2025 Schedule
LOCATIONS & DATES
WHERE: Aaron Davis Hall, City College – 129 Convent Avenue (at 135 Street)
WHEN: Opening Night Wednesday, September 17 until Friday, September 19
WHERE: Maysles Documentary Center – 343 Malcolm X Boulevard / Lenox Avenue
WHEN: Saturday, September 20 and Sunday, September 21
WHERE: Harlem School of the Arts – 645 Saint Nicholas Avenue
WHEN: Sunday, September 21
4:30 PM
THEATRE B
SCREENPLAY SHOWDOWN!!
Each 2025 feature finalist screenwriter directs their New York-based cast in reading 10 pages from their script.
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FINALIST SCREENPLAYS
Black Macbeth
Writer: Cameron Monaghan
1936. A 20-year-old Orson Welles directs a Black cast in a Harlem adaptation of Shakespeare’s Macbeth as part of the “Negro Unit” of the government-funded Federal Theatre Project.
Homes For Colored People
Writer: Julie Loretta Seely
A black carpenter determined to build homes for those escaping racism and lynching in the Deep South loses everything during the Great Depression. Now, he must salvage and rebuild his life plank by plank to keep his family together.
Rabbit’s Foot Saloon
Writers: Phillip W. Fite, Kyle Williams
All talented musician Pat Chapel wants to do is leave Boston, move back to Jacksonville, open a saloon and vaudeville THEATRE with his two brothers but it’s 1895 and he’s not white.
Robbery of an Essence
Writer: Ericka Smith
An elderly couple becomes the target of a home invasion, so the criminals think this is their easiest robbery yet until they realize it is all a setup.
The Devil’s Creed
Writer: Cheyenne Smith
Forced together with a new partner straight out of the academy after years of working alone, jaded detective Cyrus Fontaine investigates the mysterious death of a gambling kingpin in which nothing is as it seems and whose dark depths will force Cyrus to confront her own sins.
The Elephant and the Donkey
Writer: Lonnie Hughes
The Elephant and The Donkey is a suspenseful political thriller between a Blackman and his White mother set during the 2025 LA Fires. Longen, a well spoken Black psychologist returns to his estranged White Mother’s mansion, demanding answers to why she adopted him as a little boy. What unfolds that night is a battle of love, identity, and power-revealing the deeply ingrained biases that shape their lives. Set in one location, the film explores the complex dynamics of race, class, and the struggle for control in a divided world.
OPENING NIGHT
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17 – 7 PM
AARON DAVIS HALL, CITY COLLEGE
129 Convent Avenue (at 135 Street)
MARIAN ANDERSON THEATRE
HARLEM LOVE
A Special Short film program featuring new works by Harlem-based filmmakers and/or shot in and about our beloved neighborhood.
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The Original Harlem Globetrotters
Director: Loradonna Frucci, Lizbeth Fuentes
Country: United States, Running Time: 12 min
Basketball players Hot Shot and Cheese, visit Maysles and their film students to reconnect with Harlem from behind their lenses. Lizbeth and Loradonna got exclusive interviews with the players and behind the scenes access to their 10-day residency.
Two is One and One is None
Director: Annette Hampton
Country: United States, Running Time: 10 min
Being prepared is one thing, but there’s also being paranoid. Briefly speaking on her own experience Annette turns the question of emotions, expression and preparation to her friends.
.fullstop.
Director: Camara Ife Aaron, Felicia Shayda Sobhani
Country: Dominica, Germany, Slovakia, Switzerland, United States, United States, Running Time: 9:52
12-year-old Liv, the star of her middle school soccer team and its only girl. When she gets her period in the middle of playoffs, her best friends, Zora and Priya, have to help her find a pad so she can get back on the field and play. Along the way, they find an unlikely ally in a member of Liv’s all-male team.
Harlem Dawn
Director: Cathleen Campbell
Country: United States, Running Time: 3 min
For the past 9 years, I’ve kept a not-quite-daily photo diary of sunrise above the Harlem rooftops that i see from my window.
Harlem Wine
Director: Natasha Beste
Country: United States, Running Time: 3 min
Harpist Maurice Draughn performs his original composition, titled “Harlem Wine,’ captured specially for this film using a selection of antique and custom-made lenses.
As a native of Detroit, opportunities for creative excellence were prevalent throughout Maurice Draughn’s formative years. The musical heritage of his family and the artistic community in Detroit continues to inspire him as an artist and composer. It is this inspiration that informs Draughn’s writing whenever he composes. Being an active performer has allowed him to collaborate with various artists, from the Detroit Symphony Orchestra to Stevie Wonder. Through these collaborations, Draughn has received commissions from various artists, ensembles, and organizations.
Harlem Fragments
Director: Cameron Tyler Carr
Country: United States, Running Time: 17 min
An Afro-futurist scrapbook storytelling of a Harlem Black family’s beautiful destruction during the 2008 recession. A natural disaster so mesmerizing you can’t look away from the tragedy. Based on true events.
Harlem Blues
Director: Kia C. Folsom
Country: United State, Running Time: 17 min
“Harlem Blues” is a poignant drama following Kaycee, a woman grappling with the aftermath of a shattered engagement as she navigates the vibrant streets of Harlem, finding solace in friendship while confronting the ghosts of her past. Through moments of introspection and unexpected encounters, Kaycee learns to embrace the possibility of a fresh start, discovering resilience, redemption, and the enduring power of love amidst the rich tapestry of life in the city.
