Two Nigerian cousins have a meditative evening and discuss the prospect of leaving New York. Adesola Thomas directs “Ola Ola,” a small-scale conversational piece that offers a tender specificity in the identities and relationship of its two characters. For Abisola, it starts as a quiet evening. W...

An eager young artist receives a disturbing introduction to the art world during the delivery of a controversial sculpture. Chester Vincent Toye directs “Hangtime,” a complex satire set in a sunny, yet ominous-feeling Los Angeles. Joe, new to the job, and his boss, Arnold, make their way to deliv...

The host of a children's television show starts experiencing burnout after needing to force creativity every day. “I’m At Home,” directed by and starring Philip Thompson, is a lo-fi vision of artistic fatigue that starts off all smiles before beginning to disintegrate. An artist and performer nam...

Recalling a story from her youth, a grandmother reckons with a life-changing decision and tries to reconnect with a mystical source. Tatiana Tift directs “Penny for your Thoughts,” a magical realist hybrid fiction about memory and identity. What at first appears to be a straightforward portrait o...

After a failed suicide attempt that happens to coincide with the January 6th Capitol riots, a young black woman faces an atmosphere of white liberal hysteria. Nadira Amaris directs “January 6th,” which captures a dichotomy of moods within Gen Z circles through a lens of racial and personal issues...

A harmless driving lesson quickly turns into a survival lesson on police encounters. “Ten & Two,” directed by Travis Wood, is a vignette about a mother and teenage son in the suburbs preparing for the inevitability of racial profiling. On a test drive, the son misses a stop sign and rattles the ...

A high school freshman deals with the pressures of popularity when her best friend enters a new world of boys and alcohol. Jaelyn Ellis directs “Girlhood,” a coming-of-age snapshot on teenage social life and evolving friendships. Mia loves going to disco nights at the local roller rink, but her f...

In the old American South, a misplaced black teen with a white adoptive family becomes curious about her roots after hearing birds for the first time. Shannon M. Sutherland directs “They Flew Like Blackbirds,” a magical-realist drama set in the deep south in the early 20th century. Found as a bab...

The small apartment of a young woman making a film: laundry piles on the desk chair, tender karaoke in the living room, and a needy cat that makes life worth living. Nande Walters presents “Something That Means Nothing (October),” a vérité look at apartment living, moments alone, and in between. ...

A group of high school seniors try to make it to the beach on one of their final days as teenagers. Michael .T directs “June 22nd,” a day in the life snapshot of a youthful summer afternoon. When Kevin, Mira, Hope, and Dev decide to escape the heat of their east coast town for a day at the beach,...

Two souls meet on the New York City subway and communicate with each other through telepathy. Gabriel Guzman directs “Speak in My Language,” a poetic portrait of a cosmic romance that seems fated to last forever. After meeting on the train and discovering they share the same ability to read each ...

In the aftermath of an assault, a woman tries to come to terms with the violation, or just get through her day. Director Naima Ramos-Chapman uses an unexpected dose of magical realism to express a poetic response to a loss of dignity. The quiet morning at first feels mundane, but as new details e...

Two roommates struggle to decide which Black Lives Matter sign they should purchase to show their support for the BLM movement. Chester Vincent Toye directs “I’m SO Sorry,” which satirically tackles prevalent forms of white guilt and virtue signaling. Caught up in a moment of racial reckoning, a ...

A Loss and Prevention officer faces a difficult moral decision in Alexander Etseyatse’s “LP.” An attempted theft leads to a tense back-room stand-off in this riveting drama, placing complex characters in an agonizing dilemma. While it stays grounded as a personal account, it also raises larger qu...

The relationship between a young man and woman slowly deteriorates as they struggle to come to grips with a past decision. Directed by Christian Nolan Jones. Cast: Patrick Cage, Zoë Soul, Curtiss Cook Jr., Corey Champagne & ReGina Niccole.

A poetic meditation on women's work and the dream life of ants, set to the words of Toni Morrison. Directed by Stefani Saintonge, “Fucked Like a Star” is a lovely translation and a profound rumination on the natural world. Told in four parts, the film is rendered with all the complexity of the so...

During a routine smog check, an eastern European mechanic discusses racism in a very uncomfortable way with a black man. A dry comedy set in L.A., “Smog,” directed by Derek Milton, tackles an awkward exchange about skin color and the term African American in wry, understated fashion. The chatty m...

A portrait of a roommate named Kayla, a teacher who watches French movies and drinks three cups of tea at a time. Directed by Travis Wood, “Kayla in 1A” is a film about two strangers living together and establishing no connection. “We’ve lived together for six months. I don’t know anything about ...

As an eight-year-old kid, director Travis Wood had two bikes stolen in the course of a month. In “One Peg Boss,” he narrates the tale over a charmingly simple animation, ruminating on his memories and coming to terms with the incidents. The first bike was stolen immediately after receiving as a b...

A young artist struggles to make a movie about a young artist who struggles to make a movie. Zenzelé Soa-Clarke directs and stars in “An Independent Movie About a Young Artist,” a meta breakdown on the tropes of slice-of-life indie filmmaking (“mumblecore, character driven, all the shit”), and an...

A biracial girl caught between worlds prepares for her Bat Mitzvah and adulthood. Radiating with warmth and lived-in specificity, “Broken Bird,” directed by Rachel Harrison Gordon, is a tender coming-of-age drama about a divided upbringing. Birdie has reached a vulnerable age of anxiety and self-...

A silent experimental film about a space man’s first day in Brooklyn. Directed by Travis Wood and shot on Super 8mm black and white film, “Just getting by is okay” communicates with a gentle playfulness and warmth. The ‘space man’ hits the streets to get acquainted with his new environment, attra...

A first date on Valentine’s Day takes an unexpected turn. | Written By Maame-Yaa Aforo. Directed by Justin Casselle. Starring Maame-Yaa Aforo and William Basham.

An easy golf swing tutorial that focuses on the essentials: grip, club choice, mindset, race, and class consciousness. | Directed by Ronald Metellus.