A band of Appalachian women in Bent Mountain, Virginia fight for a decade to protect their land and their way of life against a greedy and corrupt natural gas pipeline corporation that threatens the environment and the lives of tens of thousands throughout Virginia and West Virginia.

Director& Writer: James Mottern / Producers: James Mottern, Diana Rae Harrington / Cinematographer: Jacob A. Hauser / Editor: Kristen Nutile / Contact: jnmottern@gmail.com

Director: James Mottern is an award-winning screenwriter and director. A recipient of the Academy Nicholl Award for Screenwriting, Mottern began his career in television documentaries for Discovery and BBC. He later wrote and directed the acclaimed film TRUCKER starring Michelle Monaghan about a female long-haul truck driver's search for identity and personal freedom. His film BY THE GUN starring Harvey Keitel and Ben Barnes tells the story of a young mob hitman who seeks to find the truth in a system of lies and corruption. Mottern's documentary film MARK, WHAT'S THE PLAN? is an unflinching look at social media and the man who controls the minds of billions including children, all for profit. Mottern's film company American Stories is now producing the feature documentary A BEAST TOUCH THE MOUNTAIN: Mountain Valley Pipeline and the Fight for Appalachia which he also directs.

In a remote tribal region, young Bheru dreams of bringing electricity to his isolated hilltop home. Struggling with the lack of conventional power sources, he stumbles upon hope when he comes upon a miraculous invention.

One of my favorite films of SAFF15.  The performances are amazing – illustrating the caste system and the villager’s blind acceptance.  I was especially fascinated by the body language exhibited.  It is a very sweet film as well.  Kunal Mehta’s performance as Bheru, is especially moving.  Kudos to Jigdal for putting it all together.

Director, Writer & Producer: Jigdal Madanial Nagda / Cinematography: Gourav Sadoriya / Editors: Vatsal Doshi, Divesh Sonvania / Composer: Keshav Kundal / Cast: Kunal Mehta, Mehender Srivas, Rakhi Mansa, Jigdal Madanial Mgada / Contact: udaipurpictures13@gmail.com

DIRECTOR: Jigdal Madanial Nagda is a postgraduate in Mass Communication from Mumbai University. At the age of 20, he attended an Asian film festival, which sparked his love and passion for filmmaking. For the past 9 years, he has been working in the film industry as an assistant and associate director, learning from some of the best talents including Anurag Kashyap, Onir, Manish Gupta, and Wilson Luis.

Jigar's passion for travel led him to embark on an India tour with just one rupee, an experience that had a profound impact on his life and way of thinking. Upon completing this journey, he decided to pursue his dream of making his own film. Anurag Kashyap, with whom he had worked as a director's assistant for Bombay Velvet, deeply influenced Jigar's perspective on filmmaking. Anurag's belief that if you don't find a producer, you should stand up for yourself and the world will support you, became Jigar's biggest motivation in making his film.

This belief turned out to be true as Jigar successfully completed his first film, "A Boy Who Dreamt with Electricity," and is now eagerly awaiting its release.

Anthony, a rugged gambler living in a southern trailer park, reignites an old rivalry with Shiloh, a menacing loan shark, in order to fund his nitwitted nephew's ‘get rich quick’ scheme involving a nose-job, beach house, and online girlfriend. Things spiral into chaos after Anthony's other nephew, Lorenzo, becomes entangled in a star-crossed romance with Shiloh's daughter, Jamelia, and the three family members are plunged into a web of grave peril.

Director & Writer: Mitchell Voler / Producer: Thomas Rondinella, Nick Staglione / Cinematographer: Jack McClellan / Editor: James Vernon / Production Designer: Lauren Counts / Cast: Bobby Trovato, Jacob Skinner, Mitchell Cole, Jerome Cooper, Akira Jackson, Drew Brazell / Contact: mitchell.h.cole@gmail.com

Director: Born and raised in the Florida Panhandle, Mitchell Cole first discovered his passion for film after watching “Reservoir Dogs” at the ripe age of ten years old. His love for film grew as he found himself captivated by the rich narratives and visual styles of classic cinema. This early fascination ignited a lifelong passion and laid the groundwork for a career defined by creativity and innovation.