Feeling
Director: Hilton Goode
Country: US, Running Time: 28 mins
On the night of Élysée Jackson’s 23rd birthday, her old friend Bento Benson, in a bid to make the occasion unforgettable, declares they must listen to at least one of her prized records while under the influence. What unfolds for the pair is the creation of a shared realm-crafted embrace, where the world around them begins to fade away, leaving room for their relationship to blossom on this single unforgettable night.
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 18 12 PM – 1:30 PM
MARIAN ANDERSON THEATRE
Nomad in No Man’s Land
Director: Hester Jonkhout
Country: Netherlands, Running Time: 58 min
Nomade in No Man’s Land takes you to the eventful life of Caribbean artist Felix de Rooy. De Rooy, queer and ‘of color’, is seen as a pioneer. The first in the Dutch Kingdom to speak freely through his art about what it means to be queer and Caribbean. With his work he challenges the establishment to look at itself in the mirror. In a documentary that combines past and present, the maker searches for the motivations of this limitless artist with an endless urge to create, but is confronted with the unpredictability of his life. Felix suffers a cerebral infarction and has to reorganize his life. What does it mean that the most important thing in his life, creating art, is no longer possible? And what value does everything he created and did still have? What value does his oeuvre still have today?
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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 18 – 12 PM – 1:40 PM
THEATRE B
Songs of Adam
Director: Oday Rasheed
Country: Iraq, Running Time: 97min
In a remote Mesopotamian village on the banks of the Euphrates River, twelve-year-old Adam decides to stop time within himself. Only three people believe in his ability to defy time: Anki, his loyal best friend; Ali, his younger brother; and Iman, his cousin, whose dreams of a future with Adam are shattered by his choice.
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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 18 – 1:30 PM – 3:50 PM
MARIAN ANDERSON THEATRE
Fleeting Reality
Director: Richard Van Kleeck
Country: United States, Running Time: 58 min
A powerful documentary examining the legendary multiple Pulitzer Prize winning photographers of the Louisville Courier-Journal. Viewers will relate to powerful photographs illustrating the excitement, art, danger, craft and emotional tribulations that all photojournalists experience. Compelling stories include an African American photographer assigned to cover a Ku Klux Clan rally; mind changing images from the Breona Taylor demonstrations; the social divides at the Kentucky Derby; a different look at Muhammed Ali; the human cost of the “killing fields” of Cambodia; the tragic price of coal mining; U.S. Presidents from Truman to Biden; the early consequences of assault weapons in the hands of civilians, and the disputed photograph that went all the way to the Supreme Court; the power of photography to change laws, hearts and minds; and the fall of a family media empire.
Preceded by:
42 Years for Nothing
Director: Lana Adams
Country: United States, Running Time: 41 min
After serving 38 years in prison for the rape and murder of an 8-year-old girl. David Bryant maintained his innocence. With the help of a nonprofit organization, he is released and sent home, but nothing could prepare him for what would happen next.
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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 18 – 1:45 PM – 4:00 PM
THEATRE B
Ethered
Director: Ericka Smith
Country: United States, Run Time: 86 min
A battle rapper is forced to ghostwrite for a popular athlete who threatens his life in more ways than one.
Preceded by:
Kaleb & Ms. Kelsey
Director: Andrew A Cano
Country: United States, Running Time: 2 min
Kaleb is just an 8 1/2 yr old who loves to spy on the adults around him. He hears many things he doesn’t understand. He seeks help from Ms. Kelsey, his wacky millennial neighbor who gladly explains any and everything to Kaleb, no matter how inappropriate. Kaleb & Ms. Kelsey is a short puppet series that helps adults in the real world understand all the popular (internet) slang around them. Made to feel reminiscent of the shows you grew up with, but with the sense of humor and relatability of adulthood. It’s a Kids’ Show for Adults!
and
I Hate My Love Life
Director: Tiffany Jackman
Country: United States, Running Time: 15 min
After years of bickering, a well-seasoned married couple decide to go on dates with other people to see if the grass is really greener on the other side; only to find out they are not prepared for the woes of new-age dating.
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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 18 – 4:00 PM – 5:50 PM
MARIAN ANDERSON THEATRE
Rubin Hurricane Carter: Forever a Fighter
Director: Peter Brian Thurling
Country: Canada, Running Time: 80 min
Rubin Hurricane Carter was a black destroyer in the ring. But in 1966, he was sent to prison for killing three whites in a hometown New Jersey bar. The film production begins in 2011 when Rubin is diagnosed with terminal cancer. He’s sick, but feisty and ready to fight for his life once again. On a last round-trip back to rural Georgia, where he picked cotton as a child, he is with his longtime friend John Artis who went to prison with him. They weren’t freed until 1985 after a Federal judge ruled the case against them was based on “racism over reason”. Rubin escapes to Toronto, working to free others wrongly convicted, and helping to make it a mainstream issue, one that he fought for right to his deathbed in 2014. Even today, his spirit lives on.
Preceded by:
Current
Director: Maria Usbeck
Country: Ecuador, Running Time: 4 min
In this music video the director spent 3 years capturing how a foreign object like a corporate cubicle would interact with the essence and the creatures of the woods.
Over time, the forest did just that. Moss crept through the walls, seeds scattered into small holes, and creatures came and went as they pleased. The cubicle became a strange, living hybrid—part workspace, part wilderness. Current is about feeling trapped in the very systems we’ve built—working, paying, surviving—while quietly yearning for something more elemental, more free. It asks: are we living the way we’re meant to? Or have we lost touch with a deeper, more essential way of being?
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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 18 – 4:00 PM – 5:50 PM
THEATRE B
In The Red
Director: Mimi Chakarova
Country: United States, Running Time: 94 min
Eleven years in the making, this feature documentary is about transformation, about growing up poor in one of the wealthiest areas in the United States and getting into trouble early on. Some find their way to a free program in Oakland, California that offers a lifeline – rigorous training to become firefighters and first responders. But the streets keep calling. What makes one kid heed that call and another ignore it?
