Touching on a range of storylines and characters, from Afrofuturist visions to aching memories, this collection of shorts tosses, turns and flips around as it weaves it way from family drama to dancer’s dilemmas. Another thought-provoking dose of cinema in small bites.
Films:
Amber Love
Black communities in Chicago, Detroit, and Durham use Afrofuturism as a tool to inspire young people, organize politically and economically, and reimagine the spaces around them in this captivating experimental documentary. Short movements ranging from interviews to verité-driven scenes take us from an Afrofuturist youth center in Durham, NC to Chicago’s south side to reimagine a historic university and finally to a Wakanda-inspired Afrofuturism convention where race is deconstructed as a technology. “A Galaxy Sits in the Cracks” asks us to reconsider our future through the lens of Afrofuturist youth who are making bold moves all over the country.
Kay Barnes
Ayana and John are the mother and father of three wonderful children, whom are growing up in a military community. John is an Army officer and Ayana is a family medicine doctor. Despite the everyday stressors of juggling everything it takes to be a military family of five, Ayana and John seem to be thriving in their very proud self sustaining community. However, one winter evening while creating Christmas crafts with the kids, one of the kids finds an item that doesn’t belong to either John nor Ayana. Tensions rise between Ayana and John as the facade they have maintained begins to quickly shatter.
Blanche Akonchong
On a crazy day during mercury retrograde, a family’s deepest secrets come to the surface forcing them to realize they are not the model African family.
Ace McColl
Told through compiled voicemails and damaged analog tapes, this piercing short film offers an intimate look into a daughter’s complicated relationship with her father. Increasingly callous messages play in contrast with sentimental home videos, revealing two conflicting narratives of a father and child at odds with one another.
Kristi Ray
Two lovers do their last load of laundry.
Rebecca Walters
When faced with the opportunity for a solo performance, an aging dancer must question whether her moral compass and personal integrity are important enough to stand up to a choreographer’s unwanted sexual advances.
Kevin Lee Maxwell
Daniel, a highly accomplished dancer, comes home from college only to find himself entangled in a battle between himself and his concerned father.