Official Selections: 12th LA Black Film Festival
Congratulations to our accepted filmmakers!
Films are listed in alphabetical order, index to the left.
Scroll Down to learn more about each film.
Intergalactic Ingenue
Short
World Premiere
On the night he’s supposed to integrate with his Hive-mind alien girlfriend, James, a man with deep commitment issues, discovers his ex is also dating the same Hive.
Director: Nathan Bouie
Producer: Quinn Murphy, Jayla Hodge, Ami Coulibaly
Writer: Nathan Bouie
Cast: Jai’Reeh Demond, Akira Jackson, Mckayla Fontanez
Cinematographer: Paul Carrabba Jr.
Editor: Noah Radant
Instagram: @Bouie_
Lightning Strike
The story revolves around a city notorious for its crime and home to some of the most infamous gangs in the country. Despite the pressures of his environment, a teenager feels trapped within it. He realizes that his city urgently needs change. But as a mere teen, he wonders what he can do to combat the evil he witnesses daily. Then, a lightning strike changes everything. He develops superpowers and decides to use his newfound abilities to clean up the community. He takes on supervillains, drug dealers, gangs and crooked cops.
Director: Marcus D. Newsome
Producer: Ryan Buchanan
Music by: Ralphion Buchanan/ Malcom Rogers & Malique Davis/ Antionette Tatum
Writer: Marcus D. Newsome/ James Davis
Cast: (irving.f.suero)
Consulting Director: Ron myrick
Cinematographer: Marcus D. Newsome
Editor: Lonnie L. Newsome
Twitter: @lscomicx
Facebook: Marcus D Newsome / Lightning Strike
Making Their Pointe
Documentary
West Coast Premiere
The film, Making Their Pointe, tells the story of pioneering African-American ballet teachers who made it possible for children in underserved communities in Washington, D.C., to enter and thrive in the traditionally exclusive world of ballet during segregation. Their determination challenged barriers in the arts and created a lasting cultural legacy that continues to shape the District’s dance community and beyond.
Director: Kamilah Thurmon
Producer: Beatrice Davis-Williams
Cast: Virginia Johnson, Sandra Fortune-Green, Beatrice Davis-Williams, Lynn B. Welters, Kahina Haynes
Cinematographer: Jorge Sarmiento
Editor: Nora Rappaport
Website: www.gen2genmedia.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gen2genmedia/
Oakland Strong
Documentary Short
For over a decade, Coach Mike Jenkins has taught Olympic weightlifting for free in the heart of Oakland. With zero city support, he has built national and international champions, college‑bound scholars, and confident young leaders. But strength alone can’t keep the lights on.
Oakland Strong follows his fight to save the program as he brings his kids to City Hall to lift — for recognition, and for the city to finally take notice. Shot guerrilla‑style in just a few hours on a single day, the film captures a raw, honest snapshot of a community asking to be seen, asking for their program to survive, and showing exactly what Oakland is capable of.
This short documentary is a rally cry for generational health, community investment, and the power of one man to rewrite the narrative. Will Oakland finally recognize its own strength?
Director: David Godinez
Producer: Michael Jenkins
Writer: David Godinez
Cast: Michael Jenkins, Noah Junsay, Robert Whitlock, Reina Whitlock, Rucker Johnson, Legend Gabourel
Cinematographer: David Godinez
Editor: David Godinez
Awards / Accolades:
Winner of multiple festival awards, including Best Very Short Documentary
Overburden
Documentary
West Coast Premiere
Overburden is set in the mist-shrouded Nimba Mountains on the Liberia-Guinea border, where rare wildlife and local communities reclaim a landscape scarred by mining. Today, this fragile recovery faces a new threat: a global steel company using conservation promises to brand a new mining venture as green.
With exclusive, on-the-ground access, Overburden follows rangers, scientists, and forest defenders - like Moses Darpey, a hunter turned ranger - as they navigate the tangled frontier where mining meets conservation, and where memory, science, and power collide. The film captures intimate encounters with the mountain’s extraordinary inhabitants, from a viviparous toad found nowhere else on earth to resilient cave-dwelling bats and combative chimpanzees.
Overburden tells a powerful story of resilience and transformation. Through vivid cinematography and deeply rooted storytelling, the film celebrates the power of people and ecosystems to persist, rebuild, and thrive against overwhelming odds.
Director: Sarita West
Producer: Gregg Mitman
Writer: Sarita West, Evelyn Franks, Gregg Mitman
Cast/Featuring: Moses Darpey, Shadrach Parwon Kerwillain, Catherine Kuku Dolo, Grace Kotee Zansi, Saye Thompson, Dada Konkah, Mnqobi Mamba, Johnny Gbah, Harrison Geh, Bennie Paye, Coleson Zuah, Moses Nyan
Cinematographer: Alexander Wiaplah, Ester De Roij
Editor: Evelyn Franks
Website: https://overburdenfilm.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fragmentsoftheforest/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61587263501644