32nd Annual Sistas Are Doin' It For Themselves
Short Film Festival
PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE
Dear BHERC Family and Friends:
It is with great pride to welcome you to the 2025 Sistas Are Doin’ It For Themselves Short Film Festival, a beloved tradition now in its 32nd year! We’re honored to have you with us at the Writer’s Guild Theater as we continue our mission to elevate, celebrate, and fiercely advocate for our Black women filmmakers.
From the beginning, the Black Hollywood Education and Resource Center (BHERC) has stood as a creative sanctuary, a launching pad, and a powerful call to action. Year after year, we shine a spotlight on the brilliance and necessity of Black women’s voices in film. These are voices that continue to disrupt, heal, and revolutionize how stories are told. The filmmakers you will meet today embody that bold spirit. Their work is fearless, deeply resonant, and rich with nuance, vision, and heart.
To the exceptional filmmakers whose work we are showcasing: your stories are medicine. Thank you for your creative bravery, your discipline, and your commitment to pushing the form forward. You stand on the shoulders of trailblazers like exceptional directors Neema Barnette and Julie Dash—and now, many will stand on yours. At BHERC, we remain steadfast in our commitment to cultivating the space and resources you deserve to thrive.
We also take a moment to acknowledge the countless challenges facing our country today. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion efforts have taken real hits in recent months—but we remain undeterred. And we’re certainly not alone. Visionaries like Sista’s alum Gina Prince-Bythewood (The Woman King) and Ava DuVernay (Origin) continue to lead the charge in bringing Black narratives to global audiences. Their brilliance, and that of our many other alumni—including Kasi Lemmons, Lena Waithe, and Millicent Shelton to name a few– have become the shining blueprint.
It is an honor to welcome our incredible hosts for this year’s ceremony – outstanding filmmakers Tamika Lamison and Camille Tucker. These women have carved out forceful paths in this industry and helmed a multitude of creative and innovative projects. Every year, BHERC looks within its’ community to assess who our class of filmmakers need to hear from the most. Today, artistic independence and creative innovation has become the cornerstone. I am beyond pleased that this year’s group of filmmakers can learn and be inspired by these two phenomenal women.
To our tireless volunteers, hardworking staff, and you—our community—thank you. You are not only witnesses to these stories, but active participants in shaping the future of Black cinema. It is on us as a whole to combat the strategic silencing and erasure that Black stories are facing. Your continued support safeguards our narratives in this arduous fight toward creative resilience and artistic plenitude.
Today, as we take in these powerful short films, we invite you to feel everything: the joy, the complexity, the pain, and the possibility. Share your experience with others. Spark conversations. Connect with the filmmakers. Allow yourself to be inspired by these brilliant women to continue to walk in resilience and unwavering faith as we gracefully press forward. Let us remain fastened in Purpose as we let the world know: the Sistas are still doing it for themselves, and we will always be front row to support.
With Gratitude,
PROGRAM
32nd Annual Sistas Are Doin' It For Themselves Short
Film Festival
August 16, 2025
Sandra Evers-Manly President, Black Hollywood Education and Resource Center
HOSTS
TAMIKA LAMISON
Writer | Director | Producer
Tamika is a Virginia native who graduated from American & Howard University. Some honors include the ABC/Walt Disney Fellowship in Screenwriting, CBS Director’s Initiative, Gordon Parks Indie Film Award, AFI’s Directing Workshop for Women, RISE Fellowship Circle, Plenty of Pie Fellowship and the upcoming Writers Lab International. Tamika has produced/written/directed several award-winning shorts & features and was a staff writer and supervising producer on the MONOGAMY TV series. She created the Commercial Directors Diversity Program for the DGA & AICP and helped research & develop the Academy Gold Program for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. In an effort to give back, Tamika also Founded the non-profit Make A Film Foundation which grants film wishes to children with serious or life-threatening medical conditions. She has produced 4 Award winning narrative shorts and over 100 short docs via Make a Film Foundation. Tamika was recently a Finalist in Shondaland’s Director Mentoring Program & Disney’s Directing Program. Her short “Superman Doesn’t Steal” has screened in over 50 film festivals including Sista’s Doin’ It For Themselves, winning numerous awards including the 2025 NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Short Form (Live Action).
