Hallelujah Short Film Review

“Hallelujah” is a traumedy by Victor Gabriel that tells the short-story of two brothers, in Compton, California, who have to decide if they are willing to take on the responsibility of being caretakers to their nephew and niece after suffering a tragic loss.

The film opens up with 13-yr-old Hallelujah (Stephen Laroy Thomas) having what appears to be an existential meltdown in the backyard while his two ill-equipped uncles have a spirited discourse about child rearing and his younger sister, Lila (Mariah Pharms), plays with her dolls.

The two uncles, Paper (Bruce Lemon) and Chetty (Richard Nevels) don’t seem to have their proverbial “ish” together, which is something Hallelujah is acutely aware of as he asks: “Who’s gonna take care of us, uncle Chetty? We’re out of cereal and milk. Lila has a school project due. Who’s gonna take care of us? Who?”

While the film isn’t told from multiple points of view, it is framed in a way that allows the viewer to tap into everyone’s grief and perspective. All points are valid but also in conflict with one another. The flashback, which reveals the connection and source of the family’s grief, captures a pivotal moment with impassioned sensibility. Gabriel craftily combines the elements of both tragedy and comedy to hone in on the drama, emotion and bond that comes after an unexpected loss. A skill that stems from personal knowledge. “Hallelujah” embodies aspects of John Singleton’s Boyz in da Hood, but remains authentic to its own narrative.

Victor Gabriel is a writer-director who has turned to filmmaking as a way for him to wrestle with his own suffering as well as the suffering of others through the lens of humor. He holds an M.A. in Clinical Psychology and works as a marriage and family therapist with survivors of trauma in Compton, Watts, and South Central Los Angeles.

• Director and screenwriter: Victor Gabriel

• Producer: Duran Jones

• Principal Cast: Bruce A. Lemon, Richard Nevels, Stephen Laroy Thomas, Mariah Pharms, Damon Rutledge, Maelina Gibson

Stephen Laroy Thomas, Mariah Pharms, Bruce Lemon, Richard Nevels | Hallelujah

You Go Girl! Short Film Review

“You Go Girl!,” directed by Sundance alum Shariffa Ali and co-written by Ali, Kamilah Long and Courtney Williams, premiered in the Shorts Program at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival. This marks Ali’s second year, as her debut virtual reality short ATOMU was an official selection at Sundance in 2020.

The 13-minute short narrative film follows Audrey (Tiffany Mann), a New York City comedian who can make a joke of any situation. After receiving devastating news, Audrey travels to the beautiful mountains of Oregon where she is faced with a staggering challenge.

Set in two contrasting locations — a comedy club and an Oregon trail — “You Go Girl!” tells the story of a woman on a quest to overcome her physical and emotional struggles. Tiffany Mann takes full command of Audrey as a comedian conquering the stage as she works towards her big break; and as a woman conquering her fears out in the mountains following a major loss. Audrey’s inner journey is powerfully familiar and reflective of reality.

The film balances comedy and grief with nuanced specificity. Ali uses humor, fear, vulnerability, loss, peace and the beauty of a natural environment to express a poignant message — one that we can all benefit from. “You Go Girl!” celebrates Black mothers, life, healing, and self-discovery.

In speaking about the project, Ali notes: “This film began as a love letter to my mom – all her passion, quirks, and resilience. Throughout the pandemic, it has morphed into therapy. Black women are fierce. We care for each other deeply. We belong everywhere. Amid such trying times, You Go Girl! is an affirmation for us – less an escape into the outdoors and more a spiritual journey to celebrate our Black mothers. My hope is that everyone may use Audrey’s humor as medicine. Relish the peace and beauty of Nature. Embrace joy through heartbreak. Let this film be an elixir of healing.”

Shariffa Chelimo Ali is an international creative leader committed to advancing radical change through the power of art and activism. Originally from Kenya and raised in South Africa, Ali has been a resident of New York since 2013 where she works primarily as a director of theater, film, and VR (previous Sundance Selection Atomu), community organizer and professor at Princeton University.

