Black Boy Joy
2019
United States
17 mins
Short Film Competition
| Martina Lee | |
| Nasir Kenneth Ferebee | |
| Will Catlett (Miles), Evan Alex (Selim) |
The film revolves around three generations and explores the themes of how to raise a Black boy with autism in America today, especially with endless microaggressions and policing of Black bodies. The idea of nurture and care vs. tough love and “hardness”, grief, generational curses within a family and how breaking patterns across generations are some of the themes that are further explored within the film. The film also explores the complexities of relationship building, effective communication, and support amongst Black fathers and sons.
About the Director
Martina Lee is an award-winning writer/director who decided to pursue her passion for film in 2013 and attended New York University Tisch Asia in Singapore. There she began her journey to find her artistic voice. She moved to Los Angeles in 2015 to attend the University of Southern California. While developing her craft at USC, she was awarded the prestigious Annenberg Fellowship in 2016 and again in 2017.
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Awards
2020 NAACP Image Award – Best Short Film Narrative
2020 Martha’s Vineyard African American Film Festival – HBO Short Award Winner