CAMILLE TUCKER
Writer | Director | Producer
Camille Tucker is an NAACP Image-Award nominated writerand producer. A Seasoned storyteller who has sold scripts to Sony, Disney, Universal, Fox TV, and more. She co-wrote Lifetime’s hit The Clark Sisters biopic, executive produced by Queen Latifah, and has written for SpringHill Entertainment, STARZ, and Disney+. Camille is currently Writer/EP on the Gladys Knight biopic limited series. She’s worked with Hollywood icons like Robert De Niro, Jane Rosenthal, Marc Platt, and the late John Singleton. A champion for diverse voices, Camille also teaches screenwriting at Loyola Marymount University and IP adaptation workshops globally for Netflix Grow Creative.
FILMS AT A GLANCE
Saturday, August 16, 2025
2025 Sistas Are Doin' It For Themselves
5:00 MIN.
“A+” explores the pressures and consequences of high expectations. An ambitious student grapples with a parent over the benchmarks to succeed. Original piano composition by Denver School of the Arts piano major.
Trinity Roberts: Director Amy McGrath, Tory Maurer, John Aden
Trinity Reign is a rising senior at Denver School of the Arts who majors in the Video Cinema program.
Winner of multiple film festivals, a Scholastic Silver Key, 2022 DSA Screenwriter of the Year (& self-proclaimed asthmatic film fanatic); Reign hopes to tell her stories in a way that one day make true impact.
Short Film Festival FILMS
AUGUST & EBONY
12:51 MIN.
Four-month pregnant EBONY isn’t ready for this baby and a podcast about wild childbirth stories only heightens her anxieties. Her wife of 3-months, AUGUST, comforts and reassures
her…and it almost works until JUSTIN, her best friend and hook-up-turned-father of her child, bursts into the house, armed with his binder of research. Determined to save these two wholly unprepared mothers-to-be, he invites himself to stay over—much to August’s dismay.
Reviewing Justin’s research only leads Ebony to a crisis of confidence, worsened when August and Justin clash. When Ebony asks for their help to create a birth plan, she’s ignored. She finally scolds August and Justin to work together for her and the baby. The two rivals sheepishly put their rivalries aside to build a plan to get Ebony to the hospital and the thruple form a united front, choosing to weather this lifelong co-parenting journey together
Sunyin Zhang: Director
A.Cooper: Writer
Pinar Binay: Producer
Joyce Liu-Countryman, Joenque
C. Rose: Executive Producer
Francisco Velasquez: Executive Producer
A Chinese queer filmmaker based in Los Angeles. Her short film, Wild Seed, presented by Nowness China, won the Marlyn Mason Award Grand Prize in Flickers’ Rhode Island International Film Festival, Best Cinematography in a Short Award in Vancouver International Women in Film Festival, Alison Doerner Award for Women Pioneers in Filmmaking, nominated for International Shorts Program Best Short Film in DokuFest, screened at the Film Independent Project Involve Showcase and was selected by
over 15 OSCAR and BAFTA qualified Film Festivals. Zhang received her MFA in Film Directing Program from CalArts in 2020.
BITTERSWEET
5:46 MIN.
Bittersweet is an immersive, non-linear look at a timeless love that is cut short by maternal mortality.
Myrakel N Baker: Director Myrakel N Baker: Writer Luca Del Puppo, Myrakel Baker: Producer
Myrakel Baker is a Brooklyn-based writer, director, and producer whose work centers on deeply personal, characterdriven stories that push creative and political boundaries. With an MA in Film from The New School, Myrakel has gained extensive experience across both television and film, contributing to acclaimed projects like PELOSI IN THE HOUSE (HBO) and THE JINX (HBO). She is currently developing her debut feature, Bayou Dreams, a heartfelt tribute to her hometown of Houston, TX, which builds upon the narrative explored in her short film Bittersweet. Myrakel’s filmmaking style—intimate, compelling, and bold— continues to evolve as she expands into branded content, commercials, and documentary filmmaking.
DYING LAUGHING
14:43 MIN.
A standup comedian arrested for tax fraud moves back to her small hometown to work off the debt at her family’s funeral home, where she taps into her gift of communicating with the dead.
Tyler Young: Director/Writer
Tyler Young, Monique Hazeur: Producer
Tyler Young is a journalist turned filmmaker from Greenville, SC. She earned her B.A. in Mass Communication from Winthrop University. Tyler produces branded content, documentaries, and narrative shorts, including Gaps, a 2024 NAACP Image Award-nominated short film presented by Queen Latifah’s Queen Collective program in partnership with Tribeca Studios and Procter & Gamble. Tyler wrote and directed the dark comedy short Dying Laughing, winner of the 2024 Black Harvest Film Festival Audience Award.
