Black Women Film Network announced that the annual BWFN Short Film Festival will take place Feb. 12, 2022.
For this year, the festival has partnered with the Black woman-owned kweliTV for streaming. The platform features a library of curated films, documentaries, web series, and more. The Black Women Film Network is celebrating 25 years of preserving stories by Black Women.
The new partnership with kweliTV will expand the BWFN short film festival, making it more accessible.
Here is the lineup of short films that will be featured at the festival:
'Suga'
Suga: A young southern baker uses reverie to sweeten her sour circumstances.
Director: Anndi Jinelle Liggett
'But Tomorrow'
But Tomorrow: On the first day of high school in Manhattan, Crystal’s eagerness to make an impression has unwanted repercussions.
Director: Lin Que Ayoung
'Ethan Art Venture'
Ethan’s Art Venture is a short film about an autistic, illustrator who on his 9th birthday, is given a gift that allows him access to a powerful, imaginative, inner realm: a completely animated world. Every year, Ethan represents the school at the National Art Conference. However, this year there is a new, skillful artist competing who Ethan sees as a threat to his title as “best artist.” With determination to prove his artistic abilities, he is armed with only his trusty pencil to help him reclaim his prize.
Director: Nuria Dixon
'Colby'
22-year-old Colby is rebelling against feeling stifled by everybody because she’s pregnant, but an encounter with a young man at a diner allows her momentary reprieve to be herself.
Director: Rashida Seriki
'Not Just A Name'
Not Just a Name explores the stigma and racial bias experienced by African-Americans with unique sounding names, as well as the historical origin of these names in America.
Director: De’Onna “Tree” Young-Stephens
'Humanity'
Humanity: After an explosion rocks a small town, Lady M is abandoned and bullied by the company that took everything from her. Left with no options, she takes matters into her own hands. There is only one person that can stop her. Revenge is Justice.
Director: Kanithea Powell
'Everything's Fine'
Everything’s Fine: After a tough day navigating the worries and stresses of her loved ones, an empathetic young woman struggles to find space for her own care.
Mercy spends the day helping those around her. While her care and empathy may seem endless to them, her decision to put others’ needs before her own is a constant drain of energy that comes at a personal cost.
Director: Funke Alafiatayo
'Isolation'
Isolation: Two teenagers must face the most difficult time of their lives in solitude while the world grapples with the reality of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Director: Diana M. Torres
'Woody Spike Stuck in the Spring'
Woody Spike Stuck in the Spring: A critique of the male gaze. An ode to the Black female southern oppositional gaze.
Director: Kennedy Dunning
'The Multi'
The Multi: An isolated Black Deaf woman has constructed a world of order to keep a childhood trauma buried deep in her psyche. Then an unexpected turn of events forces her to confront her demons from the past who threaten to destroy everything she has built. She tries to keep control of her life before it’s too late.
Director: Storm Smith
Ivar Tunnel: Shook Ones
Ivar Tunnel: Shook Ones is a darkly comedic social thriller that glimpses into the psyche and isolation of a black woman. Leigh Jones has moved into a new neighborhood in Hollywood, just beyond the Ivar Tunnel. Since moving, Leigh is met with icy glares and chilling shrieks from her neighbors. Simultaneously, Leigh is bombarded with notifications from the ‘Neighorlie’ app about the insidious happenings in Holly-hood.
Director: Akilah Walker