Raw, intimate and at times funny – IN THE RED follows the lives of six young people for more than a decade. Not everyone succeeds. But for those who do, their lives are forever changed.
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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 18 – 6:00 PM – 8:10 PM
MARIAN ANDERSON THEATRE
NEW YORK SHORT FILM PROGRAM
See You Friday
Director: Makeba L. Ross
Country: United States, Running TIme: 11 min
Zuri is finally ready to be serious with Amare; but Amare just got some news that threatens to ruin the romantic date he planned for her. The sequel to See You Thursday is here!
Break A Leg
Director: Thomas J. Cooksey
Country: US, Running time: 19 min
A struggling actor is thrown into the role of a lifetime, when an unconventional exercise places him in the middle of an extortion plot.
After Alma
Director: Lorena Durán
Country: US, Running Time: 9 min
In the Astoria housing projects of New York, a demanding single mother grapples with her daughter’s last day home, revealing her own fragility.
Breathe
Director: Jamie Burton-Oare
Country: United States, Running time: 16 min
For Eric, it is a normal day in his life/neighborhood. For the world, it’s the day Eric faces the reality of taking his last breath. #breatheericgarnershort
The End
Director: Wil Pinke
Country: United States, Running Time: 18 min
In this surreal noir-comedy, an aging, wannabe mystery writer struggles to finish his first detective novel before it’s too late. As he approaches the end, the lines between his real and fictional lives begin to blur.
Staging Ana
Director: K.M. Murphy
Country: United States, Running Time: 20 min
A Theatre Company prepares for season previews under a manipulative Director, whose fanatical tactics blur the line between illusion and reality.
Aly
Director: Kevin L. Lee
Country: US, Running Time: 15 min
Tonight might be the night Michael and Aly take their relationship to the next level. But Aly has a secret.
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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 18 – 6:00 PM – 8:05PM
THEATRE B
Vanishing: A Love Story
Director: Sandra Luckow
Country: US, Running Time: 108 min
Vanishing: A Love Story is a documentary about award-winning novelist Cai Emmons and her loving, open-hearted journey towards death. In 2021, at the age of 70, Cai was diagnosed with ALS. Taking place in 2022, during the last six-months Cai’s life, the film is, first and foremost, a story about the agency of expression —having a voice to create a legacy in the world.
“Sandra Luckow’s ‘Vanishing’ offers an almost shockingly close-up view of a life well lived and arguably well ended. Focused raptly on the late author Cai Emmons, the film is documented from so deep within her home and intimate circle that at times it also seems to have been shot from inside her head. Emmons is the intellectual driver of Vanishing—but it’s Luckow’s principled humility before her subject, and before the inescapable realities of illness and death, that enable this film to begin in voicelessness and dissolution and end in eloquent affirmation.”
–Stuart Klawans, Film Critic, National Magazine Award winner for Reviews and Criticism
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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 18 – 8:20 PM – 10:30PM
MARIAN ANDERSON THEATRE
Fist Bump
Director: Madeleine Farley
Country: United States, Running Time: 60 min
Fist Bump is the story of Marcus Knight, an astounding success story; a talented and charismatic bi-racial young adult with autism and cerebral palsy who pursues his dream career of a life on Broadway. As a college freshman, he’s accused of sexual harassment from a friendly fist bump and struggles to piece together his shattered ambitions.
Preceded by:
Belief
Director: Christian Loubek
Country: United States, Running Time: 14 min
Alongside his wife and daughter, Lennox joyously unpacks their new home, but is left speechless when he finds a letter in a moving box labelled ‘mom’ that predestines a different life for him and one not as he remembers.
and
Superman Doesn’t Steal
Director: Tamika Lamison
Country: United States, Running Time: 19 min
Based on true events, “Superman Doesn’t Steal” is a coming of age story, set during the 1970’s Atlanta child murders- as seen through the eyes of 9 year old Harriet & her brother, who are fascinated with superheroes. However, when they experience a troubling series of events- the impact on their family leaves emotional scars and causes them both to grow up fast as they redefine their definitions of heroes, villains and yes- even Superman.
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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 18 – 8:20 PM – 10:30PM
THEATRE B
Enongo
Director: Kevin Schreck
Country: United States, Running Time: 92 min
This animation-documentary hybrid documents the inspiring story of rapper/producer/Ph.D. candidate, Enongo Lumumba-Kasongo, a.k.a., Sammus. With her autobiographical and afrofuturism-inspired music, Enongo tackles various subjects including (but certainly not limited to): mental health, growing up, and relationships. Through a combination of actuality and animation, the film tells a universally-relevant, intimate, empowering story of identity, artistic creation, and survival. Notably, it is the first feature-length film of any genre to have an all-Black women animation team.
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FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 19 – Hi Noon! 12 PM – 2:15 PM
MARIAN ANDERSON THEATRE
Seppuku: The Sun Goes Down
Director: Yuji Kakizaki
Country: Japan, Running Time: 133 min
This period piece set in Japan during the Edo Period, finds Yoshino, the wife of the shogunate’s castle guard, a direct retainer of the Shogun, rebuking her husband, Furuta Kyuzo Masanari, after he is placed under house arrest for the crime of damaging the Shogun’s bow while on duty at the Edo Castle. Kyuzo’s fate will soon be decided.