FINDING JAMIA’S SPIRIT
14:43 MIN.
In “Finding JaMia’s Spirit,” we follow the journey of JaMia, a curious and optimistic 5-year-old girl. After the loss of her father, JaMia grapples with the concept of him being in a “better place” and feeling abandoned right before her first day of kindergarten. With the
guidance of her wise grandmother, Gam Gam, JaMia embarks on a search for her father’s ancestor spirit. Through a series of heartwarming moments with her mother, Denise, and flashbacks of her father, JaMia discovers that her father’s spirit is always with her, providing comfort and strength.
Candace Patrick: Director
Candace Patrick: Writer Candace Patrick, Musau Onwubiko: Producer
Candace D. Patrick is a writer, director, and producer born and raised in Los Angeles, CA. She found her screenwriting passion through participation in the Scriptwriters Network High School Fellowship Program. That program led her to earn her BA in Screenwriting from Loyola Marymount University where she developed her voice by focusing on stories that authentically depict human journeys.
JULES
Jules is in a relationship with Clutch, an exmotocross racer whose career ended prematurely due to an injury during a pivotal race. As a result of Clutch’s injury, he has forbidden Jules to continue riding motocross. In an effort to keep her sanity and freedom, Jules continues to go to the motocross track and ride behind Clutch’s back. While there Jules meets Rome, an attractive racer with a newfound relentless affinity towards Jules. Rome not only rides motocross but he
also pushes Jules to do the same. Clutch catches wind of Jules’ disobedience which leads to Jules finding herself caught in a love triangle between Clutch and her own freedom.
Tiffany M Abney: Director
Tiffany M Abney, Emalie Moniz: Writer
Tiffany Abney: Producer
Abney, who has had a successful 12 year career as a professional stuntwomen is currently transitioning into a promising career as a director/producer. “Without thinking I can name about 10 black male action actors who are currently known for action. I cannot name one female who is currently known as the same. Of course there are black actresses who have done action but who is the female Will Smith or Idris Elba?” Enter Abney whose main goal as a writer, producer and director is to facilitate a space in this industry where we can have black women whose careers mirror Will and Idris. “I want to see black actresses who are known for action and I want to create roles in which they can be.” Whether getting her hair pulled, crashing through window panes, dodging traffic in high speed motorcycle chases or directing her actors and giving them the confidence to push through, Abney is a force to be reckoned with.
MOTHER’S INSTINCT
Cecilia Rodriguez thought she understood the boundaries of surrogacy— until her bond with her unborn child became unbreakable, changing everything. Caught
between the legal framework she agreed to and the overwhelming pull of maternal instincts, Cecilia embarks on an emotional journey that takes her from the comfort of tranquil shores to the isolation of a rundown motel room.
As the moment of birth approaches, Cecilia’s determination to keep her child is put to the ultimate test. With raw emotion and gripping intensity, “Mother Instinct” explores the complexities of surrogacy, the sacrifices of love, and the strength of a mother’s connection to her child. A moving story of resilience, the film examines the delicate line where contracts end and the depths of human emotions begins.
Angelica Quinonez: Director
Angelica Quinonez, Tova Swartz: Writer Angelica Quinonez, Chloe Bataillie, Deuce Jones: Producer
I am an Afro-Latina director, writer, producer, and editor from Ecuador. Currently based in Los Angeles, I am pursuing an MFA in Filmmaking at the New York Film Academy. My passion lies in creating drama, sci-fi, and biopic short films. I am deeply committed to amplifying Black and female-driven narratives and highlighting underrepresented voices.
MOVING MOUNTAINS
21.00
power of big wave surfing, Tre’lan confronts his trauma, embraces healing, and discovers the resilience to reshape his future, finding peace in the ocean’s most powerful waves.
Director: Jessa Williams
Jessa Williams is an award-winning director, producer, and creative entrepreneur based in Los Angeles. Her directorial debut, Moving Mountains is a short film about her partner Tre’lan Michael, one of the few Black big wave surfers in the world. Celebrated for its emotional depth and cinematic strength, Moving Mountains has been recognized across the film festival circuit. It received top honors at the Tribeca x UNINTERRUPTED Film Festival, selected personally by LeBron James, Naomi Osaka, and Joel Embiid, and was most recently an official selection at the American Black Film Festival.
