Nomadic cinema and curators The Luminal Theater present FRESH BLACK FILMS – showcasing emerging Black filmmakers from the Northeast USA.

Join us for our 3rd Northeast edition taking place in arts rich Newark, NJ at The Newark Museum of Art in partnership with the Newark Black Film Festival.

Our series exposes fresh audiences to new, dynamic work from emerging Black filmmakers, and Black filmmakers and creatives to more of each other’s original work.

Join us for six diverse films that include quirky comedies, intense dramas, fun animation, and funky experimental fare!

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Why Emerging Filmmakers for FRESH BLACK FILMS

It’s literally in the name of our series. We define “emerging” as filmmakers, regardless of age, who are fairly new to directing & producing cinema, and have had only intermediate success on the film festival circuit, and also may have not had films acquired by major distribution or streaming platforms. All our selected filmmakers have unique perspectives that are aching to be seen and discovered and supported by audiences like you and film industry professionals.

This edition of Fresh Black Films is sponsored in part by the National Endowment for the Arts, venue partner The Newark Museum of Art, presenting partner the Newark Black Film Festival, and with sponsorship prizes from Final Draft and Coverfly.

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ONE GLAD EVENING WHEN MY SHIFT IS OVER…I’LL FLY AWAY

by Julia Marie Mallory

A combination of dark humor and stop motion collage cutout animation that explores the woes of working in retail through the intersections of gender, race, and class.

OIL AND RAIN

by Ashli J. Washington

Celeste is a social media influencer that goes out into the world to gauge public opinion about relevant topics. With a Kevin Samuels-esq mindset she is used to being able to out-talk anybody’s logic with facts. But when she finally meets her match with Kwame, the two come together and separate in a variety of ways, just like oil and rain.

I WISH I WERE A STAR

by Madelyn Kieh

In this animated film, a little star wants to be the brightest. But not for the sake of fame or fortune, but to instead make positive change in the world. Follow along as this little star shares her story.

A STRANGER’S WALTZ

by Oluseyi Olatujoye

Two young Nigerian Americans on their way to a Nigerian wedding cross paths on the bustling streets of New York City. Their chance encounter sets the stage for a connection that transcends time, weaving a heartfelt tale of love, growth, and destiny.

LOST TAPES OF ANTIGUA 2029

by Odessa Whitlock

In early 2029 while visiting her family in Antigua, a woman begins having recurring glimpses of a catastrophic hurricane that may hit her island. The only family still based in Antigua is her strong and healthy 94 year old grandmother. She wants to tell her grandma to get out before it’s too late. Before the country is unrecognizable. Uninhabitable. But struggles with the choices in front of her.

BUTTERFLY

by Iree Mann

A coming of age queer love story about two teenage girls who unexpectedly fall in love catapulting them to freely express their sexual identity, in the limited time they have.