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Opening Night- (At the Arts Center)

1. The Light of Truth: Richard Hunt’s Monument to Ida B. Wells 

Runtime: 01:10 

Rana Segal 

This feature documentary weaves together sculptor Richard Hunt’s process and life story, with that of civil rights crusader, suffragist and antilynching activist, Ida B. Wells. Hunt creates the Light of Truth monument for the Bronzeville community at the former site of the Ida B. Wells Homes. Wells’ history and the sculptor’s history intersect in their mutual reaction and actions as they confront the injustices of racism with their work. 

2.  Equity & Ownership: Napoleon Wallace and the Reconstruction of Black Wealth 

Runtime: 20:24 

Block:1- (At the Arts Center) 

 Yuri Vaysgant 

Napoleon Wallace left his position as NC’s deputy secretary of commerce and asked his wife for two years to pursue his vision of building multiple organizations around a comprehensive strategy to build Black wealth and bridge racial wealth gaps. He soon confronted a devastating diagnosis.

 3. Love Letters

Runtime:12:00 

Block:1- (At the Arts Center) 

Niglmoro Okuk

 At 20, graffiti writer Sight, faced 100+ felony charges and 34-years in prison for his art. Sight was able to reduce his sentence by fighting California wildfires but since his release his wages continue to be garnished for $70,000 in restitution. Sight refuses to give up his lifelong love affair with graffiti and today he wants the world to see graffiti as "the sigils of the people they tried to pave over," challenging a society that values property over human life.  

4. Power of the Pen

Runtime: 13:59 

Block:1- (At the Arts Center)

Shaun Sinclair

 Power of the Pen is a story about the power of manifestation and art to liberate individuals beyond confinement. 

9. 42 +Years For Nothing

Runtime:40:00

Block: 3- (At the Arts Center) 

Lana Adams 

 After   serving 38 years in prison for the rape and murder of an 8-year-old girl,   David Bryant maintained his innocence. With the help of a nonprofit   organization, he is released and sent home, but nothing could prepare him for   what would happen next.

10. House Music: A Cultural Revolution

Runtime: 52:00

Block: 4- (At the Arts Center) 

Barbara E Allen

House Music. It’s a sound that connects, uplifts, and unites. A sound that can be heard around the globe, and on music’s biggest stages. And it’s a sound that was born in Chicago.  

 11. The Kukus of Ijebu-Ode: A Family Portrait

Runtime: 01:12:50

Block: 4- (At the Arts Center) 

Ahmed Olayinka Sule 

 "The Kukus of Ijebu-Ode: A Family Portrait" is a compelling cinematic journey through the heart of the Kuku Family, a powerful Yoruba dynasty that has significantly shaped the cultural, religious, and political landscape of Ijebu-Ode, South West Nigeria, for generations.

 12. Redemption Road 

Runtime: 58:00

Block: 5- (At the Arts Center)

 Yusef Bunchy Shakur, Scott McCartney

 Redemption Road chronicles the journey of Dr. Yusef Bunchy Shakur from gang member who was raised by his Black single mother in a deindustrialized Black Detroit in the 1980s to community leader.

 14. A Black History Tour of St. Louis

Runtime: 01:25:36

Block: 6- (At the KANKAN Cinemas)

Tony West

Father Gerald Kleba, a St. Louisan and a priest for over fifty-five years, takes you on a Black History Tour of St. Louis, MO.  He highlights the role the Catholic Church played in the complex development of this city founded twelve years before the United States 

 15. 33 Black Frog: An American Story

Runtime: 01:06:29

Block: 7- (At the KANKAN Cinemas) 

Andre Ferguson 

 Against the backdrop of the Jim Crow era, this documentary chronicles the inspiring journey of one of the first African Americans to defy systemic racism and societal barriers to become a pioneering Navy UDT frogman. His story of resilience and triumph serves as a powerful testament to the human spirit and the early legacy of the Navy SEALs. This film is supported by Prince Georges Arts and Humanities Council. 

16. Catching Bullets

Runtime: 01:24:17

Block: 8- (At the KANKAN Cinemas) 

Ben Scholle 

 A generation ago, Darren sold dope. Behind a gun and a bullet-proof vest, he once made a name for himself in Walnut Park, one of the most dangerous neighborhoods in St. Louis — a city itself haunted by a perennially high murder rate. 

 17. Diligence

Runtime: 01:30:00

Block: 9- (At the KANKAN Cinemas)

Brooklyn True Heart Demme

 The primary intention of Diligence is to inspire Black and Indigenous people who might have a legal pathway for reclaiming land stolen from their families (particularly land presently (mis-) classified as public cemeteries/parks).

19. Dancing With Waves

Runtime: 29:12

Block: 10- (At the KANKAN Cinemas)

Emmitt Thrower

Tammi Judge, the founder of a transformative dance program, leads young dancers on a journey of self-discovery and personal growth, using the power of movement to heal, inspire, and change their lives forever.