A former Brand Marketing leader with over a decade of experience, Jessa now uses film as a powerful medium to amplify the voices of Black and POC outdoor athletes. She is also the Founder of INTRSXTN Surf, the largest surf community for Black women and women of color. Since its launch in 2021, INTRSXTN Surf has taught hundreds of women of color to surf, disrupting the idea of who gets to take up space in the lineup.
Moving Mountains is a raw and inspiring journey of Tre’lan, a young Black man from Tulsa, Oklahoma, who escapes his troubled past to find redemption on a remote Hawaiian island. Through the transformative
OPEN LOVE LETTER
1:40 MIN.
This story follows a woman reflecting on a love that seemed perfect but was clouded by misunderstandings and expectations. As the relationship falls apart, she realizes they measured love by actions, not emotions. Though it ended, she’s grateful for the experience, understanding that, for a brief moment, they truly were love.
Catia Correia: Director/Writer Nana Kojo Osei-Ababio: Producer
Born in Cape Verde and raised in Massachusetts, Catia Correia is a self-taught filmmaker based in New York City. She has eight years of experience in production and three years as a writer and director, working across various film projects.
Catia initially moved to Los Angeles to pursue acting, but her time on set sparked a deeper interest in production. As she gained hands-on experience behind the camera, she discovered her passion for storytelling through directing and writing. Once she made the decision to fully commit to filmmaking, she relocated to New York City, where she continues to work in the industry.
She has directed and produced short films in Nigeria and Ghana, collaborating with small local teams and working with almost no budget. Through her work, she continues to refine her storytelling voice and expand her creative reach in the industry.
RAGE
5:01 MIN.
How many deaths are truly justified, and at which point do you become the monster? In this retro rock opera, Esther, a meek librarian picked on by the world, is forced to stand up for herself in a life of death situation. When these “unrelated coincidences” continue to follow her, it feeds her now insatiable lust for blood and twisted sense is justice, driving her mad with power, dragging the audience right along with her.
ShawnKole: Director/Writer/Producer
A graduate from the illustrious Tuskegee University with a Bachelor’s in English, and Master’s in film production from Georgia State University. ShawnKole is a visual artist ranging in art from animation, to design, painting and filmmaking. Artists are keepers of culture, and through their art they seek to explore and highlight the beauty and diversity of their culture.
SOMETHING IN THE WATER
12:11 MIN.
Five water justice advocates discuss how Milwaukee’s Black communities are disproportionately being lead poisoned, and the debilitating effects it has on residents’ health, with hopes to see equitable change that will heal the water and Black resident’s relationship with it.
Writer
Nateya Taylor is a multimedia storyteller based in Milwaukee, WI. As a strong advocate for health equity and Black liberation, her artistic practice intersects film, photography, and creative writing to shed light on Black history, Black culture, Black wellness, and Black experiences, to challenge institutionalized and internalized anti-blackness, and to reveal the multifacetedness of Blackness.
She holds a M.S. in Urban Studies from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and a B.A. in Criminal Justice from Carthage College where her research focus was residential segregation, Black geographies, and Black resistance. She incorporates her academic expertise into her artistic practice to tell informative and educational stories.
SOUL TIE
Soul Tie follows Melrisa, a middle-aged, darkskinned, plus-size, childfree Afro-Latina American with a thriving political podcast. Set during Los Angeles’s COVID-19 lockdown, the story unfolds as Melrisa, isolated and seeking connection, rekindles a situationship with Saeed, an old flame who once ghosted her. Despite the world unraveling around them—marked by pandemic-induced isolation and racial opportunism—their
reunion blossoms into a mature, fleeting, and intimate pod. Through this temporary bond, Melrisa finds a spark of revitalization that reminds her love and affection, even if brief, are essential to the human experience.
Maegan La Trese Philmore: Director/Writer/Producer
Maegan La Trese Philmore is a director, producer and activist based in Inglewood, California. Her shorts have been selected by the following film festivals: OutFest Fusion, Bentonville, DisOrient Asian, Imagine This, and Frameline. Her production company Hudson Philmore specializes in womanist, queer, BIPOC, all abilities & sizes unscripted and scripted content. Hudson Philmore is committed to making stories that challenge the exclusion in Hollywood, the same way Angela Davis challenges the prison industrial complex. Her films, DOMestication, Agents of Change: Project Polymer, and Soul Tie are examples of Hudson Philmore’s mission.