Unable to afford film school, Mitchell spent a decade balancing blue-collar jobs while pursuing his love for film. Starting as an actor, he immersed himself in the industry, progressing from student shorts to full-length features. His time on set honed his meticulous attention to detail and fueled his ambition to craft his own narratives.

Venturing into writing and directing, he created a series of acclaimed short films, leveraging film festival circuits to network and uncover new opportunities. Eager to transition to feature-length projects, he pitched an early script draft to Thomas Rondinella, a producer, who recognized its potential, paving the way for the film to be greenlit.

As Mitchell's career evolves, he remains committed to expanding the boundaries of cinematic expression, inspiring audiences with his distinct vision. Currently developing his next project, he continues to redefine storytelling in film, promising audiences more profound and visually stunning experiences in the years ahead.

The drama "Being Maria" reframes the short career and tragic life of "Last Tango in Paris" star Maria Schneider in a post-#MeToo light. "Happening" breakout Anamaria Vartolomei plays Schneider, while Matt Dillon takes on the role of her co-star Marlon Brando. The film in part tracks the controversial production and wrenching fallout of Bernardo Bertolucci's 1972 masterpiece -- a landmark that made Schneider an icon while locking her into a sexualized image she never could escape. Palud's sophomore feature also marks a fitting echo for the Gallic auteur, who kicked off her professional life on the set of Bertolucci's "The Dreamers."

Director: Jessica Palud / Writers: Jessica Palud (adaptation) (dialogue) (screenplay), Laurette Polmanss (adaptation) (dialogue) (screenplay), Vanessa Schneider (novel: 'Tu t'appelais Maria Schneider') / Producer: Marielle Duigou / Cinematography: Sébastien Buchmann / Editor: Thomas Marchand / Composer: Benjamin Biolay / Cast: Anamaria Vartolomei, Matt Dillon, Giuseppe Maggio, Celeste Brunnquell, Yvan Attal, Marie Gillain, Jonathan Couzinie, Melissa Barbaud / Contact: mwolkin@kinolorber.com

DIRECTOR: Jessica Palud was born in Paris, and has worked as an assistant director on films such as Bernardo Bertolucci’s THE DREAMERS and Sofia Coppola’s MARIE ANTOINETTE. She has directed the shorts DOLL (2016) and MARLON (2017). The latter was selected at Toronto IFF. Her latest film BACK HOME (2019) was selected in the Orizzonti section of the 76th Venice International Film Festival.

DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT: I started my career on film sets at 19 years old, as an assistant director for The Dreamers, a film by Bernardo Bertolucci. I learned about what happened on Last Tango in Paris and always wondered how something like that could have come about. It stayed with me for years. Then, when Vanessa Schneider’s book came out, I was deeply moved by Maria’s story.

Beyond the Ruins is a feature-length documentary unveiling what it means to be a Yucatecan Maya in the 21st century. The film starts at the ancient ceremonial center of Coba, the second largest Maya center in the ancient world, and slowly takes the viewer deeper into the jungle and villages of two indigenous families who have dedicated their lives to maintaining their heritage. The heart and soul of the film depicts the interconnectedness of all things, including nature, through the ancient Maya philosophy “in lak’ ech, a lak’ en,” meaning “I am you; you are me.”

