Storytelling Outside the Margins – Short Films by Black Directors at Sundance 2021 Highlight Stories of Trauma and Resilience

Sundance has done a magnificent job at showcasing the global experience of Black people through its entire run. There were many shorts that spoke to me as particularly powerful. Black Bodies beautifully mixes poetry and cinematography to paint a portrait of the pain inflicted by police terrorism. Five Tiger highlights the pain of women who are often treated as mere tools for the advancement of men. Bruiser reminds us how important it is to have fathers in our communities. The Fire Next Time transports us back in time and immerses us in the environment that birthed the 2011 riots. These films were a reminder that Black people have a shared trauma that permeates boundaries of nationality, economics, and religion. Our struggle is universal because the forces that dictate our reality are the same no matter where we find ourselves.