Welcome to our 3rd Annual Black History Month Film Showcase. Tonight, we gather to honor the sacred cycle of Reach, Back, and Retain. We reach toward a future defined by our own narratives, we reach back to pull from the wisdom of those who came before us, and we commit to retaining the inherent brilliance of our Kings. These films are more than stories—they are blueprints for our collective liberation and evidence of the royalty that has always been among us.
Continue the journey beyond tonight. Subscribe to our YouTube channel to view the films showcased this evening as they’re released and explore more stories rooted in Black brilliance.
Verbs
Performed by "Zo 1" and produced by Akira’s Book Club, this high-energy music video serves as an early childhood literacy tool, teaching our youngest Kings and Queens the power of action and language.
A Whole Lot
Developed with youth artists from Kingmakers Music and the Climate Mental Health Network, this film explores the complex emotions of a changing climate, validating self-care and community care through a lens of abundance.
Roots & Renaissance
A youth-produced series exploring East Oakland’s Black cultural spaces. Narrated by Maya Raveneau-Bey, these episodes reclaim local history and celebrate how our barbershops, parks, and sanctuaries serve as sites of healing and tradition.
Black Man Black Man
Special Guest Screening.
Written and directed by Pixar Alum Frank Abney and produced by Hodge Brothers Productions. Narrated by Aldis Hodge and Yvette Nicole Brown, this NAACP Image Award-nominated short is a profound call to honor the child within and the humanity of Black men.
Portraits of a King: Beyond Labels
World Premiere
A landmark docuseries centering the brilliance of our neurodivergent Kings. We invite you to witness the unfiltered stories of Kings Devin & Dylan Chester, King Jordon Chatmon, King James Moore, King Bryan Reed, and King Joshua Bell as they dismantle labels and reclaim their royalty.
Welcome & Libations: Hosted by Kahlil Chatmon.
Live Performance: featuring Oakland’s own Reach, Back, Retain
5 minute break
Lifetime Achievement Awards: Presented by Chris Chatmon.
Honoring: James Earl-Rockefeller III, Ramasses Head, Shaka Jamal, and Judd Flemming.
Glisten
Afro Comic-con Award Winner
Preceded by a "Making Of" doc by Black Native Productions, this film Set in Oakland 2077 follows four Kings as they traverse the city, spreading hope and inspiring the next generation to take their Crowns out of their pockets and let them shine.
Unbuntu (Director’s Cut)
Preceded by a "Making Of" doc by Black Native Productions, this film is set in the lush fields of "New Oakland." It is a heartfelt story of agricultural resilience and the profound act of sharing a meal, highlighting how culture and shared purpose can heal a people.
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JOIN THE COMMUNITY
Help our brother Frank Abney take home the NAACP Image Award for Black Man Black Man.
VOTE FOR FRANK:
The New Parkway Theater, Frank Abney, Black Native Productions, The Oak Foundation, David Flink, Shia Shabazz Smith, Marcus Black and the Families of our Kings.