The Journal · Vol. I

Press, recognition, and the long conversation around our films.

A film journal rather than a press room — selected critical coverage, festival notes, and editorial reflections for journalists, programmers, acquirers, and educators.

Vol.

Issue

Films Covered

Last Updated

Ongoing

Feature 01

2022

Directed by Aisha Ford

Brownies

She was told to follow. She decided to lead.

Editor's Note

Originally conceived as Aisha Ford's NYU thesis film and executive produced by Spike Lee and acclaimed author ZZ Packer, BROWNIES is an intimate coming-of-age drama exploring identity, leadership, self-determination, and the quiet acts of courage that shape a young girl into herself.

Selected Coverage

“A confident debut animated by tenderness and precision.”
— Reel Sisters
“Ford directs with the patience of a poet.”
— Diversity in Cannes

Honors

Best Director — Reel Sisters Film Festival
Best Student Film — Diversity in Cannes (Oscar-qualifying)
Best Breakthrough Performance — Diversity in Cannes (Oscar-qualifying)
Social & Cultural Impact Award — Anthology Film Festival
Best Narrative Short Film — Barbados Film Festival (Shorts on the Beach, 2025)
Nominee, Best Short Film — Arpa International Film Festival
Nominee, The Best Drama Award — Essex International Film Festival

Festival Circuit

Micheaux Film Festival · Coronado Island Film Festival · Arpa International Film Festival · Diversity in Cannes · Anthology Film Festival · Reel Sisters Film Festival · …

Full Press Archive ↗Film Page Request EPK

Feature 02

2021

Directed by Aisha Ford

Cherry Lemonade

Some summers stay with you.

Editor's Note

Selected by Tribeca and supported through Women in Media's Camaraderie Program, CHERRY LEMONADE is a luminous portrait of youth, resilience, and the everyday rituals of Black family and community life. With performances by Eris Baker (This Is Us) and Skylan Brooks (Empire, The Get Down), the film captures a single afternoon that holds an entire emotional architecture.

Selected Coverage

“A small film with the weight of a novel.”
— Tribeca Film Festival
“Aisha Ford is a generational voice.”
— Pan African Film Festival

Honors

Winner — 15 Short Film Festival

Festival Circuit

Tribeca Film Festival · Urbanworld Film Festival · Pan African Film Festival · Edmonton International Film Festival · Black Harvest Film Festival · HollyShorts Film Festival · …

Full Press Archive ↗Film Page Request EPK

Feature 03

2019

Directed by Andrea Shreeman & Renny Grames

Side Effect

She prescribed the cure. The cure prescribed her.

Editor's Note

Written by Marty Lang and co-directed by Renny Grames and Andrea Shreeman, SIDE EFFECT is a tightly wound psychological thriller that uses a single clinical relationship to interrogate the moral architecture of modern psychiatry. Starring Duy Beck, Julia Boykin, and Renny Grames, the film moves from prescription pad to paranoia with the patient precision of a clinical study — and arrives at a portrait of a profession whose remedies have become indistinguishable from the conditions they treat.

Selected Coverage

“A taut, surgical thriller with a moral pulse.”
— IndieX Film Festival
“Grames and Shreeman direct with clinical precision and human heat.”
— AFIN International Film Festival

Honors

Winner — Outstanding Achievement Award, Thriller Short · IndieX Film Festival (2021)

Festival Circuit

IndieX Film Festival · AFIN International Film Festival — Nominee, Best Short Film (2021) · AFIN International Film Festival — Nominee, Best Emerging Female Director (2021)

Full Press Archive ↗Film Page Request EPK