Youth Film Festival: Rear, My Little Caregiver, Remedial, Shark Week, Change the System: Build Black Wealth, Sunu Thiossane

Remedial

United States (2022) - Director: Laurie J. Gardiner

BALTIMORE PREMIERE

"Remedial" is a coming-of-age narrative drama that centers around a young British boy who relocates to Houston, TX with his mother after a devastating and unexpected loss. After enrolling in a new school, his new homeroom teacher is forced to make a difficult decision when his behavior becomes increasingly disconcerting.

Inspired by real events, this film observes one of the loneliest disorders that children recovering from life altering traumas face.

Sunu Thiossane: The Making of an African Dream

Senegal (2023) - Director: Mamedjarra Bousso Diop-Mar

MID-ATLANTIC PREMIERE

The 10th anniversary of the Sunu Thiossane Youth Development Organization shows the journey that has been a kaleidoscope of steps towards a mission that focuses on educating African youth for greater, global impact.

This documentary focuses on the journey of growth, cultural awareness and bridging the gap between Africans and the Diaspora. From settling in Senegal to running a summer camp, to setting up a year-round youth program specifically aimed at providing quality education to our young people and our community.

Shark Week

United States (2023) - Director: Adria Branson

MARYLAND PREMIERE

Ivy, a confident and meticulous high school student, faces a sudden twist when her period arrives unexpectedly on the day of a crucial math quiz. Frantically rushing to the bathroom, she discovers the pad dispenser is empty, forcing her to improvise with a makeshift toilet paper pad. Ivy's world turns into a whirlwind of paranoia as she struggles to preserve her flawless image among her classmates, all the while concealing the challenges of "shark week."

Change The System: Building Black Wealth

United States (2023) - Director: Brady Anderson

MARYLAND PREMIERE

Growing up in America, youth do not have equitable access to resources or opportunities. Black youth in particular face historical and systemic disadvantages, leading to disparities in wealth creation later in life. “Change the System: Building Black Wealth” follows Oakland high school senior Otis Ward IV as he participates in a pilot program at UC Berkeley aimed at closing the racial wealth gap, while grappling with the pressures of leaving his hometown and charting his own path.

My Little Caregiver

United States (2022) - Director: Sam Solomon and Goldmon Fong

MID-ATLANTIC PREMIERE

When the regularly scheduled nurse from a local caregiving agency doesn’t show up for work, imaginative 10 year old Elijah acts on the chance to spend a day alone with his mother who is a wheelchair user. After a brief argument in the afternoon, Elijah wakes up to find his mom's demeanor different, excited to play games with her son. But is it too good to be true?

Based on a true story, My Little Caregiver is a reflection on the power of a loving mother-son relationship through tough circumstances, blending the memories of harsh reality with childlike fantasy through the lens of a 10-year-old boy.

Rear

United States (2022) - Director: Edward Worthy

BALTIMORE PREMIERE

When a teacher leaves bruises on a child, an objecting mother unintentionally starts a debate on the use of school corporal punishment in her southern black community.