ROXFILM | Shorts: Community Resilience & Determination

WON’T BE AROUND
Directed by Terry Blade (USA 2024, 2:23).
The short film follows three individuals who are descendants Black-American sharecroppers. They confront the racial history of sharecropping in the American South by reclaiming the pastoral fields once toiled by their ancestors.

THE TOWN THAT CHOSE TO THRIVE
Directed by William Cotter (USA 2026, 9:06).
In California’s Central Valley, the town of Allensworth is working towards sustainable land management and energy sovereignty, modeling for other communities a future that is homegrown and community-led. Founded on “sustainability, sovereignty, and Black self-determination," this is the unique story of a community of farmers turned innovators.

THE LEGEND OF THE HUT
Directed by Malakhai Pearson, Michael Larareo (USA 2025, 12:08).
The Legacy of the Hut is an intimate portrait of the Ghales, a Nepali-American family who immigrated to the United States in the late 90s and built a life in Plymouth, MA. Today, they own and operate The Lobster Hut, a beloved waterfront institution that has served locals and visitors from around the world since the 1970s. The film centers on Kaisang “KG” Ghale as he steps into leadership as president of the restaurant, embodying his family’s pursuit of the American dream. More than a seafood spot, “The Hut” stands as a symbol of resilience, community, and generational legacy.
RoxFilm Alum. Local.

THE MAKING OF TAYLOR SQUARE
Directed by Caroline Josey Karoki (USA 2025, 24:47).
Guided by Gullah Geechee storyteller Sistah Patt Gunn, a diverse coalition has spent years battling to rename a historic Savannah square— once honoring pro-slavery advocate John C. Calhoun — in honor of Susie King Taylor, a Civil War nurse and formerly enslaved woman. The renaming marks the first time the city bears a square named after a woman and an African American, despite barriers and opposition. The film chronicles a community’s resilience and determination to reclaim history.

A COLLECTIVE FUTURE
Directed by Stephanie Houten (USA 2025, 28:25).
A Collective Future is a film that explores the integrated strategy of building community ownership while resisting the harms of the current system, and the people in the Boston area who are making it happen.
RoxFilm Alum. Local.

A LIVING LEGACY! THE PEOPLE, UNITED
Directed by Crosby T. Tatum (USA 2026, 23:39).
After 5 years, The People, United returns to George Floyd Square to reflect, remember, and reignite the passion of the movement, as family members and the community come together to honor the legacy of George Floyd, five years after his untimely death, through the eyes and specter of those who live in Minneapolis.
RoxFilm Alum Award Winner. Local.

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