Official Selection for TBFF 2012

SHORTS

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)

Broken Silence –  by Gerrad Wilson (FL) Henry Davis is a former Congressional candidate who is scheduled to receive lethal injection for the murder of his wife and two kids. Henry has not spoken a word since the murders. Hours away from his scheduled execution, Henry relives the events from that tragic day. (7 mins)

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)

Catholic School Boys-  by Theada Redwine (TX) Drama. A mother, in the process of cleaning her son’s room is confronted with some disturbing findings that will affect the entire household. (10 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.

Doorways –  by Tosin Coker (CA)  Drama. Tanya, an abused single mother is forced to take a cleaning job at a jazz club because of her financial difficulties. Unexpectedly, the job opens a doorway she thought was closed forever. (19 mins)

Double Agent –  by Althea Brown (GA). Family. Symean must dig through her mysterious Father's past to find a haunting secret that will save her niece's life. (12 mins)

Elevator Ride –  by Troy Larkin (TX) – Two gentlemen (one black, one white) are trapped in an elevator and have a frank and humorous discussion about race.

Finding Kismet  -  by Armani Valentino (TX) Girl needs Guy, Guy needs Girl,Girl needs friend, Guy gets other Girl. Complicated , but that's today's dating scene.

Finding Soil –  by Torch Eberhart (FL) Inspirational. Broken and hopeless, Thomas clings all he has into a desperate last effort. He loves his daughter, and will give anything for her betterment…even her.  (8 mins)

First Day Home –  by Drew Louis (NM) Drama. The first day Cory is released from a five-year stint in prison, he visits those most important to him to make amends and settle old scores. As he gets closer to the person who wronged him, he reflects on whether or not people can truly change.   (14 mins)

Free Your Sins –  by G. Lee Gordon (TX) Musical. Project Rising Star III presents Jubilee Productions artist Shelly Johnson in the musical short Free Your Sins. (13 mins)

God’s Pub –  by Troy Larkins (TX) Religious Satire. An evangelistic minister is in what appears to be purgatory.  God is portrayed as a female pub owner.  The minister is surprised when he sees who gets to go upstairs to heaven and who has to stay at the pub. (15 mins)

Gut Feeling-  by Aaron Downs (CA) Romance. On the eve of shipping off to Naval Boot Camp a young recruit is torn between staying home with his girlfriend and his chance at a fresh start through the Military. (15 mins)

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)

Interception –  by Jason Neudecker. Comedy. Homage to Christopher Nolan's INCEPTION. A beleaguered wife's final attempt to stop football from taking over her family life through her sports crazed husband.  (10 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)

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)

The Last/ First Kiss – by 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)

Mikel’s Faith –  by Alexander Etseyatse (NY). Drama. Mikel an incarcerated former Golden Glove Champ is suddenly released from prison then tries to restore his former life and confronts his past friends, enemies and makes a revelation within 24 hours of his release.  (30 mins)

Odessa –  by Aaron Thompson (NY) Action/ science fiction tale of a father protecting his daughter from being captured, as he discovers her true strength.    (8 mins)

Okechukwu  -  by Anayo Amuzie  (CA) A Nigerian new to America works in a dead end job and lives with his brother and his wife who he grew up with and had strong feelings for. While in search for a new job he rediscovers what truly makes him happy (17 mins)

One Call Away –  by Warren Burke (CA) Three teenage brothers define the true essence of brotherhood, within the boundaries of Life & Death, after a breathtaking phone call.

Polar Reversal –  by Alistar Johnson (Canada) Based on a scene from the 1934 film Imitation Of Life this film illustrates the central absurdity of racism. It does this using a uniquely powerful device, reversing the polarity of Euro/African racism. (3 mins)

Road Rage – by Heather Donnell (CA) During a seemingly typical traffic stop, Lauren and Nate escalate into a bigger fight about their relationship with unexpected results. (6 mins)

Saved  -  by James Williams, III. Drama/ Comedy that touches on the issue of the consumption of alcohol by people of the Christian faith. Sister Margaret, a strict Christian, shows up at the local pub to attend a farewell dinner for fellow church member Jonathan, and gets on everybody’s nerves. (14 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)

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 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 Pony Man –  by Chane’t Johnson (CA). TBFF pays homage to African-American filmmaker from Texas, Chane’t Johnson. Having moved to California and becoming an accomplished TV actress and writer, Chane’t Johnson died at the age of 34. This was her final directorial film. (21 mins)

The Save  -  by  ean-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)

Their Eyes Were Watching Gummy Bears –  by Raafi Rivero   (NJ) A coming of age romantic comedy about two African-American college students who are about to graduate from Princeton University. (20 mins)

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)

Time Calls –  by Nancy Stricklin (AL) Father, having spent all of his life away from his son, due to bad decisions and blocking circumstances, thinks its another typical day of work. When he receives a call to pick up a customer, little does he know, his life will forever be changed. (12 mins)

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)

On the Road to Memphis: from Memphis to D.C. – Antonio James (Memphis, TN) This chronicle of an emotional bus trip from the place of the assassination of MLK to the Washington DC memorial is a great way to experience the MLK, Jr. Memorial Dedication. (29 mins)

The XY Project  by Kathryn Morrissey (TX) In Austin, Texas, Wilton Harris Jr., a Reagan High School graduate leads this organization that helps underprivileged east Austin teens transform into young adulthood by preparing them for life outside of school. (8 mins)

Who is Wright  –  Mike Mo (PA) If you wander into Market East train station in Center City Philadelphia, that beat comes from Julius Wright’s pens and table. Julius’ innovative music style was born out of pain, unrequited love, and a need to be heard. (25 mins)

ANIMATIONS

Dissolving Destinies  by Brandon Strathman (Corona, CA) Educational. Following a little crab through the coral reef, we see the effects of ocean acidification and learn that what we do on land affects what happens to the oceans. (7 mins)

FEATURES

Blood of Jesus – by Spencer Williams. This historical film was found in an abandoned movie theater in east Texas, and restored by the SMU Division of Film and Media Arts.

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.

In The Hive – Robert Townsend (CA) Based on an actual school in North Carolina's Bertie County, a story of the power of love and a gripping reminder that we can all make a difference in a child's life, even the ones who've been relegated to the discarded heap for far too long. (1 hr 49 mins)

Kiss and Tell (Black Romance in Film) - Darryl Pitts (Chicago, IL) This is a warm and thought provoking historical analysis of the cultural impact of African-American romance on screen. Narrated by Sheryl Lee Ralph, with commentary by Nia Long, Lynn Whitfield, Jasmine Guy, Diahann Carroll, Keenan Ivory Wayans, Tyler Perry and Roger Ebert among others.

Paris Blues – 1961 Classic film starring Sidney Poitier, Diahann Carroll, Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward. Licensed by Swank Motion Pictures for MGM/ United Artists. Ram Bowen and Eddie Cook are two expatriate jazz musicians living in Paris where, unlike America at the time, Jazz musicians are celebrated and racism is a non-issue. When they meet and fall in love with two young American girls, Lillian and Connie, who are vacationing in France, Ram and Eddie must decide whether they should move back to America with them, or stay in Paris for the freedom it allows them. Licensed by Swank Motion Pictures for MGM/ United Artists.

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)

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)