Hollywood Black Film Festival 2008

A Model is challenged to decide between career and family when her husband gets baby fever.

B.A.M. tells the story of convicted murderer Brian Anthony Masters who undergoes a new procedure to determine if he will be eligible for early parole.The short psychological drama follows a young black male B.A.M, who's been convicted murdering of a long time rival of his, Rob Roberts.Sentenced to 15 years in a maximum state prison for a crime he adamantly says he did not commit. Bam faces a parole evaluation in front of a single unsympathetic parole board member 'THE MAN'. Undergoing a new advanced drug treatment method to determine innocence, BAM is injected with a truth serum. While under the influence of this mysterious serum, BAM goes through a wide array of emotions and flashbacks as he comes to terms fully with the event that has changed his life.B.A.M. provides a deep if uncomfortable insight into the past of a troubled youth as it examines the relationship between actions and consequences.B.A.M. builds on the uncompromising concept of the seminal youth outreach documentary Scared Straight while telling a wholly original narrative in the modern language of hip-hop.

Belly of the Basin is a one hour documentary which presents the central question - what happens to marginalized people displaced by a natural disaster and flood? Bombarded with sensationalized media coverage of Hurricane Katrina for about one month after the hurricane ravaged the Gulf Coast, audiences around the world watched the media's portrayal of demoralizing images of African Americans 'looting' for survival juxtaposed with sympathetic images of White Americans luckily 'finding' supplies for survival. As a result, the media criminalized African American survival perpetuating racist ideology about the African American community as opposed to focusing on the overwhelming psychological and physical displacement and dislocation that the hurricane created for the community. Hurricane Katrina exposed to the world the long existing racial and class divide present in New Orleans specifically and across America in general. Since the hurricane, much has been said about the destruction of buildings, businesses, and houses, but for the survivors, the emotional and psychological loss of 'home' has been the most difficult to handle. Through individual stories of survivors and volunteers of grassroots organizations Belly of the Basin poses questions about the value of human life in relationship to race, class, and politics.

At the end of his rope and full of despair, a homeless man receives a gift, which inevitably becomes more trouble than what it is worth. On his quest to escape the world of nameless faceless people and return to mainstream society, he struggles to find help and is literally kicked into a deeper dpression. At his lowest point he calls out to God and his prayers are answered by two unlikely angels.

Experience one of the first five films from a truly inspiring cinematic initiative. Four filmmakers launched an international media development project under the mandate to 'Inspire. Educate. Entertain.' In the summer of 2007, with no funding and borrowed equipment, the BURUNDI FILM CENTER (BFC) trained 36 students aged 18-25 the basics of film theory and production in an attempt to translate the students' stories to the screen. The results are five short dramatic films both universal to the human condition and unique to the tiny, war-ravaged east African nation of Burundi. Stories about love, rape, AIDS, refugees, big dreams and bigger barriers now provide a touching an intimate picture into this world.

Set in the mid seventies Birth is the of how Heavy Henderson started Rap music.

Living in a housing project, 17-year-old Sylvia Dorsey is frustrated by the violence and drug abuse that surrounds her. Determined to transcend this environment, Sylvia soon finds herself on a soul-searching mission to define who she is and what will become of her life.'Black To Our Roots' is the inspirational story of the journey that Sylvia takes from Atlanta, GA to Ghana, West Africa to escape the poverty and hopelessness that surrounds her as she explores her ancestral homeland. While there, Sylvia is confronted with several challenges that test her patience and change her life forever. She must adapt to living conditions that America has ill prepared her for, learn to appreciate things she took for granted, and address the misconceptions that exist about both Africans and African Americans. Sylvia must also confront a very painful chapter in human history when she visits the Slave Dungeons and grapples with the divisions that confront Africans throughout the Diaspora. In this process, Sylvia faces her fears and emerges as a confident, outspoken, and articulate young woman ready to claim her destiny. However, when she returns to the US, will she be ready to adjust to her old world as a new woman? This film is a testament to the power of change. This film is a story of self-love and self-discovery.