She formally was the Director of Production overseeing movies for Comedy Central, VH1, and MTV produced by World of Wonder, Patrik- Ian Polk, Idris Elba, Will Packer, and Jamie Foxx. Before Paramount, she was a Production Executive at the National Football League and YouTube Originals. An alumna of Mount Holyoke College, she also has worked on the hit shows “Naked and Afraid”, the NAACP Image Award winning “Welcome to Sweetie Pies’ and the 3 Time Emmy Winner “Freedom Riders”. She also is the most devoted “Titi” to Tre and Kota.
STICKY BUNS, RAVIOLI, AND WHITE CAKE
10:29 MIN.
During breakfast, a grown-up Alice tries to convince the Mad Hatter to share his emotions so that Wonderland won’t collapse along with his mental stability.
Nicole Pouchet: Director/Writer
Abie Ekenezar, Monica Valenzuela: Producer
(she/her) A former Broadway assistant director, Nicole Pouchet is a novelist and writer / director based in the Seattle area. Her horror/social thriller short, Retch, premiered at the Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF) in 2019, won Best Film at the Seattle Black Film Festival in 2020, and has shown on DirecTV, Amazon, PBS, and Alaska Airlines. Her subsequent films -- a sci-fi short called Such an Honor and a fantasy animation/live action blend called Lioness have been official selections at dozens of festivals worldwide. And, she is a writer/director for the award-winning fantasy series, Strowlers.
SURVIVED BY
A newly orphaned kid dodging the foster care system spends a magical evening with a sock puppet hoping to unpack her complicated relationship with her father days after his death.
Director: KD Chalk
K.D. Chalk is a 2023 Film Independent Project Involve Filmmaker and actor from Rural Hall, North Carolina. The ABFF Star Project winner can be seen starring opposite Jake Johnson in the Apple+ television pilot HABATA directed by Josh Greenbaum. Chalk’s first feature as producer and actor, OUR DEADLY VOWS, the STARZ original made its theatrical debut in July 2023, and is currently available on AMAZON. Chalks’ writer and producer credits include FABULOUSNESS’NESS WITH CLEA AND JORDAN (finalist in the Funny or Die Make’em LAFF (Los Angeles Film Festival), SEALED (Independent New York “Best of Short Film Showcase ‘’and Best Experimental film in the 2010 LA Reel Film Festival), THE OPENERS (Best Short at the Broad Humor Festival) She can also be seen in SECOND CITY PRESENTS “LAST MAN ON EARTH” and with a recurring role on DAYS OF OUR LIVES. The Women in Film Mentoring Program alum is the 2023 winner for Best Female Screenplay at HollyShorts Film Festival for her directorial debut film SURVIVED BY. The SURVIVED BY team recently won the Audience Award Winner at Dances With Films.
SYMPHONY OF THE STOMACH
In the most unremarkable of places, a young man’s urgent escape becomes an unexpected symphony—where discomfort and desire collide in a fleeting, transformative encounter with a stranger.
Nateya Taylor: Director/Produce Everett Coleman:
Peace Chukwufumnanya Onyeme: Director/ Writer/Producer.
Peace Chukwufumnanya Onyeme is a Actor/ Director from Lagos Nigeria. She is known for being a Talk Show Host, and Director of the short film, “Symphony of The Stomach”.
TALK TO ME
6:49 MIN.
questions Adam about his identity, rights, and existence, the tension escalates, revealing her belief that he is not human. Adam, a seemingly ordinary Canadian teacher, struggles to assert his humanity while grappling with the psychological torment of his situation.
THE INTERVIEW
A short drama that follows a young widowed mother on a car ride that might be her last.
Paris Nicole: Director/Writer Paris Nicole, Ben Meredith: Producer
LA Native, Paris Nicole is a tour de force, multitalented actress, dancer, singer, filmmaker who fell in love with improv while studying at The Second City (Hollywood). She has multiple comedic short films and web series streaming on YouTube including M.A.D., MOMTY, The Ride, and The Visitor. Since her two-year tour co-hosting for Disney Jr. Dance Party on Tour, Paris has taken LA by storm creating, performing, and building her film company Paris Nicole Productions, LLC.
THE INTERROGATION
9:39 MIN.
