"Grace"

SHORT FILM

Synopsis:

1950s, USA.

Grace and her older sister spend every summer at their grandparents’ house down south. Now that she’s 16, she’s made to follow her family’s religious tradition and get baptized. When Grace learns that a repentance is required before the ritual, she begins to question the budding romantic feelings she has for her best friend, Louise.

Shot on 16mm film and set within a fleeting Summer in the Black American South, Grace exists in conversation with many works of art created in the Black Southern Gothic genre. This time though, through a queer lens that explores the interiority of a Black queer girlhood.

CREDITS

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Starring: Jordan Rayanna Wells, Alexis Cofield, Mikayla LaShae Bartholomew, CL Simpson, JeVon Blackwell

Written, Directed, and Produced by Natalie Jasmine Harris

Director of Photography: Tehillah De Castro

Editor: Harry Cepka

Color: Kya Lou

Production Design: Jai Monee'

Composer: Taul Katz, Damsel Elysium

Produced by Samiyah Wardlaw, Morgan Powell, Latavia Young, Julia Kennelly, Natalie Jasmine Harris

Executive Producers Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, Dr. Debra A. Bright, Fanshen Cox, Natalia Bougadellis

This film was produced with support from The National Film Festival for Talented Youth (NFFTY) Pitch Competition, The Future of Film Is Female, The Frameline Completion Fund, Kickstarter’s Creative Capital x Skoll Creator Fund, Scout Film Festival's Emerging Filmmakers Grant, The Inside Out RE:FOCUS Fund, and Creative Culture at The Jacob Burns Film Center.

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PREVIOUS film Festivals + Screenings:

•Sundance Film Festival | January 18 - 28, 2024

•NFFTY: The National Film Festival for Talented Youth | April 25, 2024

•Maryland Film Festival | May 4, 2024

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UPCOMING film Festivals + Screenings:

Inside Out: Toronto 2SLGBTQ+ Film Festival

Toronto, Canada | May 29, 2024 + May 30, 2024 (Virtual in Ontario ONLY) | Shorts Block: BOLD

Buy Tickets

NewFest Pride

Virtual | May 30 - June 3, 2024 | Shorts Block: Black Queer Pride Shorts with Vimeo