacles and dangers.
Directors: Jason Gray, Kathryn Martin | Stars: Marquis Clanton, Keith Holt
Category: ABFF Pride
51. Love Therapy (2021)
14 min | Short, Drama
A young, Black, gay millennial is at the intersection of a major crossroads in life and only by reaching his breaking point does he find the many facets of therapy love can provide.
Director: Lauren E. Banks | Stars: Becca Q. Co, Delius Doherty, Alexander Etseyatse, Jeffrey Glenn
Votes: 24
Category: ABFF Pride
52. parTy boi, black diamonds in ice castles (2021)
58 min | Documentary
A raw and compassionate journey through the epidemic of crystal meth addiction in LGBTQ communities of color.
Director: Micheal Rice | Star: Micheal Rice
Votes: 9
Category: ABFF Pride
53. Peace (III) (2021)
11 min | Short
A love story that dives into the complexities of a down-low queer relationship and questions what it really means to be at peace.
Director: Adomako Aman | Stars: Adomako Aman, Marlon Fisher, Sofija Maria Kulikauskas, Amanda Penalo
Votes: 192
Category: ABFF Pride
54. Pink & Blue (2021)
13 min | Short, Drama
After a surprise first-time pregnancy, a Trans couple of color wrestles with how the new baby will affect their relationship and how to raise their child in a binary world.
Director: Carmen LoBue | Stars: Jojo Brown, Aury Krebs, Kaydx, Aida Basco
Votes: 94
Category: ABFF Pride
55. The Black Cop (2021)
24 min | Documentary, Short
Docu-drama exploring one former police officer's experience of being both victim and perpetrator of racism in the police force.
Director: Cherish Oteka | Stars: Marlon Kemeka, Amari James, Rob Cummings, Reece Alexander-Putinas
Votes: 69
Category: ABFF Pride
56. A Revolution of Love (2020)
5 min | Short
A young back woman explores her past and present through dance.
Directors: Lucius Dechausay, Weyni Mengesha | Stars: Lisa Auguste, Zahra Badua, Kenechi Chidolue, Sharlan Cuffy
Category: World Showcase
57. Coffee (III) (2019)
10 min | Short
After a crushing breakup, a heartbroken woman is taught a life changing lesson that she will never forget.
Director: Jordan Pitt | Stars: Nii Odartei Evans, Adele James, Blanche Williams
Votes: 119
Category: World Showcase
58. Digging for Life (2021)
15 min | Documentary, Short
A young Cameroonian attempts to pursue the dream of a better life in post-apartheid South Africa, he instead finds himself trapped as a slave in Angola.
Director: João Queiroga | Stars: Tome Assoue, Tommy Germain, Stanley Glover
Category: World Showcase
59. The Door of Return (2021)
30 min | Short
A Call and Response between 2020 and 2440, told through the perspective of eight black women, that are connected through the tireless and endless fight against racism.
Directors: Kokutekeleza Musebeni, Anna Zhukovets | Stars: Alice Hasters, Natasha A. Kelly, Michele Leyangha, Nancy Mensah-Offei
Category: World Showcase
60. Fuego (2020)
15 min | Short, Drama
Lonely, isolated and disconnected from his roots, Manolo is a Black Cuban man who has reached a low point in his life. While his boss denigrates him constantly by giving him the worst ... See full summary »
Director: Christine Rodriguez | Stars: Danny Blanco Hall, Davide Chiazzese, Abena Bentley, Daniel Loyer
Category: World Showcase
61. Junior (IV) (2021)
11 min | Short
As a gifted teenager Jérôme "Junior" Simeon was recruited by top Haitian roots music group "Racine Mapou de Azor" and spent 20 years touring the world. When the lead singer of his band dies... See full summary »
Director: A.J. Wilhelm | Stars: Laurent Ansito, Jean Paul Saint Fleur, Ajayi Jackson, Jérome Siméon
Category: World Showcase
62. Not Just a Name (2021)
23 min | Documentary, Short
Not Just a Name explores and highlights the trials and tribulations of African-Americans with cultural and unique sounding names. It follows the stories of Shiquita Williams, Fulani Bahati,... See full summary »
Director: Deonna Young | Stars: Fulani Bahati, Mocha, Naauh'Mocquaii Robinson-Jones, Shiquita Williams
Votes: 10
Category: World Showcase
63. Passage (VI) (2021)
17 min | Short, Drama
In 1600, a West African village leader faces a new challenge that endangers his family and village.