In a stark, underground facility, a mysterious SCIENTIST conducts a high-stakes interrogation of a man named Adam, who is held captive under dubious circumstances. As the SCIENTIST
As the interrogation unfolds, Adam’s responses become increasingly frantic, particularly when his memories and sense of time are called into question. The SCIENTIST’s cold demeanor and relentless probing lead Adam to question his own reality. Just when the situation reaches a boiling point, an alarm signals a system breach, plunging the room into chaos and darkness. Amidst the panic, unsettling sounds hint at a lurking danger, culminating in a shocking revelation as alien voices discuss their mission.
Magang Sule: Director/Writer
Caroline V Puzinas, Magang Sule: Producer
For as long as I can remember, I have always loved a great story; both the hearing of and the art of telling it. This love of story telling is hugely inspired by my Nigerian ancestry which has a culture of rich oral traditions and vibrant story telling techniques. In our current world, the most popular medium of story telling is film. Nine years ago, I embarked on a journey of learning how to tell stories via that medium, starting with taking a screen writing course and after 9 years of ups and down, false starts and major disappointments in the film industry, in May of 2018 , myself and my team produced and filmed my very first short film which was entered into festivals around the world.
Meet Joy Waters, editor in chief, of her college newspaper. Her dream interview? Deandra Wilcox, A famous female filmmaker. Ut everything ends up turning awry when the Dean changes their mind to interview a new basketball player instead. Will Joy and her co-editor keep things afloat, or will she fall head over heels for the 6’4 strong, athletic, dark skin, chocolate basketball player.
Writer/Director/Producer Precious Ugochukwu
A Nigerian-American from Austin, Texas. Precious Ugochukwu is an actress, writer, director, and content creator. Precious studied at The American and Musical Dramatic Academy in New York and Los Angeles to receive her Bachelor’s degree in Acting for Film and Stage. She hasbeen directing plays since she was seventeen.
THE UNTOUCHABLE PREY
A seasoned hitman on the verge of retirement is pulled back in for one last job—to kill a mysterious woman who seems to know everything about him. But as he confronts her, he discovers she may hold the key to his salvation, forcing him to make a choice that could cost him everything.
Tiaqua Howard: Director/Writer/Producer
Tiaqua Howard is a dynamic new voice in independent filmmaking, making her directorial debut with The Untouchable Prey. With a deep passion for storytelling, she specializes in writing crime and drama narratives that authentically reflect the urban experience. Having played various roles in film production, Tiaqua brings a well-rounded perspective to the director’s chair, making her an invaluable asset to any set. Her dedication to crafting compelling, thought-provoking stories positions her as a rising talent in the industry.
UNSAID
A biracial man finally gets the courage to tell his grandmother how her racist past affected him… at her funeral. Inspired by real events, the film explores the conversations we struggle to have- the painful, the frightening, and the ones we carry alone when the other voice is no longer with us.
Director: Monique Moses
Monique Moses is a Canadian born writer, director and actor based in Los Angeles. She was co-Head Writer and a co-Executive Producer for Season 4 of HBO’s A Black Lady Sketch Show and has consulted on projects with Jimmy Fallon (That’s My Jam, NBC Universal), Mike Myers (The Pentaverate, Netflix) and John Mulaney (Sack Lunch Bunch, Netflix). Additional writing credits include the second season
12:32 MIN.
of Teenage Euthanasia (Adult Swim / HBO Max), the first season of Big Mouth spin off Human Resources (Netflix), and The Kid’s Tonight Show (Peacock). As a member of all black comedy team Astronomy Club, she co-created and starred in ‘Astronomy Club The Sketch Show’ , which premiered on Netflix in 2019 to stellar reviews from Variety, Vulture and Rotten Tomatoes. After many years of directing comedy for the stage, UNSAID is Monique’s first foray into directing for the screen.
YOU WERE DEAD YESTERDAY
17:30 MIN.
At the height of a zombie apocalypse, one family discovers that the outbreak that is destroying their community is a conspiracy led by the federal government.
Destiny
J Cox: Director/Writer Milo Cox: Producer
Destiny Cox is a Philadelphia-based filmmaker, producer, and storyteller dedicated to crafting narratives that challenge perspectives on history, displacement, and survival. As the director of You Were Dead Yesterday, she brings a bold and unflinching vision to the screen, exploring the intersections of environmental racism and systemic injustice through a story rooted in both personal and historical realities.
With over six years of experience in science fiction and speculative narratives, Cox centers the Black experience in apocalyptic settings, using her work to provoke thought and conversation. She co-founded WANO Studios, a production company committed to amplifying underrepresented voices and fostering community-driven storytelling.
bherc@bherc.org | 323.957.4656
