About to be separated, they are forced to make a terrifying choice.

Daniel and Mary sued for freedom and won. But the widow of their former slaveholder challenged the Bells’ freedom in court. Threatened with re-enslavement, and the sale of their children, they led the largest escape attempt in US history.

The Bell Affair is a uniquely produced animated drama that tells the lesser-known stories of slaves who sued for their freedom prior to the Civil War.

“The delicate artistry of lead VFX artist and supervising producer Michael Burton (’07) brings to life the artistic expression rotoscoped in broad swaths of remarkable beauty. Burton’s skilled live animation adds a visceral quality to The Bell Affair that makes the emotions of our characters dynamic as we witness them navigate through the uncertainty of their day-to-day lives.” – Nebraska Alumni Association.

“The searing story of the enslaved Bell family’s fight for freedom.” – WYPR. All Things Considered.

“Bell organized the largest attempted slave escape in history with 77 people, including four of Bell’s children, on a schooner called “The Pearl.” Unfortunately, they would be captured with most of them eventually sold to slave owners in Vicksburg, Mississippi.” – The Washington Informer.

• Honorable Mention – 2022 Silk Road Film Awards Cannes
• Official Selection – 2022 Prince George’s Film Festival
• Official Selection – 2022 Golden State Film Festival

Features:

• Anthony Wilcox as Daniel Bell
• Myeisha Essex as Mary Bell
• Deborah Madick as Susan Armistead
• Arista Jackson as Ann Bell
• Darla Davenport as Lucy Bell

2021 / Drama / English / 82 minutes / A film by Kwakiutl Dreher.

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A southern-born, black gay man goes back home to reconnect with black gay men he has performed on stage for a decade.

“Making Sweet Tea” chronicles the journey of southern-born, black gay researcher and performer E. Patrick Johnson as he travels home to North Carolina to come to terms with his past, and to Georgia, New Orleans, and Washington, D.C. to reconnect with several black gay men he interviewed for his book, Sweet Tea. Johnson transformed that book into several staged plays over the course of a decade, and the film combines footage from his past performances of the men with documentary moments from their lives a decade after the book’s publication.

The film also focuses on Johnson’s life in the south while showing how the men have changed since – and been changed by – their depictions in his book and plays.

The film covers the subtle complexities of Johnson’s relationships with these men, with his family, and with his hometown in North Carolina. The film also restages Johnson’s performances of the men’s narrative in their homes, in their churches, and on their jobs, sometimes with them directing him or even participating in the scene.

Blurring the line between art and life, the film offers a rare glimpse into the lives of people rarely given a platform to speak and demonstrates how research, artistry, and life converge.

A festival favotite with numerous wins including:

• Winner: Best Documentary, Out On Film Atlanta LGBTQ Film Festival
• Winner: AARP Silver Image Award, Chicago LGBTQ International Film Festival
• Winner: Best LGBTQ Film, San Diego Black Film Festival
• Winner: Audience Choice Award, Kansas City FilmFest International
• Winner: Judges’ Choice Documentary Film, Longleaf North Carolina Museum of History

Documentary / 2020 / 89 Minutes / Color / English / A film by John L. Jackson Jr.

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In one of the last traditional tribes in the South Pacific, a young girl falls in love with her chief ‘s grandson. But when war with enemies escalates, she is unknowingly betrothed as part of a peace deal. The young lovers run away, but are pursued by warriors of both tribes.

With their lives on the line, the star-crossed lovers must choose between their hearts and the peaceful future of the tribe.

“Thrilling performances as stunning as the setting.” – Washington Post

“One of the best…you will be surprised.” – Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times

“An epic romance. Highly Recommended.” – S. Lyons, The Sound View

“Gorgeous…a welcome surprise…beautiful cinematography and sound.” – Glenn Dunks, Vanity Fair

Multiple Award Wins include:

• Nominated for 5 AACTA Awards (Australian version of the Oscars): Best Picture, Best Direction, Best Cinematography, Best Original Score, Best Sound
• Winner, AACTA award for Best Original Score
• Winner, Audience Award, Best Cinematography, Venice Int’l Film Festival
• Winner, Best Director, Australian Director’s Guild
• Winner, Best Music, Film Critics Circle of Australia
• Winner, Audience Award, Best Picture, Venice Int’l Film Festival
• 2017 Academy Award Nominee, Best Foreign Language Film
• First Australian film ever to be nominated for a Best Foreign Language Film Oscar

Drama / 2015 / 104 minutes / Color / Nauvhal w/ English subtitles / A film by Bentley Dean and Martin Butler

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PTSD and Suicide in the military have reached crisis levels. 11 out of 20 veterans of the global war on terrorism have PTSD.

DON’T WE NEED TO HEAL OUR WARRIORS?

WINNER: Best in Show at the 2024 Impact Doc Awards

Winner of the New York Women in Film and Television Award for Excellence in Documentary Directing.

Nominated for Best Documentary Showcase at the Soho International Film Festival 2023.

Final Fight goes deeper than any documentary to date in revealing the root causes of this tragic epidemic by profiling a diverse group of veterans struggling with either combat or sexual assault-related Post Traumatic Stress, a major cause of suicide.

As the devastating war in Afghanistan and Iraq continued on, U.S. military brass who struggled to fight the longest-running war in United States history, largely ignored not only the connection between traumatic brain injuries and suicide but also uncontrolled sexual assault among the rank and file. Leading experts in the field of PTS therapy and brain science offer hope and answers to the struggling veterans profiled in the series but also to the family and friends who love them.

Produced in 2023, director Frances Causey wrote “While I was researching Final Fight, it became painstakingly clear that the US Military had few – if any – answers to the ongoing, historic epidemic of PTSD-related suicide among its veterans. THIS FILM IS THAT ANSWER.”

Largely unknown to most Americans, over the last 20 years, the United States has lost almost five times as many active service members and veterans to suicide than were lost in theentirety of the Global War on Terrorism combat operations.

“A perfectly balanced expose that combines compassion, understanding, and a compelling call to action while celebrating the resilience and humanity of its subjects. Tightly crafted, emotionally moving and exceptional in every way.” – Impact Docs

“An incredibly powerful documentary, and an extremely necessary one. Recommended.” – S. Lyons, The Sound View.

Final Fight offers insight into the issue, but more importantly points to a path of forward hope.

2023 / Documentary / 90 minutes / English / A film by Frances Causey

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