When a lunar eclipse stops their late-night letter exchanges, 12-year-old stargazer Gugu, who lives in Australia with her overly-superstitious mother, must find a way to reconnect with her Gogo (grandmother) who lives in Zimbabwe. AWARDS:Audience Award - New York International Children's Film Festival - 2023 <img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/eventive-static/69c67d1d861465ea43811b84092780da.jpg" width="143">Director Bio/Statement:Taku Mbudzi is an award-winning filmmaker, writer, and podcaster based in Melbourne, Australia. She proudly infuses her Zimbabwean culture into her work and has received several business awards for her service to the African community in Australia.

English

Gugu naGogo

When a lunar eclipse stops her late-night letter exchanges, 12-year-old astronomer Gugu must find a way to reconnect with Gogo, her beloved grandmother, who lives far away in Zimbabwe.

In an intimate portrayal of the effects incarceration has on families, two siblings move through mundanity, highs and woes as they’re confronted with their father’s choices, while reading a letter, during a morning-long journey to visit him in prison. <img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/eventive-static/4772b683b64916d3ac747f48e46a8b50.jpg" width="146"> Director Bio/Statement:Monique Wilhoit is a southern-based filmmaker amplifying underestimated narratives. Penned as a lyrical storyteller—raised in a working class family of natural artists—she’s influenced by her upbringing filled with escapism, song, and dance.

Jahleel & Star

When two siblings take a morning journey to visit their father in prison, they move through their feelings as they’re confronted with their father’s choices.

Three friends embark on a 350 mile cycling route from the Texas Capitol in Austin to the site in Galveston where Juneteenth began in 1865. As they travel, they explore centuries of untold Black history in Texas through interviews with historians and community leaders. AWARDS:Best Director - Texas Short Film Festival,Best Short Documentary - Rockport Film Festival <img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/eventive-static/d668443be50bf53567612a183b951ccb.jpg" width="159">Director Bio/Statement:Talib Abdullahi makes his directorial debut with "The Route to Emancipation". He founded the nonprofit Black History Bike Ride in 2020 to channel the anger in the wake of George Floyd's murder into an opportunity to educate the community about Austin's Black history. He has now led more than 40 rides and is expanding BHBR outreach through film.

The Route to Emancipation

Three friends embark on a 350 mile cycling route from the Texas Capitol in Austin to the site in Galveston where Juneteenth began in 1865. As they travel, they explore centuries of untold Black history in Texas through interviews with historians and community leaders.

In 2016, the League of American Orchestras conducted a study that revealed a shocking statistic: only 1.8% of the professional orchestra workforce in the US is Black. From an old church rec room in the inner city of Los Angeles, former lawyer-turned-conductor Chuck Dickerson is on a mission to change that. Through ICYOLA - The Inner City Youth Orchestra of Los Angeles — the largest majority Black orchestra in the country — Chuck is creating life-changing opportunities for his community that did not previously exist. The Orchestra Chuck Built is a loving portrait of a tireless mentor and a testament to the transformative power of music. AWARDS:Audience Award-Best Short Documentary - Mountainfilm Festival-2023,Best Short Doc - African Film Festival Atlanta – 2023,Best Short Doc - Washington West Int'l FF - 2023 <img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/eventive-static/ec89625086cb5ce4a6a1fba2fe02551f.jpg" width="143"> Director Bio/Statement:Originally from New Orleans, Christopher Stoudt is an award-winning filmmaker based in Los Angeles. In 2018 he was nominated for a Los Angeles Emmy for Outstanding Director for his full-length documentary, Lost LA: Descanso Gardens. His short The Black Rebel was a Vimeo Staff Pick in 2019. His latest documentary short, Camp ALEC, was produced by The Kennedy/Marshall Company and acquired by Disney+ for the forthcoming revival of their series “People and Places.” His film Four Seasons Total Documentary, which profiles the infamous Philadelphia press conference, premiered on MSNBC and was nominated for a Critics’ Choice Award. He is currently in development on his first feature with Vox Media.

The Orchestra Chuck Built

Former lawyer Chuck Dickerson orchestrates a remarkable change in inner-city Los Angeles, founding the Inner City Youth Orchestra of Los Angeles (ICYOLA) to address the shocking underrepresentation of Black musicians in American orchestras.

Many criminal defendants are forced to stand trial without a true cross section of the community on a jury. This means there are often NO Black or LatinX people in the jury pool. In California, jurors are only paid $15 per day, making jury service financially impossible for many working and low-income members of the community. The film spotlights the work of Brendon Woods, the Alameda County Public Defender, as he teaches and advocates for more inclusive juries across the state and the country. <img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/eventive-static/3b8a023d6c7b2a454c99518beb339325.jpg" width="148"> Director Bio/Statement:Abby Ginzberg, a Peabody award-winning director, has been producing compelling documentaries about race and social justice for over 35 years. Her film, Barbara Lee: Speaking Truth to Power won the 2022 NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Documentary.

Judging Juries

Many criminal defendants are forced to stand trial without a true cross section of the community on a jury. Alameda County Public Defender Brendon Woods teaches and advocates for more inclusive juries across the state and the country.

United States of America

Mixed Shorts Series # 1 (98m) (US Only)

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