Spanning five decades of lived experience, Southern Son Shine follows Black gay men living with HIV in the American South as they reclaim joy, visibility, and belonging through storytelling, and art, illuminating a legacy of resilience often overlooked.

Fist at Grace
dir. Tyra Williams

Fist at Grace follows a restless, low ranking high school competitor who is hellbent on receiving her first Speech and Debate award.

Southern Son Shine
dir. Kevin Anderson

A young woman unearths a letter from her late mother

Driving Mr. Walker
dir. Kevin Iso

A driver takes his congressman on an unexpected ride.

the Letter
dir. Zariyah Perry

Esther
dir. Joey Hunt

As a violent Texas storm approaches, an aging matriarch refuses to abandon her aging farmhouse until the house itself begins to demand she let it go.

Root Shock
dir. Marc Newsome

The short highlights the emotional health toll of gentrification on long time residents of a historically African American area.

Fugu
dir. Prince Adablah

When his identity is questioned through a job application, Issa, a young African man, checks “non-resident alien” and decides to reclaim his African identity against a bureaucratic system that turns him into the label it gives him.

Official Selections