BLACK LIVES MATTER SHORTS: Black Saviors, prolyfck, blactor, For Tigray, Ancestors, Ring Ring / The Sun Rises in the East

The Sun Rises in the East

The Sun Rises in The East chronicles the birth, rise and legacy of The East, a pan-African cultural organization founded in 1969 by teens and young adults in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn. Led by educator and activist Jitu Weusi, The East embodied Black self-determination, building more than a dozen institutions, including its own African-centered school, food co-op, newsmagazine, publisher, record label, restaurant, clothing shop and bookstore. 

The organization hosted world-famous jazz musicians and poets at its highly sought-after performance venue, and it served as an epicenter for political contemporaries such as the Black Panther Party, the Young Lords and the Congress of Afrikan People, as well as comrades across Africa and the Caribbean.

The Blactor

Aspiring actress, Kadidja Watson is tired of auditioning for stereotypical Black roles. You know the ones: “The Best Friend,” “Angry Baby-Mama,” “Slave” "Voodoo Priestess" etc. One day, on route to a "Gangsta" audition, an undercover cop stops her suspecting she’s involved in a break and entry. 

Now she must audition for her life proving she can play the role. But has the role played her?

Black Saviors

Black redemption and Black economic empowerment is framed through the lens of a senior director at a pharmaceutical company.  Mertie Snead's mission is to restore the childhood home of a doctor who performed life-saving surgery on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. while she tirelessly works on a COVID-19 vaccine.

Dr. John W.V. Cordice Jr. saved Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s life before he became the American icon we know today. Now, his home needs a pulse.

Prolyfyck

Their route is uphill by design. Through the language of running, Prolyfyck Run Crew is creating a safe space where Black runners can see themselves represented, and all runners are welcome, in Charlottesville, VA.

Ring Ring

When an elderly woman gets an unexpected call from a man pretending to be her grandson, she knows he is a scam artist. She decides to scam him into believing she is a senile old woman with various antics.

For Tigray

On November 4th, 2020, Prime Minister of Ethiopia Abiy Ahmed declared a genocidal war on Tigray, the northernmost regional state of Ethiopia. His administration has limited and blocked access to electricity, aid, food, and water for millions of Tigrayan civilians. Through a conflict so saturated in political debates, For Tigray looks through the lenses of the people. From life before the war, and the collective future on the horizon.

Ancestors

A young man is going for his dream job, and gets help from his ancestors along the way.