Director: David Massey | Stars: Noel Arthur, Robert Okumu, Jay Amor, Tim Aristil
Votes: 6
Category: World Showcase
64. Upheaval (2021)
27 min | Short, Musical
It's essential to generate life, dialogue, understanding, and celebrate humanity. In times of widespread pandemic, raising questions about the preservation of democracy, the integrity of ... See full summary »
Director: Welket Bungué | Stars: Welket Bungué, Alesa Herero, Lafayette, Joacine Katar Moreira
Votes: 5
Category: World Showcase
65. Cracked (III) (2021)
15 min | Short, Drama
It's the end of the summer of 1985 in Queens, New York City. Toya, a feisty young girl, falls in love for the first time. After a series of disturbing events, Toya's affection for Poochy compels her to face her traumatic past.
Director: Lin Que Ayoung | Stars: Tatum Marilyn Hall, Meliki Hurd, Kizzmett Pringle, Dwayne R Grant
Votes: 72
Category: HBO Short Film Competition
66. Mass Ave (2021)
21 min | Short, Drama
Over a day of landscaping work, a first generation African American and his immigrant father have their tense relationship and different outlooks on life transformed irreversibly when they are racially profiled by police.
Director: Omar S. Kamara | Stars: Benjamin A. Onyango, Omete Anassi, Nadine Salameh, Bullet C.
Votes: 91
Category: HBO Short Film Competition
67. Pure (I) (2021)
12 min | Short, Drama
On the eve of her cotillion ball, Celeste, a 17-year-old closeted poet, experiences an unexpected new love that shifts her role in the traditional rite of passage ceremony.
Director: Natalie Jasmine Harris | Stars: Mikayla Lashae Bartholomew, Jacob Daniel Smith, Josca Moore, Aaron Casey
Votes: 86
Category: HBO Short Film Competition
68. The Snakes (2021)
TV-MA | 14 min | Short
Set in an alternate future where Roe v. Wade has been overturned, a depressed Black woman, deals with the culture of fear by channeling her rage into violent fantasies.
Director: Michelle Beck | Stars: Carra Patterson, James Wallert, Jacob Ming-Trent, Stacey Sargeant
Votes: 43
Category: HBO Short Film Competition
69. When the Sun Sets (2021)
14 min | Short, Drama
A young, Black nurse in 1985 apartheid South Africa must face her worst fears when she learns that her activist, younger brother may be in danger when he doesn't return after school. Inspired by actual events.
Director: Phumi Morare | Stars: Zikhona Bali, Aphiwe Mkefe, Thembekile Mathe, Awonke Mtonjana
Votes: 97
Category: HBO Short Film Competition
70. A Little Closure (2021)
12 min | Short, Comedy
After dying from a shrimp allergy, Keith returns as a ghost seeking help from his best friend, Woody, to give his fiance closure before moving on.
Director: Xavier Burgin | Stars: Woody McClain, Keith Powers, Nesta Cooper, Deloor James
Votes: 13
Category: New Voices
71. Artistic (2021)
14 min | Short
Billie Thomas is a lonely teenage artist with down syndrome. Longing for a friend she finds one in an unlikely person.
Director: Nina Lee | Stars: Marshawn Lynch, Kylen Davis, Taylor Freeman, Nina Lee
Category: New Voices
72. Boy (III) (2021)
14 min | Short, Drama
Following a recent loss, BOY struggles to adapt to his new family. After running away, BOY is met by a man who takes him under his wing. BOY is reacquainted with a life he once knew as he sets off on a journey to both forget and remember.
Director: Antony Acheampong | Stars: Yule Masiteng, Sihle Mnqwazana, Sifanele Sityi
Category: New Voices
73. Cherry Lemonade (2021)
11 min | Short, Drama
On a hot summer day in a lower-income neighborhood, a black girl learns to take the lead on her own terms.