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FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 19 – Hi Noon! 12 PM – 2:15 PM
THEATRE B
Beautiful Evening, Beautiful Day
Director: Ivona Juka
Country: Bosnia, Herzegovina, Canada, Croatia, Cyprus and Poland, Running Time: 137 min
Four close friends in their young 20s, Lovro, Nenad, Stevan, and Ivan, fought against the Ustashas and Nazis by joining the partisans. Sixteen years later, they became renowned filmmakers. In 1957, in Communist Yugoslavia, their sexual orientation raised suspicion, and a communist party loyalist named Emir was assigned to sabotage their careers and lives. The pursuit of freedom becomes a fight for survival for the artists, while Emir’s beliefs are challenged.
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FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 19 – 2:15 PM – 4:10 PM
MARIAN ANDERSON THEATRE
3 Cold Dishes
Director: Asurf Amuwa Oluseyi
Country: Côte d’Ivoire, France, Nigeria, Running time: 116 min
Three women, once trafficked as young girls and stripped of their innocence, reunite years later with a single goal: to take down the powerful men who shattered their lives. Bound by their shared trauma and unyielding resilience, they embark on a dangerous journey of revenge, turning the tables on their captors in a story of justice, empowerment, and unrelenting retribution.
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FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 19 – 2:15 PM – 4 PM
THEATRE B
Comrade Tambo’s London Recruits
Director: Gordon Main
Country: United Kingdom, Running Time: 104 min
At the height of apartheid in the late 60s and early 70s, an international group of working-class students and workers living in London answered Oliver Tambo’s secret call for undercover agents.
This film tells the story of these young men and women who brought to life – at great personal risk – Oliver Tambo’s daring, non-violent strategy to keep hope alive in his embattled people in South Africa. Not everyone made it out.
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FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 19 – 4:15 PM – 6 PM
MARIAN ANDERSON THEATRE
Game On: Basketball in Rural China
Director: David Hamlin
Country: United States, Running Time: 80 min
This is the untold and surprising story of how American basketball came to rural China almost a century ago, and is now deeply rooted in this rural culture. Basketball has been embraced by China’s Miao people and other traditional cultures, becoming an integral part of daily life and community connection throughout China’s mountainous rural heartland and every year, there is a remarkable basketball tournament attended by 20,000 local people. It’s the Super Bowl of Rural China – and a cultural and athletic spectacle unlike anything you’ve seen before. We follow three teams of men and women as they pursue their dreams to become basketball champions and bring glory to their villages.
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FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 19 – 4:15 PM – 6:15 PM
THEATRE B
The Arrivals
Director: Andrea M DeGeorge Garbarini
Country: United States, Running Time: 40 min
From the Arrival of the first busload of asylum seekers sent to NY from Texas in August of 2022, the film follows three tiny, underfunded volunteer organizations that welcomed, assisted, fed, clothed and provided kindness and dignity to the newcomers in need.
Preceded by:
The Seed
Director: Hélène Goupil
Country: United States, Running Time: 19 min
Guy Clark, an iconic figure in the LGBTQ community who’s been selling flowers in San Francisco’s Castro District since the AIDS epidemic, finds himself priced out of his own neighborhood and has to weather the seasons of a changing city.
and
Homeless to Homeowner
Director: Jahangir Golestan-Parst
Country: United States, Running Time: 26 min
Homelessness continues to devastate communities across our Nation. In Sacramento, California, a group of determined individuals are transforming this seemingly intractable problem. Homeless to Homeowner introduces Mohammad Mohanna, a successful Iranian American developer and philanthropist, who believes everyone deserves dignified and prosperous lives. Shocked that his homelessness neighbors are routinely harassed and relocated, he established a facility where people receive the resources they need to become members of society once again.
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FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 19 – 6:10 PM – 8 PM
MARIAN ANDERSON THEATRE
BRONX LOVE
You Are Not Alone
Director: Brittney M Russell
Country : United States, Running Time 51:59
In the United States, Black women are three times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes than white women, a disparity that rises sharply in the Bronx, one of New York State’s most impacted communities, where Black mothers face a maternal mortality rate nine times higher than their counterparts. This film captures the powerful stories of women in the Bronx navigating pregnancy and advocating for change. This documentary unveils the harsh realities of systemic inequalities, societal barriers, and the disparities in maternal care, shedding light on a national crisis with deeply local consequences.
Preceded by:
The Self-Love Act
Director: Kareema Bee
Country: US, Running Time: 20 min
In this series hosted by Kareema Bee, a Black woman and artist explores her journey through self-love in dialogue with others, supported by The Big We Foundation.
In the pilot episode, Kareema finds out her African ancestry in an unexpected way, which catapults her into an exploration of her roots and how it extends to her community, only to find what she’s been searching for may have been there all along.
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FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 19 – 6:30 PM – 8:20 PM
THEATRE B
Unbanked
Director: David Kuhn, Lauren Sieckmann
Country: United States, Running Time: 85 min
This is the story of Bitcoin, from its inception as a response to the market crash of 2008, to its infancy as either the first realistic alternative to the oppression of a failed global fiat system, or the largest bubble waiting to burst in economic history.
Preceded by:
Cut Me Summa Dat Noise
Director: Cara Hagan
Country: United States, Running Time: 7 min
This musical film celebrates the rhythms of everyday life through the eyes of a neighborhood matriarch who sets the tone for a new day with the beat of her own heart. As the neighborhood comes to life, people of all ages unite in a joyous cacophony of sound that illuminates the connections between them as members of a vibrant and diverse community in rhythm.
