Inexplicable energy expanding the universe. Thank you to our screening partners: <a href="https://www.reelblack.com/" target="_blank">Reelblack</a> and <a href="https://paulrobesonhouse.org/" target="_blank">West Philadelphia Cultural Alliance / Paul Robeson House &amp; Museum</a>.

An action film about what happens when two mothers have an awkward conversation about a playdate that turns violent. A fun ride about Black maternal rage, a release for what we’re unable to do in real life — be angry, be messy in the face of both spectacular violence enacted on us and our families as well as the micro-aggressions that have a hidden violence that cuts deep.

Fists of Mothers

Two mothers have an awkward conversation about their kids that turns violent.

On Christmas Eve, a detective receives a call about a suicide that occurred during a dinner. When he arrives at the scene, he quickly realizes that something isn’t right and what appears to be a suicide may actually be something far more sinister.

Potato Salad

On Christmas Eve, a detective receives a call about a suicide that occurred during a dinner. When he arrives at the scene, he quickly realizes that something isn’t right and what appears to be a suicide may actually be something far more sinister.

An Ojibwe artist named Ish finds that his paintings aren’t selling anymore, he is in debt to his gallery rep, and a local goon is lurking around his studio. When he decides to take an artist’s getaway, he meets trouble with a mysterious woman, Ziibi, who claims to be part of an underwater society that tribal mythology refers to as the people of the water, or Nibiinaabe. Ziibi brings Ish on a wild ride that ultimately leads to him finding success in the last place he ever expected — death.

Ish Meets a Mermaid

An artist in a slump meets a mysterious woman from a realm beneath Lake Superior and finds success in the last place he ever expected — death.

Angels Pull Your Hair is a narrative short about Danielle, a young Black woman grappling with the lasting impact of being raised by a mother with untreated mental illness. As Danielle struggles to make sense of her past, she’s haunted by the fear that she’s inherited her mother’s condition — a fear that takes form in the figure of a faceless sleep paralysis demon. Desperate to avoid sleep and the terrifying visions that come with it, Danielle numbs herself with reckless nights out and risky behavior. After a particularly unsettling night, she turns to her best friend, Nolwenn, for support. During a weekend trip to upstate New York, Danielle confronts her fears through a mind-opening psychedelic experience — a turning point that allows her to reckon with her past and extend compassion toward both her mother and herself.

Psychological thriller, implications of abuse

Angels Pull Your Hair

If she stays awake, she unravels; if she sleeps, the hag returns. Escape means facing the faceless demon that follows her — or becoming it. Danielle, a young Black woman raised in the shadow of untreated mental illness, numbs herself with reckless nights to outrun one question: Am I next? A psychedelic weekend upstate forces her to find out.

After 10-year-old orphan Aisha’s grandmother dies, her only hope for protection is the family demon — but with a terrifying cost.

The Keeper

After 10-year-old orphan Aisha’s grandmother dies, her only hope for protection is the family demon — but with a terrifying cost.

Press & Industry: Quintessence Shorts

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BlackStar Film Festival is an annual celebration of the visual and storytelling traditions of the global majority, showcasing films by Black, Brown, and Indigenous people from around the world. Celebrate our 15th anniversary with us. Events will take place in person in Philadelphia and films will stream online around the world from August 6-9, 2026.

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BlackStar Film Festival an annual celebration of the visual and storytelling traditions of Black, Brown, and Indigenous communities globally. 

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