Director: Brady Skye / Writers: Lance Hastings & Brady Skye / Cinematographer: Justin Wirtalla / Editor: Brady Skye /Featuring Elias cahum, Jose Cahum, Victor Cahum , Elogio Canul, Jesus Canul, Marisol Canul, Rene Canul, Rosa Canul, Bernardo Can Chuc / Narrator: 

Brady Skye / Contact: theskyelounge@gmail.com

DIRECTOR: Brady Skye is an award-winning filmmaker based in St. Augustine, Florida with over a decade of full-time experience in film and television. With a keen eye for directing and editing, Brady has created over 2000 videos, from national TV commercials to long-form programs. He has collaborated with a number of ad-agencies and production companies, serving as a director, cinematographer, and editor. From 2015-2017 he produced and edited hundreds of commercials for the PGA TOUR and his works have been distributed by Paramount, CBS, NBC Sports, Golf Channel, and MTV.

Brady just completed his first feature-length documentary, Beyond the Ruins, receiving Best Documentary Feature at the 19th Orlando Film Festival. The film tells the story of two indigenous Maya families in Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula who have managed to maintain their cultural heritage in the face of the 21st century, and explores what others could learn from them to improve their own quality of life.

An inspirational story of two women triathletes, pioneers in the sport, during an era when competitions for women were frowned upon. The journeys of Dottie Dorion and Celeste Callahan are part of the movement that battles gender stereotypes and changes perceptions. Their stories shed light on events that became life-changing and progressive due to perseverance and community.

Their efforts resulted in the foundation of what Women’s Leagues and changes in the sports world after experiencing personal resilience towards adversity. The evolution of women’s sports in this documentary helps younger generations understand a sense of community and the value of giving back with “play it forward” efforts by women, including narrator Sika Henry, the first black woman professional triathlete.

Directors & Producers: Brian Bayerl, Chuck Malkus / Producers: Mackenzie Drewe, Ambie Hay / Editor: Brian Bayerl / Executive Producer: Chuck Malkus / Featuring: Dottie Dorion, Celeste Callahan, Sika Henry / Contact: cmalkus@malkus.com

DIRECTORS: Brian is a multi-award-winning cinematographer, director and editor. His work includes Ferrari Challenge, Swamp Wars, The Years of Living Dangerously, and Funny or Die. His film credits include 8: The Mormon Proposition and For Once in My Life with Grammy Nominated Mark Moormann winner of the Audience Award at SXSW. Bayerl’s additional films include Full Circle: Before They Were Famous chronicling Andy Warhol and Robert Indiana’s rise to international pop art fame; Datuna: Portrait of America (Winner, Raindance Film Festival, London), Taylor & Ultra: On the 60s, The Factory and Being a Warhol Superstar (Nominated Best Doc Short, Tribeca Film Festival, New York) and Foster Shock, an expose on the Foster Care System. Additional recognitions include a Focus on Florida Filmmaker by the Knight Foundation and a LA Cinematographers Award.

Chuck is an award-winning executive producer, director and author. His credits include the Netflix documentary series Heist, which was a Top 5 Most Watched across all streamers during summer, 2021. His book, Full Circle: The Remarkable True Story, is the basis for an Emmy-nominated ESPN documentary.  Malkus’ docs also include CNBC’s American Greed; Investigation Discovery’s Guilty Rich and Vice Network’s How to Rob a Bank. His recognitions include a National Association of Broadcasters award for work on CBS’ Neighbors 4 Neighbors and a National Association of Counties first place award for a Broward County tv series. Shock. an expose on the Foster Care System in Florida.

DIRECTOR STATEMENT: In Beyond Triathlon, filmmakers share a unique perspective of pioneering women who helped make the sport what it is today … rejecting the social conventions of an era, these women broke a mold and formed everlasting friendships.

On the edge of the Gobi Desert in Northwest China, Lang returns to his hometown after being released from jail. While working for the local dog patrol team to clear the town of stray dogs before the Olympic Games, he strikes up an unlikely connection with a black dog. These two lonely souls now embark on a new journey together.

Winner of the 2024 Cannes Film Festival’s Un Certain Regard section (which most value higher than the Main Competition), Black Dog is a crowd pleaser.  Don’t worry if you are wondering what’s going on during the first 10 minutes or so, it will all fall into line with the subtleties the director has put in.  The humor, for the most part, is dry, although some bits are spontaneous laugh-out-loud funny.  There is also a great deal of pathos.  And it goes without saying, if you like dogs, this will be a treat… perhaps bittersweet.