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FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 19 – 8:10 PM – 10:30 PM
MARIAN ANDERSON THEATRE
The Rewrite
Director: Terry Dawson
Country: United States, Running Time: 94 min
A struggling screenwriter, obsessed with portraying Black Excellence and authenticity, is forced to do a rewrite of his latest draft in order to save his career. But when he revisits the characters in his script in real life, he soon realizes that his own world is short on authenticity and anything but excellent.
Preceded by:
KENDRAKE
Director: Affion Crockett
Country: United States, Running Time: 9 min
In the aftermath of the RAP BEEF HEARD AROUND THE WORLD between KENDRICK LAMAR & DRAKE, stands a divided fanbase. When the division makes its way into corporate America, extreme measures must be taken.
and
Deli
Director: Max Garcia
Country: United States, Running Time: 14 min
3 NYC deli workers find themselves wrapped up in a government conspiracy after discovering the truth about Staten Island.
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FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 19 – 8:30 PM – 10:30 PM
THEATRE B
Unbroken
Director: Joshua Chen Cavalier
Country: United States, Running Time: 60 min
Unbroken is an intimate athletic drama as well as a meditation on loss, age, legacy & mortality.
Following parkour practitioner Bryce Clarke, Unbroken is a documentary that captures an unflinching look at a man’s grief & athletic triumph following the passing of his two closest friends — Basilio “Quiet” Montilla and Deyvid “Wolf” Garcia — both of whom continue to live on in the New York City parkour community.
Preceded by:
Didn’t My Lord Deliver Daniel – The Anthem Spiritual
Director: Andrew Horton
Country: United States, Running Time: 4 min
Celebrate Black History with these professional baritones of the Hudson Heights Project’s refreshed anthem spiritual:
“DIDN’T MY LORD DELIVER DANIEL” Sense the Awakening…An awakening sometimes follows a remembrance. The African-American (Negro) Spiritual is a historical embodiment of the conscious of the people it represents. Filmed with footage captured on the streets of Harlem, follow this unique group of professional baritones known as the Hudson Heights Project as they utilize a refreshed Spiritual as a symbolic expression of contemporary sentiment.
and
Green Bay
Director: Shawn Antonio II
Country: United States, Running Time: 9 min
Set beneath a surreal green sky on a distant, crumbling world, the film captures the last survivors of a dying civilization—women who perform a synchronized ritual dance to summon an ethereal extraterrestrial presence from another realm.
Green Bay is an experimental dance film that explores themes of survival, cosmic ritual, and the transcendent cycle of life through immersive visuals and visceral choreography.
and
Selam
Director: Tevin Lanier
Country: United States, Running TIme: 9 min
This short documentary covers my time teaching film and photography in the countryside of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. While there I met some beautiful and inspiring people who I believe changed my perspective on many things as well as giving me a new purpose. I was invited by Selamta, an organization that helps children find homes in Ethiopia.
and
Woshchi’ishji: The One Close To Me
Director: Carrie Johnson
Country: United States, Running Time: 9 min
Devaughn “Von” Sylvester has lived his entire life on the Navajo reservation in Shiprock, New Mexico, playing the only sport that as a 6’2 guard took him anywhere else: basketball — but when Von spontaneously moves to Harlem, New York, the great change brings him face to face with a reflection of upbringing, and he must see if the sport that saved him once can save him again.
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SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 20
MAYSLES DOCUMENTARY CENTER
Hi Noon! 12 PM
Pianoman
Director: Sunny Liu
Country: United States, Running Time: 53 min
A film about David Avenando, an undocumented immigrant who achieves his dream of opening a piano factory in Yonkers, NY, but runs into unforeseen circumstances that threaten to take away his livelihood and potentially separate his family.
Preceded by:
The New Black Panthers
Director: Onyeka Keneé
Country: United States, Running Time: 12 min
A group of Philly middle schoolers reflect on the Black Panther Party’s pioneering manifesto in the shadow of the COVID 19 pandemic.
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1:30 PM
The Disappearance of Miss Scott
Director:Nicole London
Country:United States, Running Time: 1:23:00
The Disappearance of Miss Scott chronicles Scott’s meteoric rise as a jazz talent and major Hollywood star before being blacklisted during the Red Scare. Hazel Scott was one of the most revered stars of the early 20th century. Not only was Scott a beloved musical sensation, but she also channeled her talents into Hollywood stardom, becoming the Black American to host their own television show. Featuring archival footage and stills, performance clips, interviews and excerpts from her unpublished memoir, The Disappearance of Miss Scott is the first documentary centering on the jazz virtuoso’s life, detailing her awe-inspiring talents on the piano, how she used her star power to be an influential voice of the proto-Civil Right Movement, and her life in Paris after being blacklisted from Hollywood during the 1950s Red Scare . Her career in the US ultimately ended after she defended herself and her colleagues in front of the House Un-American Committee,and her story has been mostly silenced until this film.
Preceded by:
Discovering Bessie Coleman
Director: Beth Powell
Country: United States, Running Time: 15 mins
Discovering Bessie Coleman is an inspiring documentary that celebrates the impact of Bessie Coleman’s legacy through the eyes of those she continues to inspire. Rather than a biographical account, the film shares personal stories from Coleman’s family, aviation professionals, and celebrities like author and actress Karyn Parsons, recounting how they first learned about Coleman’s groundbreaking achievements as the first African-American and Native American woman to earn an international pilot’s license. Despite her accomplishments, Coleman’s story remains unfamiliar to many. This documentary highlights the transformative power of her journey, showcasing how her determination to overcome barriers continues to motivate and empower new generations in aviation and beyond.