Director: Aisha Ford | Stars: Eris Baker, Skylan Brooks, Wahayn Inello Clayton, Kericho Corry
Votes: 20
Category: New Voices
74. Descended from the Promised Land: The Legacy of Black Wall Street (2021)
23 min | Documentary, Short
Through the lens of those descended from the "Black Promised Land" we draw a century-long thread, revealing the lingering trauma endured when a thriving Black community is repeatedly targeted for systematic destruction.
Director: Nailah Jefferson | Stars: Jacqueline Blocker, Michelle Blocker, Byron Crenshaw
Votes: 9
Category: New Voices
75. Family Time (2021)
13 min | Short, Drama
A career woman with a family wonders what she must give up to have it all.
Director: Zoe Stewart | Stars: Bonnie Mbuli, Sobantu Nqayi, Shadha Kae-Kazim, Jezriel Skei
Category: New Voices
76. gales. (2021)
17 min | Short
Nurse Indigo needs shift coverage to attend a steamy weekend. How far will she go to achieve the much needed work-life balance?
Directors: Ingred Prince, Tshay | Stars: Saran Bakari, Patrick Bean Jr., Hasheem Brin, Shanel James
Category: New Voices
77. Heartland (2021)
11 min | Short
A woman attempts to immortalize her dying grandfather using virtual reality technology, but her obsession drives a wedge between them.
Director: Jahmil Eady | Stars: Maxine Goynes, Haskell V. Anderson III, Mia-Carina Mollicone
Category: New Voices
78. Hollow (II) (2021)
12 min | Short, Drama
As a couple prepares to move out of their home and part ways, an unexpected occurrence forces them to confront the loss of their son and the grief that they feel, in dramatically different ways.
Director: Diante Singley | Stars: Quanita Adams, Brendon Daniels
Category: New Voices
79. Inheritance (IV) (2021)
14 min | Short, Sci-Fi
On Norra's 25th birthday, she and her brother inherit the deed to their family's small cabin. With this auspicious birthday, she starts seeing the spirits that have been haunting her brother and father for years.
Director: Annalise Lockhart | Stars: Ron Brice, DeLeon Dallas, Mary Glen Fredrick, Kathryn Graham Howell
Votes: 24
Category: New Voices
80. Its Snowing in the Summer (2021)
10 min | Short, Comedy
A thirtieth birthday forces two Harlem friends to wrestle with differing realities of the Black experience
Director: Gladimir Gelin | Stars: Nick Creegan, Anthony Gaskins, Abiodun Oyewole, Steven Good
Category: New Voices
81. Last Summer on Bainbridge Street (2021)
11 min | Short
Tyshawn, an Afro-Caribbean pre-teen living in Bed-Stuy, has to confront change in his neighborhood after his father is arrested.
Director: Jessica Q Moore | Stars: Felix Alexis, Felix Alexis, Carl Ellis Grant, Sylvain Panet-Raymond
Category: New Voices
82. Luv U Cuz (2021)
TV-MA | 15 min | Animation, Short
Two cousins bond over the course of a night on the town, until their relationship is tested in more ways than one.
Director: Eric Pumphrey | Stars: Donzell Lewis, Eric Pumphrey, Rosalyn Sidewater, Lynsey Bartilson
Votes: 91
Category: New Voices
83. Mum, Me (2021)
11 min | Short
Mother and daughter form an everlasting bond through a daily hair routine.
Director: Monique Needham | Stars: Adi Alfa, Elisha Blake, Busayo Ige, Destynee Udenze-Conteh
Category: New Voices
84. Patriot Day (2020)
14 min | Short, Drama
11 year old Jamila Abdi waits for her mother to come from the Pentagon on 9/11/2001 so that they can celebrate her birthday.
Director: Nailah Robinson | Stars: Kaylin Ali, Erin Bowman, Mariah Fontaine, Zsa Zsa Hopkins
Category: New Voices
85. Pickney (2021)
16 min | Short, Drama
A mixed race teenager learns that his identity is more than just skin deep.
Director: Michael Jenkins | Stars: Vincenzo Pellegrino, Laura Bayston, Nadia Williams, Ajani Cabey
Votes: 8
Category: New Voices
86. Piece (2021)
13 min | Short, Drama
Two cousins must recover a hidden gun at a local diner with patrons.