Director: Hu Guan / Writers: Rui Ge, Hu Guan / Producer: Jing Liang / Cinematographer: Weizhe Gao / Composer: Brenton Vivian / Cast: Eddie Peng, Jing Liang, Zhangke Kia, Liya Tong, Vision Wei, Hong Yuan, Yi Zhang, Yi Zhao / Contact: marksayre@theforge.biz

DIRECTOR: A graduate of the class of 1991 of the Beijing Film Academy, Hu Guan became 

the youngest director in the Beijing Film Studio. In the 1990s, Guan directed a handful of films, making a name as an important voice of the Sixth Generation, most notably with his debut, 1994's Dirt. A portrayal of Beijing's rock music scene, Dirt was filmed on a shoestring budget and was funded primarily by lead actress, Kong Lin. Dirt is often compared with another major Sixth Generation film about the Beijing rock scene, Zhang Yuan's Beijing Bastards. Unlike that film, Guan paid nearly US$2000 for state studio affiliation, allowing the film to be distributed in China and screened abroad with approval from state regulators.

DIRECTOR STATEMENT: I've found that dogs share similarities with human beings. You can communicate with them. In the film, I see the black dog as not just an animal but as an individual like Lang, fighting both loneliness and prejudice.

This film showcases the unprecedented, six-decade career of award-winning costume designer, Bob Mackie. And like his costumes, Bob Mackie is wholly unique and unfiltered, which makes for a compelling and candid subject.

The film examines Mackie’s unique upbringing, those whom he has held dear within his inner circle, and the familial surprises in his life that have all contributed to the optimism and audacity present in his work.

Because the film is fully authorized, Quixotic Endeavors was given access to the full Bob Mackie archive, which has been meticulously kept and curated with many rare and unseen artifacts, including the outfits that didn't make the cut. They also capture the over-the-top costumes, as they get sequined and beaded from sketch to stage. Specific highlights include some of the soon-to-be-lost art methods by old-world artisans that help make each outfit Mackie conjures into something to behold and remember.

The documentary includes original interviews with Bob Mackie clients and collaborators, along with designers, stylists, comedians and actors he has inspired. It also features Mackie’s first-person account of some of his most iconic looks, such as The Carol Burnett Show's Scarlett O'Hara dress, Cher's 1986 Academy Awards look with feathered headdress, and Tina Turner's iconic concert costumes. Mackie is a truly peerless and timeless costume designer, with interviews from Cher to Pink, Tom Ford to Miley Cyrus, and Rupaul to Carol Burnett a testament to that fact.

Director & Writer: Matthew Miele / Producer: Anne Chertoff Tavelin / Executive Producers: Anne Chertoff Tavelin, Mary D’Souza, Stephen McCarthy, Joe McFate, Matthew Miele, Clive Gershon, Benjamin Charbit & Ezmina Tauran / Cinematographer: J. Adam Giese / Edited by Matthew Miele / Featuring: Bob Mackie, Cher, Carol Burnett, Pink, Tom Ford, Miley Cyrus, RuPaul, Mitzi Gaynor, Bernadette Peters, Zac Posen, Gregg Barnes, Michael Berresse, Jennelle Hamilton, Steven Kolb, Vicki Lawrence, Fern Mallis, Joe McFate, Booth Moore, Martin Nolan, Mel Ottenberg, Lulu Porter, Law Roach, Hal Rubenstein, George Schlatter, Jeffrey Seller, Jan Strimple, Flody Suarez / Contact: hello@quixoticendeavors.com

DIRECTOR: A storyteller above all else, Matthew Miele has drawn upon his various experiences in music composition, publishing, and screenwriting to become a successful producer and director of critically acclaimed, and internationally renowned, feature-length documentaries.