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3:45 PM
Goodbye Horses: The Many Lives of Q Lazarus
Director: Eva Aridjis Fuentes
Country: Running Time: 104 min
Goodbye Horses: The Many Lives of Q Lazzarus is an intimate film in the vein of Searching for Sugarman, which solves a musical mystery while taking the viewer on a rollercoaster ride through the life of enigmatic singer Diane Luckey, aka Q Lazzarus. Discovered by Jonathan Demme in 1987 during a fateful cab ride, Q had a moment of fame after her cult hit song “Goodbye Horses” was featured in The Silence of the Lambs. But while Q had a following in the New York and London club scenes, she was unable to get a record deal and completely vanished from the public eye in 1995. Not even her friends and bandmates knew what had happened to her, that is until another fateful car ride 25 years later brought her together with filmmaker and fan Eva Aridjis-Fuentes. Q entrusted Eva with the incredible story of her life, told in the film for the very first time through Q’s own words and music, and through dozens of never-before heard songs.
Preceded by:
I Got Joy
Director:Manuel Larriaga, Joseph Jeremiah Langley
Country: France, Running Time: 3 mins
The solution.
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6:00 PM
Harlem to Harvard
Director: Zuzelin Martin
Country: United States, Running Time: 15 min
An inspirational short documentary about a teacher, Edouard E. Plummer, who helped over 600 students from Harlem attend the most elite boarding schools in the country, creating countless ripples of generational impact.
Preceded by:
Dancing with Waves
Director: Emmitt Thrower
Country: United States, Running Time: 30 min
Tammi Judge, the founder of a transformative dance program, leads young dancers on a journey of self-discovery and personal growth, using the power of movement to heal, inspire, and change their lives forever.
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Ring Shout – Let The Circle Be Unbroken
Director: Olubayo Jackson
Country: United States, Running Time: 18 mins
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 leads 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.
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7:45 PM
Pégame
Director: Dylan Verrechia
Country: Mexico, Running Time: 96 min
“Pégame” is a folktale based on the fable of the scorpio and the frog, and a lucid dream in the tradition of Stanley Kubrick’s “The Shining”, Peter Greenaway’s “The Draughtman’s Contract”, Alex Cox’s “Sid and Nancy”, Jean-Jacques Beineix’s “Betty Blue”, Hayao Miyazaki’s “My Neighbor Totoro”, Mike Leigh’s “Naked”, Tsai Ming-lian’s “Vive l’Amour”, Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s “Cure”, Alfonso Cuarón’s “Y tu mamá también”, Bong Joon-Ho’s “Memories of Murder”, Satoshi Kon’s “Paprika”, Yi’nan Diao’s “Black Coal, Thin Ice”, Lucile Hadzihalilovic’s “Évolution”, Andrey Zvyagintsey’s “Loveless”, Ari Aster’s “Midsommar”, or Julie Lecoustre’s “Rien à foutre”.
The film is based on real events, explores the subject of female violence, and is meant to be watched on the big screen. Shot on ARRI Alexa 35 with a one-man crew, and great performances from non-professional actors.
Preceded by
Temporality
Director: Aanya Gupta
Country: India, Running Time: 4 min
The idea for Temporality began with a question that philosophy has grappled with for centuries: what does it mean to live in awareness of death? I wanted to explore how people internalize and respond to the inevitability of their own dying- I was interested not in answers, but in tensions- between fear and acceptance, between cultural myth and personal belief, between the abstract concept of death and the concrete experience of loss. The project took shape as an animated documentary, a medium that allowed for both literal representation and imaginative, visual language, giving me the freedom to move beneath memory, dream and metaphor. This reflected how we actually think about death, often indirectly, emotionally, and through symbols- the goal wasn’t to explain death but to sit with it, to draw it out its strange presence in our lives, and ask why, despite its certainty , we remain unsettled by it. Ultimately, Temporality is about our attempts to locate ourselves in the face of something unlocatable. It doesn’t seek resolution but offers companionship-through voices, visuals, and the shared human experience of wondering what comes after. It is both a personal and collective reckoning with death, filtered through the lens of animation and philosophy, where temporality itself becomes a subject: how we move through time, how we remember, and how we are face the end that shapes all beginnings.
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9:45 PM
EXPERIMENTAL SHORTS
This one’s for all the experimental film lovers out there.
DuEls
Director:Jonas Åkerlund
Country: Norway, Running Time: 59 Mins
DuEls is a dance film by the renowned Swedish director Jonas Åkerlund. It is based on Nagelhus Schia Productions’ successful dance performance choreographed by Damien Jalet and Erna Omarsdottir first presented at the Vigeland museum in Oslo in 2020. Through a series of short and visceral pieces performed in the form of a tour performance through the museum, the dance contributes to release the concentrated energy in Vigeland’s iconic sculptures.
Preceded by:
Placenta
Director: MJ Golzari
Country: Iran, Islamic Republic of, Running Time: 4 min
The ‘‘Placenta’’ film is an abstract interpretation of the concept of human life. In the expanse of life as a newborn who grows, we are standing in the infinity of moments and space. Struggling to persevere, battling to keep going, and resisting temptation.
The meaning of this existence is to bear a collection of emotions, memories, events, and dreams. This is the only possession a person has during his lifetime. As a woman who carries the bear of being a creator, things start to be pleasant and restrained.
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La Haine
Director: Luca Perrin
Country: Switzerland, Running Time: 5 min
La Haine is a raw confession—a scorched love letter to impossible romances and aching desires. Over a stark, almost cinematic production, Charley Klein turns emotional violence into sonic poetry. The song delves into the heart’s contradictions: loving to the point of hatred, desiring until depletion, staying when everything screams to run.