Director: Frantzy Moreau | Stars: Isaac Beverly, Frantzy Moreau, Jerry Madison Jr., Emmett Hunter
Category: New Voices
87. Postmate (2021)
7 min | Short, Comedy
A young, bored housewife tries to find companionship on a food delivery app to the utter dismay of her loving yet aloof husband.
Director: Grasie Mercedes | Stars: Ashley Porter, Reginald Lashaun Clay, Kenton Chen
Votes: 13
Category: New Voices
88. Reasons (I) (2021)
22 min | Short, Drama
When a young single mother, Mercy, is forced to abandon her idea of a "proper life," she struggles to escape the social norms and overcome her own internal battles. In a time and place ... See full summary »
Director: Yvette Pabon | Stars: Laney Allan, Kisha Barr, Ameerah Briggs, Aliyah Isis
Votes: 12
Category: New Voices
89. Risk Factor (2021)
24 min | Short
The birthing experiences of three Black women tell the story of the devastating impact racism has had on the on-going Black infant mortality crisis in the United States.
Director: Barento Taha | Stars: Christin Farmer, Arthur James, Yolanda Lucas, Cheryl Martin
Category: New Voices
90. Sania (2021)
20 min | Short, Romance
A single mother of 4 struggles to maintain the household amidst the Covid-19 pandemic.
Director: Robert Boyd | Stars: Karimah Cannon, Kylie Cannon, Tori Cannon, Paul Christopher Duncan
Votes: 7
Category: New Voices
91. Tati the Great (2021)
16 min | Short
Atatiana Jefferson was murdered by a Fort Worth Police officer while playing video games in her home with her nephew.
Director: Kelly Gray Bobino | Stars: Opal Lee, James Smith
Category: New Voices
92. Reflections of Us (2021)
18 min | Short, Drama
The toxic lifestyle of a group of friends the summer after their senior year of high school.
Directors: Chad Quinn, The Shenanigans | Stars: Mason Guccione, Kaash Paige, Phoenix Jakob, Steven Moses
Category: New Voices
93. The Big Shave 2.0 (2021)
7 min | Short
In the process of shaving, a young man reflects on how he is viewed by society.
Directors: Kobina DeGraft Johnson, Chad Quinn | Stars: Bismark Ansah, Mc Jay
94. The Last Days (2021)
13 min | Short
In a near-future world where you can discover your Death Day, an apolitical woman learns that she and many Black people have been given incorrect dates and seeks justice before her time runs out - that same day.
Director: Dipo Baruwa-Etti | Stars: Adjoa Andoh, Amarah-Jae St. Aubyn
Votes: 16
Category: New Voices
95. The Little Death (2020)
18 min | Short, Drama
A doting young married couple riding the emotional wave of infertility and miscarriage.
Director: Justin Harrison | Stars: K.J. Baker, Verna Aldridge Brown, Monique Coleman, Judi Stiner Gray
Category: New Voices
96. The Untold Story of Mild Sauce (2021)
13 min | Short, Comedy
From shady record execs, rival groups and bitter infighting, follow the meteoric rise of a 90's R&B group told through a music exposé.
Director: Anton Deshawn | Stars: Michael Adkins, Taylor Coleman, Jalen Gilbert, Vincent Jordan
Category: New Voices
97. Things at Rest (2021)
14 min | Short
Reimagining of the black aesthetic inspired by matriarchs of classic African-American literature.
Director: Desirae Lee
Category: New Voices
98. Thrupple (2021)
18 min | Short, Drama
When lies are exposed and truths revealed, these three millennials must try to overcome the betrayal plaguing their relationship while coping with the everyday struggles of Adulting.
Directors: Damon Diddit, Damion Lee | Stars: Britney Baron, Jesslyn Blue, Malissa Browne, Christina Figueroa
Category: New Voices
99. When the Tar Leaks Red (2021)
5 min | Short, Horror
As Lamia sleeps, the manifestation of her guilt once again torments her. As Lamia struggles to fight back, she soon realises that all isn't as it seems.
Director: Dominic Stewart | Stars: Celia Learmonth, Racquel Stewart
Category: New Voices
100. Wolves (III) (2021)
6 min | Short
Two brothers engage in a disturbing rivalry amid their 1924 rural farmhouse.
Director: Travae Davis | Stars: Nolan Howard, Trevor Jackson, Dee Selmore
Votes: 10
Category: New Voices
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