Past films include Scatter My Ashes at Bergdorf’s, Harry Benson: Shoot First, Always at The Carlyle and Alan Pakula: Going for Truth.

Up next for Miele and currently in production are fully-authorized documentaries on the legendary lyricist, Bernie Taupin, and an inside look at the renowned New York City comedy club, Comedy Cellar.

David’s bookstore in Brooklyn is going broke. His mother stops by to tell David that his father, Jesse, who he thought was long dead, has actually been living the highlife in the Dominican Republic. Unfortunately for David, he died of a heart-attack last week. Fortunately for David, he left him his Caribbean mansion. If David can sell the house, with the help of the charming real estate agent Maria, he can pay off his debts and turn the bookstore into the place of his dreams. His girlfriend Rachel is more skeptical. It should be simple: fly to the Dominican Republic, sell the house. As time stretches on and the house hasn’t sold, David discovers what drew his father to this tropical paradise and it's warm, welcoming people; and how much they truly loved him. Will David sell and return to New York with Rachel, or will the realtor Maria, along with the island and its people, win his heart?

Director: Geoffrey Cowper / Writer: Joseph Ciutat / Producers: Andres Rodriguez Zelnick, Pablo Losano, Carol Dudley / Cinematography: Jose Martin Rosete / Editors: Antonella Bosiak, Guillermo A. Chaia / Composer: Andres Rodriguez Zelnick / Cast: Jackson Rathbone, Clara Lago, Hector Anibal, Carol Halstead, Nashla Bogaert, David Maler, Ruiri Rhodes, Yasser Michelen / Contact: andresrz@veranerafilms.com

DIRECTOR: Geoffrey Cowper was born 1986 in Terrassa, Barcelona, to an Australian father and a Spanish mother, as far as he can remember Geoffrey always wanted to be a film director. In 2009 he graduated from Escuela Superior de Cine y Audiovisuales de Cataluña specializing in direction. Cargols! (Snails!), his graduation project, a romantic comedy featuring a giant snail, premiered in Sitges, and it was selected by more than 100 festivals around the globe. He co-wrote, co-produced and directed his feature film debut, Tercer Grado (Day Release), and was selected by more than 20 festivals and won over 15 awards. He then taught film for various years at university, while shooting many music videos for a diverse array of Spanish pop artists. In 2023 he directed an episode for NETFLIX of “Berlin”, the “Money Heist” spin off. Currently he combines teaching with the development of his next feature film project.

DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT: I am a sucker for rom-coms so I wanted to direct Books & Drinks the moment I read Josep Ciutat’s script with its witty dialogue, captivating characters and humor. It’s a film with fast-paced dialogue and lots of heart, and shooting it in the Dominican Republic added a very special charm. As someone who knows both Spanish and English culture, I could identify with David’s being a fish-out-of-water and explore the comedic potential of those cultural differences. As a dreamer and a hopeless romantic myself I relate to David’s pursuit of his dreams and his determination to find the love of his life.

Siiri, a hardworking millennial, strives to be successful in her job as the advisor to the Minister of Economic Affairs. She craves a promotion. Siiri’s work takes her and her hard-to-handle minister, an unpredictable, eccentric woman, to a big tango festival in the small Finnish town, which just so happens to be Siiri’s hometown, that she escaped to get to the big city. This leads Siiri, a cynic of epic proportions, to a reunion of sorts with her relentlessly optimistic father, Petri. It should be known that Petri, a gentle, loving man, is also followed by a dark cloud of bad luck, leading some to think of him as a loser—lovable as he may be.

As Siiri grapples with maintaining her politician boss's sanity amidst marital strife, and Petri juggles his own facade of stability, they both confront the lies they've told themselves in a dance of self-discovery. This is a sweet and hysterical comedy.