Echoing both the cult film by Mathieu Kassovitz and the slow burn of toxic intimacy, La Haine moves between silent rage and unsettling sensuality. It’s a cry of wounded pride, a tragic slow dance in a room too small to hold all the tension. With unfiltered lyrics and a visceral delivery, Charley Klein offers a moment of brutal, unvarnished truth.
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Solar Y
Director: Kevin Jones
Country: United States, Running TIme: 4 min
A wealthy man is interested in investing in solar energy, but wants to investigate the sun’s power in person before making a decision.
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Blackout
Director: Andrea Ocampo
Country: United States, Running time: 6 min
A young woman finds herself caught in Deja Vu at the edge of a subway platform, a duffel bag in hand. When she realizes she doesn’t know its contents, she opens a possibility murkier than the NYC underground.
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Dreaming HanaH
Director: An Hyun Jung
Country: Korea, Republic of, Running Time: 13 mins
HanaH, who obsessively attaches importance to the value of the good(善), descends from the (image of) heaven : idea to earth : reality as she discovers the hypocrisy in the world she lives in. In the process of falling, she goes through abortion surgery, that is, accepting death and returning to the origin – the state of nothingness(無). Returning to an empty body, HanaH stands again in front of a world that has become meaningless. On the empty canvas, HanaH paints a red old tree. She takes root in the earth through an image of the tree. Even though she lost her leg to go up to a higher place, she exists as the snake closest to the ground(life).
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SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 21
MAYSLES DOCUMENTARY CENTER
Hi Noon
The Long Game
Director: Jace Anderson
Country: United States, Running Time: 87 min
Ambitious ingenue Holly Sloan (Sekai Abeni) falls for older man Richard (Jackie Earle Haley) and agrees to help him con Mariah McKay (Kathleen Turner), an 80s starlet who has faded into a Norma Desmond-like obscurity. The two women strike up an unlikely friendship, with Holly first taking a job and then renting a room in the star’s house. Caught between her passion for Richard and her allegiance to Mariah, Holly must decide where her true loyalties lie. Based on a short story by New York Times-bestselling author Janet Fitch.
Preceded by:
Lover
Director: Ching-Wen Yang, Shao-hua Wang, Zhi-kou Zhai
Country: Taiwan, Running Time: 5 min
This story tells about the relationship between a companion robot, ALICE, and her owner, Hana. Hana, suffering from depression, often releases her stress on ALICE, causing the robot to frequently malfunction. ALICE beon five counts of first-degree murder for allegedly passing a gun to Jackson during the visit. No other suspects are even considered, nor is any investigation conducted once they have identified Steve Bingham as the likely source. The FBI is determined to crack down on radical lawyers, who according to J. Edgar Hoover are “more dangerous than the people who throw bombs,” and it launches a major manhunt. A nationwide all-points bulletin (APB) is issued for Bingham’s arrest, but he is nowhere to be found.
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2:00 PM
A Double Life
Director: Catherine Masud
Country: US, Running Time: 85 min
August 21st, 1971. On this day prisoners’ rights leader George Jackson allegedly attempts to break out of California’s notorious San Quentin Prison. Three guards and two inmates are brutally murdered, and Jackson is shot dead. The violence shocks the nation and sets in motion a wave of unrest at other prisons. Caught in this storm is a young lawyer named Stephen Bingham. On August 21st, Bingham is the last outside visitor to see George Jackson before the violence erupts. A few days later, he is indicted
Preceded by:
Grandpa’s Beef Stew
Director: HaiTao Wu
Country: United States, Running Time: 11 min
“Grandpa’s Beef Stew” follows a young protagonist’s emotional journey as he grapples with his grandfather’s Alzheimer’s, uncovering the deep sacrifices of his past through the fading memories of his beloved beef stew.
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SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 21
HARLEM SCHOOL OF THE ARTS
3:00 PM
Animated Shorts
Whether you’re a kid or not, you will love this selection.
Black Man, Black Man
Director: Frank Elliott Abney
Country: United States, Running Time: 9 min
From the moment he wakes up, Elliott gets closer to confronting the child within. Carrying the weight of the feelings he wrestles with inside, reminders echo through his mind as affirmations to carry him through each moment, bringing healing and a path forward to reclaiming his worth.
BRIDGE My Little Friends
Director: Kazuyuki Ishihara
Country: UK, Running Time: 12 min
“I’ll bring Shiro to you.I promise!” Jin, the cat, made this promise to Mugi, who is deeply sad about losing her beloved dog, Shiro. Jin loves Mugi very much and, after hearing the story of the “Rainbow Bridge” from his owner Aki, he decides to take Mugi to meet Shiro at the Rainbow Bridge! Can Jin heal Mugi’s sadness? With the help of nearby pigeons and squirrels, Jin’s great plan is now underway!
Flocky
Director: Esther Casas Roura
Country: Spain Running Time: 12 min
FLOCKY is an animated allegory navigating pregnancy, exploring the connection between a mother and her unborn child. Set in a melancholic and enchanting world, the film beautifully captures the essence of love, and the poignant nature of loss.
Hadu
Director: Damilola Solesi
Country: United States, Running Time: 8 min
An eager young girl embarks on a culinary journey to recreate her grandma’s special recipe. Unfortunately, she ends up in a kitchen disaster, they reunite in the kitchen to relive cherished memories and create a perfect dish.
Larry’s Big Adventure
Director: Burton Rocks
Country: United States, Running Time: 10 min
In this series of short cartoons, an imaginative boy uses science to solve problems.
Seal Lullaby
Director: Xin Li
Country: China, Running TIme: 5 min
This hand-painted animated music video depicts the journey of a baby seal on his own after leaving his mother, featuring Anne Akiko Meyers who performs Eric Whitacre’s Seal Lullaby with Grant Gershon leading the Los Angeles Master Chorale.
