Shorts Lineup:
Black History Begins with Love
Ella
Pursuing Light: The Bill Strickland Story
Followed by:
Q&A
Lunch will be provided by New England Culinary Arts Training (NECAT).
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BLACK HISTORY BEGINS WITH A LOVE STORY
Directed by Irene Smalls (USA 2026, 3:06).
The film tells the story of Antony and Isabella, a Black couple living in the Virginia colony in the early 1600s whose love, family, and freedom represent one of the earliest chapters of Black history in America. The project highlights a powerful but often overlooked truth: that Black history began not only in struggle, but also in love, family, and community. Made with AI.
RoxFilm Alum. Local. -
ELLA
Directed by Nikki Taylor Roberts (USA, 17:35)
The short film explores a key turning point in the life of the legendary Ella Fitzgerald. With a focus on her tumultuous adolescence and the life-altering Apollo amateur night win that launched her illustrious career, “Ella” offers a deeply human and emotionally resonant portrait of one of the greatest jazz icons of all time. Starring Jill Scott.
RoxFilm Alum. Pan African Film Festival 2026 - Best Short Narrative Nominee. -
PURSUING LIGHT: THE BILL STRICKLAND STORY
Directed by Karen Somers (USA 2025, 88:00).
"Pursuing Light: The Bill Strickland Story" is an American rags to riches story with Bill Strickland and the impoverished communities he serves at its center. It moves up and down a fluid timeline, weaving the story of this extraordinary man’s life in art, education, civil rights and social justice, with the parallels found in his network of revolutionary youth arts and adult work force training centers.
Local.