Tribeca 2021: Rising Voices Short Film Initiative | June 16, marked day 8 of the 2021 Tribeca Film Festival. The day kicked off with a panel discussion and screening of “Indeed Presents Rising Voices” – 10 short films from 10 Black, Indigenous and People of Color. The initiative is presented by Indeed, the world’s number one job site, along with Emmy Award-winning writer, creator, and actor Lena Waithe and her Hillman Grad Productions.
At Pier 76 on Manhattan’s West Side, on an open-air stage, creative genius Lena Waithe gave a platform and voice to 10 excited young filmmakers who each presented their projects to an audience for the first time. We watched 10 films by young creatives from around the globe including – US, Korea, Peru, Haiti and Nigeria. The Rising Voices initiative was created to uncover, invest in and share stories created by BIPOC filmmakers around the meaning of work and the idea that jobs have the power to change us all.
Participating filmmakers include: Johnson Cheng, David Fortune, Stacy Pascal Gaspard, Deondray & Quincy LeNear Gossfield, Kantú Lentz, Boma Iluma, Gabriela Ortega, Dre Ryan, Elisee Junior St. Preux, Shelly Yo. See images below!
These young filmmakers rarely have access to this level of support and resources. Directors/program mentors were on hand throughout the projects and productions to support the filmmakers. Mentors included directors Calmatic (Lil Nas X – Old Town Road, Anderson Paak – Bubblin’), Paul Hunter (Music videos for Brittney, JLo, Justin Timberlake, and Commercials for Nike), and Melina Matsoukas (Queen and Slim). With an overall 2021-program budget of $100,000, and an additional $25,000 per film to meet Covid protocols, the filmmakers had everything they needed to create the best project possible.
In attendance for the premieres were, creator and actor Lena Waithe along with Indeed CEO Chris Hyams, Tribeca Festival co-founder and CEO Jane Rosenthal, Hillman Grad Productions President of Film/TV Rishi Rajani, Indeed Group Vice President of Environmental, Social & Governance LaFawn Davis, and all 10 of the emerging filmmakers.
The 10 Short Films from the Rising Voices Initiative are:
- Aurinko in Adagio from Haitian filmmaker Elisee Junior St Preux.
Isolated from society in a deserted delta community with his austere father, a talented child musical prodigy prepares for the audition of a lifetime while navigating a newfound skill in ancestral dreaming.
Cinephile by female filmmaker Dre Ryan.
A beautiful film that left me unsure if the characters were fantasizing or daydreaming. In the film, a movie star accepts a therapist’s offer to undergo an unconventional treatment and in the process discovers a desire she didn’t know she had.
Coche Bomba from Peruvian female filmmaker Kantu Lentz.
Rosa, a little girl with a very active imagination, hates practically everything except aliens, which she is obsessed with. She also is super annoyed by her pain in the butt little sister. When a car bomb detonates outside their apartment building, Rosa uses her imagination to bring her sister to safety, by convincing her that friendly Aliens have landed and there is nothing to worry about.
Comfort from Nigerian filmmaker, Bomba Iluma.
In this tense drama, a hardworking young immigrant mother, Comfort, worries about her son, school, books, work and every and any other possible problem that could come her way. Her ever-optimistic husband constantly tries to reassure her that everything will be okay, but soon their worst nightmare comes true.
Flames by Deondray & Quincy LeNear Gossfield
Unresolved issues and old resentments ignite a forbidden blaze between two young black men who are childhood best friends. The blaze must be put out before they can leave the past in the past and move forward with their lives after only one of the boys is accepted to college.
Huella by Gabriela Ortega
A beautifully shot project from Hispanic filmmaker Gabriela Ortega, Huella focuses on a disenchanted Flamenco dancer who has taken a mundane 9 to 5 job that she hates. Following the death of her grandmother, the ex-dancer is forced to confront a family curse as well as acknowledge her love and burning desire to dance.
Only the Moon Stands Still from John Cheng
After the illness of her mother, a woman pours all of her hope and resources into a better life for her daughter, an aspiring actor. From Chinese filmmaker John Cheng, we feel a single mothers sadness and joy as she comes to terms with her daughter, her only child, leaving for college.
Shoebox from David Fortune
A boy starts a new job in a barber shop after losing his mother. An only child, the young man searches for ways to honor his mother using the money from his first paycheck. With the help of his father, he decides to plant a beautiful garden in their front yard filled with Asters, his Mom’s favorite flower.
Soft Sounds of Peeling Fruit by Shelley Yo
A sassy and rebellious Korean teen, lost in her dreams, discovers how much her struggling mother loves her, and how hard her Mom works to support her and her dreams in this drama.
Sandora by Stacy Pascal Gaspard
A young struggling Haitian immigrant aspires to dance but her horrible job with a hard nosed boss at a fabric factory is holding her back.The short is beautifully done, with a colorful wardrobe and moving dance sequences that cause you to root for our lead character.
Rising Voices is a collaboration with Lena Waithe and Hillman Grad, Ventureland and 271 Films to amplify stories created by BIPOC filmmakers and storytellers.
Watch the films at Indeed.com/RisingVoices.
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