The EKSPATS – We’re Going to Africa
Director: Ron Myrick
Country: US, Running Time: 20 min
The EKSPATS is an animated clash of cultures comedy TV series of an all-American family that relocates to Nigeria. Bill Diamond, an earnest, unappreciated, down in the dumps business consultant is given a career-saving opportunity that forces him and his sheltered, all-American family to relocate to Nigeria. We join them on their journey as their minds and hearts open to the people, the culture, and the privileged family of the tycoon, Solomon Babatunde, who hired Bill’s firm. Later, he elevates Bill’s assignment to recommend a successor for the Babatunde family business empire.
The Sun Chaser
Director: Chloe Keer Liu
Country: United States, Running Time: 6 min
A curious young boy in rural Southern China climbs over mountains to catch the sun.
Wednesdays with Gramps
Directors: Chris Copeland, Justin Copeland
Country: United States, Running Time:8:29
When a teenage boy visits his Gramps at a seemingly mundane boring assisted living facility, he comes to find that they have much more in common than he thought. “Wednesday with Gramps” is a story about connection, communication, and commonality, without saying a word.
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5:00 PM
New York Shorts
The Celebration
Director: Michael Brown
Country: United States, Running Time: 14 min
“The Celebration” is dramatic short film about a mother and father battling lingering trauma as she endeavors to create a joyous high school graduation celebration for their son.
Someone Loves You
Director: Victoria Perry, Amanda Mandii
Country: United States, Running TIme: 20 min
“Someone Loves You” was written over the course of a few years, every Thursday night on Zoom, as a means for cathartic release from built up childhood trauma and a shared understanding of what it means to break away from co-dependent relationships with those who we love the most. The subject matter is inspired by true events and experience with loving and humanizing family members who live with schizophrenia and other challenges. We both come from ethnic backgrounds and communities that tend to silence mental health and treat it as taboo. As millennial and first-generation Americans, we are examining the different responses to mental health within the first-generation immigrant family dynamic. We have found that in focusing on one Jamaican household facing this diagnosis, we are opening up a much-needed universal conversation about schizophrenia and the humanity of those facing it.
The Origin
Director: Jorge Sanchez
Country: United States, Running Time: 20 min
As the fate of the earth hangs perilously in the balance, Bandi, a sagacious elder embarks on a crucial mission to locate Tep one of the few legitimate descendants of an ancient extraterrestrial power, tracing back to a small tribe in Africa. Completely unaware of his lineage and the potency it bestows, Tep must join forces with Bandi and his tribal brother Mlinzi to fight off alien mercenaries sent to kill them. The fate of the world hangs in the balance.
The Uniform
Director: Dylan Gary
Country: United States, Running Time: 19 min
THE UNIFORM tells the story of a lonely woman who has slipped through the cracks of life, and the extremes to which she will go in her search for human connection.
Filmed in The Bronx, NY USA, featuring a blistering performance by Jammie Patton (The Devil You Know, Flatbush Misdemeanors, Justified) and stunning cinematography by Jeff Hutchens (Remember This, Maddoff: The Monster Of Wall Street, Murder In Big Horn)… The Uniform explores lack of human connection as a form, and a cause, of mental illness… Particularly for those in underserved communities.
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7:00 PM
Beyond the Headlines: The NABJ Journey
Director: James Franklin Blue III
Country: US, Running Time: 40 min
In 2025, the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) will commemorate its 50th anniversary. This milestone presents an opportune moment for the organization to share its illustrious history and vision for the future through a documentary titled “Beyond the Headlines: The NABJ Journey.” Since its inception, NABJ has been a pivotal organization in providing career development opportunities for Black journalists, students, and communications professionals globally. As a leading advocate for Black media professionals, NABJ has ensured that its members have a voice in the global news media landscape. With a membership of over 4200 individuals, NABJ has been instrumental in advocating for greater representation in newsrooms and the expanding digital media space. Regrettably, the struggle for representation in the newsroom remains an ongoing challenge. While many journalists encounter obstacles in this evolving political climate, Black journalists encounter particularly arduous challenges, as many attempt to suppress our voices. Our film tells the story of the courageous 44 founders and enduring impact they’ve had on the media profession.
Preceded by:
Ya Hanouni
Director: Lyna Tadount, Sofian Chouaib
Country : France, Running Time: 3 min
While the Mom and the Dad try to put their baby to sleep, a competition arises between them: who will manage to get the baby to say the first word?
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She Dared to Dream: Ayanna Pressley
Director: Abby Ginzberg
Country: United States, Running TIme: 28 min
Ayanna Pressley (D-MA) has been serving in the House of Representatives since January 2019. But just because Pressley was talented and experienced did not mean her path to politics was smooth. She had dropped out of Boston University to support her mother. Her father struggled with addiction and spent time in her childhood in prison; he ultimately became a professor. Her mother worked multiple jobs to cover tuition at Pressley’s elite Chicago private school.
In Congress, Pressley has been a leader in reproductive rights, criminal justice reform, and opposition to Project 2025. She stands for abolishing capital punishment and solitary confinement, and shrinking the US prison population. She has also pushed for student debt relief during the Biden administration and is an outspoken advocate for the Green New Deal and Medicare for All. She sits on the Financial Services and the Oversight and Reform Committees.
Pressley has broken through quintessential barriers for women of color in a state mostly known for dynastic politics. An activist politician, who believes “those closest to the pain, should be closest to the power”, her own path reflects the lessons learned as a Black woman and a committed representative in Congress. She regularly nurtures her connection to her constituents by holding town halls, visiting schools and local organizations.
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