• Director: Shariffa Ali

• Screenwriter: Shariffa Ali, Kamilah Long, Courtney Williams

• Performer: Tiffany Mann

• Producer: Adrian Alea, Courtney Williams, Kamilah Long

• Executive Producer: Nataki Garrett, Adrian Alea, Shariffa Ali

• Director of Photography: Tyler Maddox

• Editor: Selinda Zhou

• Production Designer: You-Shin Chen

• Original Score: Elu Eboka

• Sound Designer: Eric Raber

• Colorist: Marika Litz

• Consulting Producer: Gary Kout

• Principal Cast: Tiffany Mann

Tiffany Mann | You Go Girl!

I Would Never Short Film Review

“I Would Never,” written, directed and starring Kiran Deol and Daniel Johnson, made its premiere in the Toronto International Film Festival’s Short Cuts category and is produced by Erica Fishman, and executive produced by Deniese Davis.

Boundaries are crossed and a friendship tested when a law-school study session leads to uncharted territory for two young people, in this provocative, intimate, and remarkably incisive work by filmmaker, comedian, and actor Kiran Deol.

When asked, during a TIFF roundtable interview, what compelled Deol to write the film, she had this to say:

“One of the big things for me when I read an article that came out, especially in the #MeToo era, was that it sometimes could feel like — what’s the big deal, whether it was a hand on the knee or this person said this or this person said that — and I thought it would be really interesting to play out a scene and watch the tonal shift and use the camera as the way to engage that tonal shift.”

“I Would Never” was shot in a single location and is conveyed from the subjective narrative of a woman who has a romantic encounter that starts out warmly and ends up with distrust. This personal style of storytelling creates a vivid standpoint and a space for the viewer to experience both character’s perspectives — the good, bad and murky.

Deol ingeniously challenges assumptions by highlighting the grey in communication and crossed boundaries in a way that leaves the viewer with no choice but to engage with what each person is thinking and feeling. And it is within those uncomfortable spaces that constructive conversations begin to take place. “I Would Never” is a thought-provoking 10-minute short film that says a great deal about a layered and complex subject in a finite amount of time. It’s a must watch.

• Edited by: Zeus Quijano, Jr. & James Darling

• Original Music by: John Morgan Askew

• A 29 Gold Film

Kiran Deol‍, Daniel Johnson | I Would Never

Cherry Lemonade Short Film Review

‘Cherry Lemonade’ is an 11-minute short film directed and written by Aisha Ford, made its premiere at the 2021 Tribeca Film Festival as part of the Juneteenth programming. The short stars Eris Baker, Skylan Brooks, Chance Harlem Jr, Alexander Jones III, Skyler Priest, and Meagan Harmon.

Eris Baker, best known for her role as Tess Pearson in the NBC record-breaking series ‘This Is Us,’ portrays Phoenix – an eleven-year-old who has always yearned to be the IT girl but can’t shake her tomboyish ways. On a hot summer day in the hood, Phoenix ventures out on her own to a local corner store after her abrasive older brother, Kurt, played by Skylan Brooks (“Archenemy,” “The Get Down”), breaks a promise. What transpires challenges Phoenix’s naiveté and alters her perspective on life. 

Eris Baker excels in delivering an honest and thoughtful performance as she takes the viewer on a journey of self-realization. Skylan Brooks’ commitment to his character, ‘Kurt’, is admirable and serves as a humbling example of what it means to be an older brother.  

Inspired by Ford’s personal childhood experiences, Cherry Lemonade serves as a cautionary tale that intends to teach tough life lessons about the unknown dangers that lurk beyond our immediate realities, and the awareness and strength required to hold one’s own. While the film primarily focuses on a young girl learning how to protect herself, the message transcends across all age groups.

Aisha Ford is an award-winning filmmaker studying as a graduate film student at New York University Tisch School of the Arts. She has written and directed short films screened on platforms such as the American Black Film Festival Independent TV series and at multiple film festivals across the country.

• DIRECTOR: Aisha Ford

• SCREENWRITER: Aisha Ford

• PRODUCERS: Jane Hare, Katie Pyne, Nadine Nadoo, Tema L. Staig, Allison Vanore, Jeff Vespa, Annika Hylmo, Uzma Xina Kang

• CINEMATOGRAPHER: Angie Sciulli

• EDITOR: Kameron Davis

Eris Baker, Skylan Brooks | Cherry Lemonade