Black Lens Shorts: More Than a Monolith

Capriccio

Directed By Kiah Clingman

9:27 • United States • Alabama Premiere

NARRATIVE, WOMEN IN FILM

Two strangers meet in a cozy bookstore where music and dance form a non-verbal language of expression and ignite an unexpected romance.

Church Hat

Directed By Miceál Og O'Donnell

7:04 • United States • Southern U.S. Premiere

ANIMATED, SHOUT

When his traditional Jamaican mother catches him playing dress-up with her prized church hats (crowns), a young boy expects trouble. Instead, he discovers that love means being seen, accepted, and celebrated exactly as he is.

Lemon

Directed By Beth Curry

14:47 • United States • Southern U.S. Premiere

WOMEN IN FILM, NARRATIVE

When her agoraphobic mother dies suddenly, six-year-old Lemon must overcome her conditioned fear and venture outside for the first time. Her journey from fear to bravery becomes a tender exploration of courage, imagination, and human connection.

A Mystical Ornithology

Directed By Jeremy Seifert, Benjamin James Roberts

11:07 • United States

DOCUMENTARY

In this lyrical portrait, ornithologist, poet, and professor Drew Lanham invites you into his South Carolina farm where birdwatching becomes both refuge and revelation. 

God Sleeps On Sundays 

Directed By Naishe Nyamubaya

16:47 • Zimbabwe • Southern U.S. Premiere

INTERNATIONAL, NARRATIVE

When a new preacher arrives to build a church, he clashes with a village's traditional healer in an exploration of the current tension between traditional culture and Western religion in Zimbabwe. 

Eternal

Directed By Joshua Jeffrey Miller

17:15 • United States • Alabama Premiere

ALABAMA, STUDENT, NARRATIVE

"Eternal" is an allegorical tale about a man who, in his grief, seeks out death and the ability to see his loved one again.

Spilled Milk

Directed By Jared Leaf

13:04 • United States

NARRATIVE

A father's innocent errand leads him to an encounter with an enigmatic figure called The Milk Man in this Jordan Peele produced film.