Brim
Thursday, May 29th at 6:00pm
Tickets
World Premiere
Narrative • Drama • USA • 2025 • 105 Minutes
Director: Keenan Dailey
Writer: Gertrude Namara
Cast: Diron Jones, Tisa Harriott, Derrica Kearney, Mathew Green
Producers: Paris “AJ” Adkins-Jackson, Kevin Lau
Filmmaker Q&A will follow the screening.
Brim is a trans-generational drama that weaves together a family’s story across the 20th and 21st centuries, exploring racial trauma, resilience, and legacy. Set against the backdrop of segregation in the 1940s American South, the film follows Leroy Payne and Rosetta Bishop as they confront systemic oppression and the erasure of Black identity. As the narrative moves into the 1990s, it delves into the devastating impact of the 1994 Crime Bill, focusing on George Mitchell, a character wrestling with his role in the evolving landscape of race and privilege. Brim poignantly examines how historical and modern racial tensions intersect with personal identity, capturing love, loss, and the enduring strength of the Black community in the face of adversity.
Director Keenan Dailey and Writer Trude Namara are both University of Illinois alumni. Producer Kevin Lau is a Champaign native, and most of the cast and crew are from central Illinois. The film was entirely shot in Champaign and Piatt counties with the assistance of Flyover Film Studios & Shatterglass Studios.
Short Films preceding the feature:
Contagious Swagger
Narrative • Comedy • USA • 2023 • 12 Minutes
Director: Calvin Callins, Jr.
Writer: Calvin Callins, Jr.
Producers: Justin James Colón, Lucas McFarland
Cast: Elvis Casely, Michael Huynh, Melissa Chin, Pang Thao
This romantic comedy is about a young Black man visiting his Asian girlfriend’s parents’ house for dinner for the first time. His Air Jordan footwear could be the answer to solve a dramatic forbidden love story.
The Ally
Narrative • Comedy • USA • 2024 • 11 Minutes
Director: Jennifer Marie
Writer: Jennifer Marie
Producer: Jennifer Marie
Cast: Leah Knauer, Ari Maize, Jgee, Richie Slick, LJ Stead, Tanner Ortiz, Deuce The Truth, Slomique Elder, Jennifer Marie
Jan Snyder is energetic, helpful, and in love with Black culture and hip-hop. She works her dream job at a record label as the Director of A&R’s assistant. Jan knows music, but she can sometimes get too comfortable with her co-workers, especially when it comes to her Black co-workers. Jan crosses the line on accident with her new boss Makeba and is at risk of losing her new promotion.
A Mind Of Its Own
Narrative • Comedy • USA • 2023 • 12 Minutes
Director: C.C. Randle
Writer: C.C. Randle
Producers: C.C. Randle
Cast: Time Brickey, Cian Evans-Grayson, Billy Baraw, Kelsey Jaffer, Kim Green
C.J., a black woman, is a hard worker and is looking to move up the corporate ladder. When she comes into work on the day of her big presentation with a new hairstyle, her literal, loud-talking hair causes her co-workers to react in a less-than-ideal manner where she faces racial microaggressions. She must then decide: is her hair worth the headache, or will she just let her hair have a mind of its own?
