Lawman
WINTER FILM AWARDS 2018 NOMINEE - BEST STUDENT FILM
2017
United States
13 mins
Short Film Competition
| Matthew Gentile | |
| Kalilah Robinson | |
| Tory Kittles, Lance Reddick, Erica Tazel | |
| Graphic Violence |
Based on True Events. 1875, Indian Territory: former slave Bass Reeves, is the first African-American to be deputized by the U.S. Marshal service as a federal peace officer. On his first mission, Bass charges into the desert after two outlaws and gets into a shootout where he kills one man and captures the other. Over the course of their journey back to Fort Smith, Glen questions his prisoner’s choices and tries to psych him out — a tactic that forces him to question his own mind regarding his idea of justice and choosing to fight for a law and a country that has never fought for him.
About the Director
Matthew Gentile is a Los Angeles-based writer and director. His AFI thesis film, Frontman, won the 2016 Student Emmy for Best Directing from the Television Academy Foundation, as well as the Dolby + Vizio Vision Award at AFI Fest. Matthew returned to AFI as an alum to direct a second thesis film, Lawman.
Awards
2017 March on Washington Film Festival – Grand Jury Prize
2017 DC Black Film Festival – Best Student Short
2017 San Francisco Black Film Festival – Best Student Short
2017 AFI Fest – Vizio + Dolby Vision Cinematography Award