Director: Jenni Toivoniemi / Writer: Anna Brotkin / Producer: Tekele Productions, Miia Haavisto / Cinematographer: Arsen Sarkisiants / Editor: Antti Reikko / Composer: Matti Ahopelto / Cast: Aksa Korttila, Jani Volanen, Leea Klemola, Hannu-Pekka Bjorkman, Katja Kuttner, Alex Anton, Jarko Pajunen, Frits Soetmann, Samuli Niittymakki, Kheba Touray / Contact: Yuan@picturetree-international.com

DIRECTOR: Jenni Toivoniemi is an award-winning, writer/director and playwright based in Helsinki, Finland. She is known for Force of Habit (2019), The Date (2012) and Games People Play (2020). She is married to Tuomas Klaavo.

DIRECTOR STATEMENT: We wanted to make a modern summer comedy embracing Finnish weirdness and empathy towards its struggling main characters. To me fun and humor always co-exist with melancholy and sadness and you enjoy them most taken simultaneously. I got a dream cast of very skillful and talented actors and I was especially touched by Aksa Korttila's hilarious and heart-breaking performance as the overachieving main character Siiri.

Claire returns to Iceland, a place she visited decades earlier, to tend to a difficult task. While on the road she meets Iris, a young aimless hitchhiker, and together they connect and collide as they struggle to come to terms with the realities of their lives.

A fascinating character driven story featuring a septuagenarian in the leading role.

Director, Writer: Lynn Tjerrnan Lukkas / Producer: Lynn Tjerrnan Lukkas, Peter George Frenz/ Cinematography: Eric Schlichter, Lynn Lukkas / Composer: Phil Aaron / Cast: Barbra Anne Berlovitz, Annick Dall / Contact: lukkas@umn.edu

DIRECTOR: Lynn Lukkas, is a filmmaker, artist, and curator. Her award-winning films have been screened at, the Toronto International Women’s Film Festival, the International New York Film Festival, the Rochester International Film Festival, and the Venice Shorts International Film Festival. Lukkas’ film installation works have been shown internationally in the US, Germany, China, and South Africa among other locations.

She has traveled extensively and is a Fulbright Fellow recently completing a six-month research residency in Scotland in preparation for her next two films set in the Faroe Islands and Shetland Islands respectively. She has received artists fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Bush Foundation, the McKnight Foundation, and the Jerome Foundation. Lukkas’ curatorial project, Covered in Time and History: The Films of Ana Mendieta, co-curated with Howard Oransky, (2015 – 2019) was presented at, Martin-Gropius-Bau, Berlin; Galerie Nationale du Jeu de Paume, Paris; and the Berkley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archives, San Francisco.

Lukkas is a Professor of Art in the Department of Art at the University of Minnesota where she has taught moving images since 2000. She was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA, and currently resides there with her family. More information on her work and career is available on her website at www.lynntjernanlukkas.com.

DIRECTOR STATEMENT: I am interested in making films about compelling female characters imbued with complexity and resilience. Creating such films allows me to collaborate closely with gifted women actors and together bring to life fascinating, challenging, and irrepressible characters. My films resist stereotypes and seek to reveal female characters with a full range of human strengths and vulnerabilities.

Ultimately, I am a visual storyteller. My films emphasize images, actions, and gestures to convey the story, providing my films with a visual, emotional, and tactile-like sensibility. I am interested in creating a visually rich character-driven cinema of emotion and empathy allowing the audience to identify with characters and see themselves in the characters.

During her first 25 years at Duval Elementary (Gainesville), Gloria Jean Merriex was a typical teacher. She adhered faithfully to her district’s rigid pacing guides. But after her school flunked its high-stakes state exam, the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test, she changed. Completely. As a result of failing the FCAT, Duval faced major consequences. They included a budget freeze and the threat of a shutdown. The state and district pressured Gloria and her colleagues to strictly follow the curriculum and guidelines.

Gloria fought back. In one year, she catapulted Duval to an A. She became a national model, giving us a blueprint for student success.

