Black Voices: Black creators (directors, writers, actors, producers) telling an authentic and honest story of the Black experience. See all Films here.

For more information, contact: heather @ portlandfilm .org

ASSETS

IMAGES SHORTS:
AKATA
Black Girl From Portland
Mold of Malachi
The Spirit God Gave Us
Playin Possum
Moose Tracks
Camp Greenwood

IMAGES FEATURES:
#HIPLET
Black Daddy The Movie
Grandma’s Roses
Outta The Muck
Remember Me: The Mahalia Jackson Story
Silent Voices
The Ones Who Keep Walking
This is National Wake
Triggered Life

SUMMARIES:
AKATA – We’ve all been called names one or twice in our lifetime, but what’s an Akata? Being a teenager comes with enough problems. But when Iyore is constantly being criticized for having a Nigerian father by Black friends, and being outcast by Nigerians for having an African American mother, she’s left feeling like a nomad belonging to no one. Most think of discrimination from the perspective of one ethnic group mistreating another. However what does it look like when discrimination happens against people within the same ethnic background? As Iyore matures and matriculates from middle school to college, will she denounce one culture for the other or will she learn to embrace them both to create a stream of flowing unity? Narrative Short. Rating: PG. Directed by Iyore Odighizuwa & Martin Onuegbu. 20.15 min. USA. Portland Premiere

Black Girl From Portland – This impromptu monologue is an experimental short film that journeys through a few well known streets in Portland, Oregon, as the main character simultaneously journeys through her feelings about her city as a Black girl. The good, the bad and the unfortunate. Experimental Short. Directed by Iyore Odighizuwa. 8.50 min. USA. Portland Premiere

Mold of Malachi – In the suburbs of America, a Black man’s morning jog nightmare exists as a game for others. Narrative Short. Directed by Mtume Gant. 8.28 min. USA. Portland Premiere

The Spirit God Gave Us – “The Spirit God Gave Us” is a love story about the intersection of faith and queer love as we follow two young Black men who volunteer as ushers for their Baptist church and their journey towards love, connection and spirituality. This imaginative film proposes an alternative opportunity for Black queer individuals to exist authentically in spaces that have so often limited them. Narrative Short. Directed by Michael Donte Jemison. 20 min. USA. Portland Premiere

Playing Possum – A short music film about the racist intimidation in the Black Portland community from the police. In 1981 white police officers pulled up to the Burger Barn a restaurant in Portland’s historically Black Albina neighborhood they threw several dead possums at the doorstep of this small Black-owned family business and sped away Black Portlanders were furious at the act of racist intimidation and the white police officers… they just shrugged “it was a prank,” they said. Animation Short. Directed by Cleo Davis. 4 min. USA. World Premiere

Moose Tracks – On the night after his wife’s funeral, a newly widowed father must help his teenage daughter when she gets her first period. Narrative Short. Directed by Ayanna McKnight. 13.26 min. USA. Portland Premiere.

Camp Greenwood – What happens when a benevolent cabin traps a handful of raging narcissists within its property line? Narrative Short. Directed by Kourtney Bell. 22.06 min. USA. Portland Premiere

#HIPLET – The story of inner-city dancers as they perform a fusion of hip-hop and ballet—balancing life and education in Chicago. Documentary. Directed by Sonia Machado-Hines & Terence Bernie Hines. 45m. USA. World Premiere.

Black Daddy The Movie – Black Daddy is unadulterated storytelling from the black father’s point of view because it is often overlooked and the assumption is that black fathers are not involved in their children’s lives. Black Daddy: The Movie is a passion project covering a space that is near to our hearts; black fatherhood. I followed the lives of a few like-minded men as they told compelling stories of the joy, pain and the complexity of what it means to be a black father in America. The project has original music by Dame Drummer and new music in collaboration with other Oakland-based musicians Mike Blankenship, Kev Choice, Karega Bailey, and Ryan Austin to name a few. Documentary Feature. Directed by Damon Jamal Taylor. 83 min. USA. Oregon Premiere

Grandma’s Roses. – GRANDMA’S ROSES is a raw, intimate documentary exploring the labor & love women invest in their families and communities. As the director processes the life of his own grandmother, he travels across the country to hear the stories of dynamic, wise, and courageous women who’ve lived boldly in the face of sexism and racism. He expands upon the familiar notions of grandmothers as centerpieces of family life by also showcasing their contributions outside of the home as workers and community members, and reflects on the expectations set for them by society. Documentary. Directed by Jordan Thierry. 82 min. Rated: PG-13. USA. Festival Premiere

Outta the Muck – Family, football and history come to life in an intimate portrait of the Dean family, longtime residents of the historic town of Pahokee, Florida. We take a journey back home, with filmmaker Ira McKinley, to the land of sugarcane, as he reconnects with his niece Bridget and nephew Alvin and explores their shared family history that spans seven generations. Told through stories that transcend space and time, Outta The Muck presents a community, and a family, that resists despair with love, remaining fiercely self-determined, while forging its own unique narrative of Black achievement. Documentary Feature. Directed by Bhawin Suchak & Ira Mckinley. 80 min. USA. Festival Premiere

Remember Me: The Mahalia Jackson Story – The life of Gospel singer Mahalia Jackson, her rise and challenges in the music industry, her unbreakable bond with Dr. Martin Luther King, and her dramatic impact on the Civil Rights Movement. Narrative. Directed by Denise Dowse. 83m. USA. Portland Premiere.

Silent Voices – Donna Hayes lost her grandson to unjust police violence and has yet to see institutional justice. “Silent Voices” is not only the story of her own grandson but 6 other true stories about police violence. Written in an emergent and collaborative writing process with surviving family members of others killed by the Portland-metro police and filmed during the covid era by a volunteer production team. Documentary. Directed by K. Kendall. 50 min. USA. Festival Premiere

The Ones Who Keep Walking – From Africa 30 under 30 film maker Amarachi Nwosu, The Ones Who Keep walking is an exploration of what it takes to push things forward. The documentary looks at what happens when people are able to liberate themselves creatively and the rich vibrant World it creates when there are those freedoms. Never heard before stories, and in-depth conversations give an insight into how sheer determination and a pioneering spirit is bringing authentic African expression to the world. Documentary. Directed by Amarachi Nwosu. 48 min. UK. Festival Premiere

This is National Wake -This is National Wake traces the wild rise of a multiracial South African punk band, dubbed “the band that defied apartheid,” whose members risked everything to taste freedom. This debut feature offers a profound meditation on how history is lived through art and in our minds. Music Documentary. Directed by Mirissa Neff. 66 min. USA. North America Premiere.

Triggered Life – As two black men relive their stories of abusive childhoods, they embark on a journey to define their manhood and identity. Narrative. Directed by John Oluwole Adekoje. 53m. Rated: R. Canada. Portland Premiere.

ASSETS

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