NOMINEES FOR BEST TEXAS FILM

A Higher Power –  by    Jacolby Percy (TX) Drama. In a moment of insanity, Mason snaps and commits an unthinkable crime in a church. While escaping, he is approached to help a young girl in need.  His belief in God is challenged. (13 mins)

The Becoming Box –  by    Monique Walton (TX) Sci-fi short film that follows a family of three siblings dealing with the appearance of a mysterious box in their backyard in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. One sister's pursuit of the truth about the box will facilitate a paradigm shift that will change their world forever.  (16 mins)

Zero One - Kareem Gray (TX) Devon Owens is a talented network engineer who has become obsessed with an extremely enigmatic piece of code buried deep within the data streams of the Internet. Devon has spent every waking free moment attempting to crack the code he has named 01.  (93 mins)

Kissed  by   the Devil –  by    M. Legend Brown and Sharice Henry Chasi. Drama. Oakland Hill is a late-night talk-radio host. When not on the air, she spends most of her time visiting her younger brother, Michael, who has been confined to a mental institution since witnessing their father, Elgin, commit an unspeakable act, ten years ago. (25 mins)

Zero One - Kareem Gray (TX) Devon Owens is a talented network engineer who has become obsessed with an extremely enigmatic piece of code buried deep within the data streams of the Internet. Devon has spent every waking free moment attempting to crack the code he has named 01.  (93 mins)

NOMINEES FOR BEST SHORT FILM

Brotherly Love –  by    Choice Skinner (CA) Drama. Isaac, the youngest of three brothers flees home to inform his older brother Elijah that moments earlier he killed another teen. He pleads with Elijah to help him to figure out a lie and hide the secret from Abraham, the eldest brother. (17 mins)

Chasing the Train –  by    Charles Davidson (CA) True story. After rushing across town to escape his troubled marriage and see jazz legend John Coltrane perform, Calvin Dean experiences a conversation and performance that would change his life forever.

Harriet Returns –  by    Marquis Smalls. Family. Harriet Tubman comes back to life to try and free young black men from the 'mental slavery' that they contribute to today with the repeated use of the N-word and the way they sag their pants. (9 mins)

Junior and the Saint –  by    Lamont Stephens (NJ). Inspirational. After his wife leaves him, a champion prize fighter must split his time between training for the biggest fight of his life and being a single parent to his six year old son. (15 mins)

Keeper of the Flame –  by    Brian Nelson (New Orleans) Dramatic. Coming of age story. Story of a New Orleans Mardi Gras tradition where Black/ Indian mixed tribe is in the process of passing on its position of Chief. However, the rightful heir questions the old tradition and starts a rival tribe.  (30 mins)

The Cleaning Lady –  by    Tom Brandau  (MN)   Drama. The story of a cleaning lady on the day of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. as she is stranded at the home of the family for which she cleans. (10 min)

The Collegians  -  by    Brian Lewis  (FL) Based on the story of jazz trumpet legend Erskine Hawkins. A biographic depiction of his days with the Bama State college band, The Collegians (18 min)

The Last/ First Kiss – Andrea Ashton (NY) Two twenty-something strangers accidentally encounter one another in a park and forge an unexpected connection. Following which a spontaneous but yet short lived romance develops between the two.   (16 mins)

The Photographs of Your Junk Will Be Televised – Ronnie Butler, Jr. (CA) Inspired by Gil Scott Heron's 'The Revolution Will Not Be Televised', a hipster spoken-word artist uses the buzzwords of Twitter to satirize social media, our shrinking privacy, the profit-driven press, and our pop culture's obsession with what's least important in the world today - namely, photos of people's 'junk'.

The Save  -  by    Jean-Marc Le Doux  (NH) Inspirational. A distraught young pitcher finds himself facing the bottom of the ninth, bases loaded, no outs. The pitcher stares at one empty seat... this was never about a game. (8 min)

Thugs, The Musical! –  by    Liam Sullivan. Comedy- Mockumentary about a struggling 'non-urban' black actor, his doomed musical production, and the misfit group of actors he's assembled as his cast. Features David Allen Grier, Margaret Cho, Rachel True and others. (25 mins)

NOMINEES FOR BEST SHORT DOCUMENTARIES

April’s Hero  – Dwight Cammeron (AL) Story of Robert Reed, the first responder after a tornado left 52 people dead. Reed saved twelve of his neighbors from the rubble though they were wary of him when he first moved into Crescent Ridge Mobile Home Estates because of his background. (25 mins)

Black Baseball in Indiana – Paul Weller (IN) Interviews with Negro League players and historians, telling the unsung stories of the Indianapolis ABCs, Indianapolis Clowns and other influential baseball teams. (27 mins)

Close Ties: Tying on a New Tradition – Gemal Woods (Washington DC) Rights of passage ceremony at this New Orleans barbershop was created as a way to strengthen communities struggling with crime, poverty and alarming high school drop out rates. (26 mins)

Kenya Boys  – Alvin Shen (CA) Filmed in Kenya, five Kenyan high school boys band together as a hip hop dance crew to try and audition for Kenya's version of 'America's Best Dance Crew' inspired reality show. (14 mins)

On That Road  (Reliving the Civil Rights Movement) Barbara Irwin (Buffalo, NY) Follow a group of Canisius College students on an enlightening journey as they travel to the Deep South to tour the locations of many important events in the Civil Rights Movement. (28 mins)

NOMINEES FOR BEST FEATURE FILM

FAMBUL TOK – Sara Terry (CA) Presented in cooperation with the Dallas Peace Center. Through reviving their ancient practice of fambul tok (family talk), Sierra Leoneans are building sustainable peace at the grass-roots level -- succeeding where the international community's post-conflict efforts failed. (82 mins)

I Ain’t Scared of You  - Tribute to Bernie Mac – Feature  by   Robert Small. This film revisits much of his work through exclusive recordings of early stand-up, featured scenes from his film and TV appearances, and interviews with his co-stars, including Samuel L. Jackson, Cameron Diaz, Chris Rock, and many more.

SHOWTIME – Feature  by   Ben Guest (MS) This film follows four girls from rural Mississippi on their quest to win a state championship in basketball. Loss. Struggle. Friendship. Love. (60 mins)           

Stepping: Beyond The Line – Dee Garceau (TN) Stepping is an African-American dance form created by black fraternities and sororities that reaches back to West African tribes and forward to twenty-first century cities. Featured are steppers, practices, and step shows, as well as precursors like cakewalk, patting juba, and military jodies.  (46 mins)

The Contradictions of Fair Hope – S. Epatha Merkerson (NY) Narrated by Whoopi Goldberg. Set in rural Alabama, the film traces the development, struggles and gradual loss of tradition of one of the last remaining benevolent societies in America, known as 'The Fair Hope Benevolent Society,' and provides an unprecedented look at its complex and morally ambiguous current day status. (60 mins)