Powerful and moving, this collection of courageous shorts imparts a strong message, a life lived in fear of who you are is a life not worth living at all. Directors Shay Sellars (THE BLACK BOX: a personal essay) and Amber Sharp (Triple Minority) will be in attendance to take your questions.

Rape For Who I Am, Dir. Lovinsa Kavuma, South Africa /United Kingdom, video, 27 mins. EAST COAST PREMIERE. Despite the liberalism of the widely acclaimed South African Constitution, there are still some areas, principally LBT freedom and equality which have not been embraced by some members of the South African township communities. In this powerful documentary, Director Lovinsa Kavuma highlights the growing number of systematic rape attacks targeted at black lesbians. Channeling violence into education, The Rose has Thorns is an anti-hate crime campaign that deserves international support.

Sarang Song, Dir, Tamika Miller, US, 2006, video, 23 mins. FLORIDA PREMIERE (Festival version) Set in the turbulent early 70s, Simone, President of the Black Grad Society, is passionate about the student fight for civil rights. "Peace” , "Power" and "Strength" is the message, but will Simone and Ness’s relationship survive the swelling force of the movement?

Triple Minority, Dir, Amber Sharp, US, 2005, video, 15 mins. EAST COAST PREMIERE. With the support of her lover Rebecca, Clair seeks to reconcile with her parents, Robert and Debra, after several years of ostracism from family and church. While her mother is more accepting, Robert’s religious beliefs get in the way of Sunday dinner.

THE BLACK BOX: a personal essay, Dir. Shay Sellars, US, 2006, video, 40 mins. WORLD PREMIERE. Inter-cutting between home video footage and frank interviews with family and friends, 22-year-old writer/director Shay Sellars fearlessly seeks, in three distinct chapters, to define her own passage from pre-teen to womanhood. Chronicling her journey from her hometown of Sniders in South Carolina, via Miami and finally to New York City where she lives today with her partner Ashley, she cleverly links her identity within the genealogy of African-American artists who came before her. Like all the women in this program, Sellars boldly stands outside the restrictive “black box” she was born into.

Total running time: 105 min

Regal South Beach
7:15 pm Screening
$12 Non-Members/ $10 Members - BUY TICKETS