Featuring: Tamara Tunie (narrator), Gloria Jean Merriex, Leanetta McNealy, Greg Taylor, Emily Bonner, Don Pemberton, Buffy Bondy, Thomasenia Adams / Editor: Seth Schurman, Boaz Dvir / Cinematographer: Zachary Bennett, Boaz Dvir, Andres Farfan, Jorge E. Senisse / Graphics: Adhyaksh Amarnath / Music: Boaz Dvir, Blake Blanchard, Matthew Tiramani / Producers: Boaz Dvir, Emil Pinnock, Matthew Einstein / Writer & Director: Boaz Dvir / Contact: boaz.dvir@gmail.com

DIRECTOR: Boaz Dvir tells the stories of ordinary people who transform into trailblazers. They include a teacher who emerges as a disruptive innovator (Class of Her Own); a World War II flight engineer who leads a secret operation to prevent a second Holocaust (A Wing and a Prayer); an uneducated truck driver who becomes a highly effective child-protection activist (Jessie’s Dad); and a French business consultant who sets out to kill his father’s Nazi executioner (Cojot).

Following his wife's recent passing, single father, Lucky, finds himself navigating the challenges of raising his son Mason, who has Down syndrome. Mason is an 11-year-old, exuberant boy who enjoys drawing and watching baseball with his dad. Seeking solace, Lucky and Mason embark on a journey across Metro Atlanta to attend their first baseball game together. Throughout their day-long trip, they encounter Murphy's Law. From car breakdowns to missed trains, the duo faces a series of obstacles that test their relationship. Despite the setbacks, they persevere, determined to reach the game. Together, Lucky and Mason learn that healing does not await them at the mountaintop, but can be found with every step along the path. Color Book provides an intimate portrait of a father and son, while exploring the experiences of raising a child with Down syndrome and highlighting the strength and resilience that emerge from their bond. Of special note, this is the debut performance of Jeremiah Alexander Daniels, who portrays Mason.

Director & Writer: David Fortune / Producers: Kiah Clingman, Kristen Uno, Autumn Bailey-Ford/ Cinematography: Nikolaus Summerer / Editor: Oriana Soddu / Composer: Dabney Morris / Production Designer: Jerrod Littlejohn, Mily Moreno / Costume Designer: Lisa Smedley-Calderon/ Hair and Makeup: Tiana Brown.

Cast: William Catlett, Jeremiah Alexander Daniels, Brandee Evans, Terri J. Vaughn, Kia Shine Coleman, Njema Williams, Adrian Jones, Ava Colvin, Deja Dee, Rhonda Johnson Dents, Sandra Jones, Rabiyah A. Karim-Kincey, Alonzo Jones, Candy McLellan, Rodney Perry, Lynne Ashe, and Romeo Romero / Contact: colorbookfilm@gmail.com

DIRECTOR: A graduate of Morehouse College’s CTEMS program and Loyola Marymount University’s School of Film and Television, David Fortune, has participated in numerous directing fellowships, such as the Village Roadshow Emerging Talent Program, Indeed/Hillman Grad’s Rising Voices Program, Film Independent Amplifier Fellowship, and ViacomCBS - ViewFinders Directors Program, where he shadow-directed two episodes of Netflix’s 13 Reasons Why. In addition, Fortune participated in the Netflix Content Creator’s Program to direct his film, Us, and premiered his short, “Shoebox,” at the Tribeca Film Festival. 

Fortune was named the winner of the Tribeca - AT&T Untold Stories Program where he was awarded 1 million dollars to direct his first feature film, Color Book. As a writer and director, Fortune's creative vision centers on normalizing intimate narratives within inner-city communities and presenting an honest portrait of their lives.

DIRECTOR STATEMENT: Color Book delves into multifaceted topics, from Black masculinity to disabilities, but at its core, the film explores the intimate bond between a father and his son. Ultimately, Color Book is a heartfelt homage to communities often marginalized and whose stories remain untold. Through our film, we aspire to capture the essence of their lives in a nuanced narrative that deeply resonates with us all.