Shorts series 1: African Film Festival Atlanta 2025

The African Film Festival Atlanta now in its 4th year brings you a series of shorts themed "Turning Points – Moments That Change Everything"

Life is shaped by defining moments; those pivotal experiences that challenge, transform,

and redefine us. This collection of short films captures the intensity of personal, historical,

and cultural shifts, illustrating how a single event can alter the course of a lifetime.

South Africa |14 minutes 46 seconds

Born into a culture that values male leadership above all, Melikhaya finds it difficult to find her place as a strong African woman. When her brother makes choices that impact the entire community, she is forced to make a tough decision.
Best Narrative Short Film Winner at the RAW International Film Festival Cape Town. Award winner at Boden International Film Festival.

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Liziwe Damba is now a 3rd year student at Film School Africa just outside Cape Town. She is a post-production major with wonderful writing and directing skills. This project was an incredible experience to work alongside Mallory Myers, a fellow student from Indianapolis, Indiana, who was also the cinematographer. Liziwe loves to tell South African stories and grew up in the township community of Khayelitsha.

United States of America |26 minutes 47 seconds

In October 2023, students from 7 high schools in Birmingham, Alabama, took to the streets for a music and dance performance action to commemorate the young people who demonstrated on the same streets in 1963 as part of the Children’s Crusade of the Civil Rights Movement.

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Kyle Mackenzie Sullivan is a filmmaker hailing from Birmingham, Al. He has worked in multiple production departments, as an assistant director, as a transportation captain, and, most especially, as a camera operator. Kyle has been involved in narrative and documentary work of various stripes as well as a boatload of online video. His feature film credits include “Joe Baby,” “The Tutor,” “The Death of Dick Long,” and “Altschmertz.” He describes himself as an "armchair anthropologist" and is really into Afro-Peruvian music.

Kyle and his wife Katie Boyer own Screen Door Pictures, a small video production services company that has done work for local nonprofits and provided support for narrative projects. They also produce the popular Trekspertise channel on YouTube, which explores all things science fiction through the lens of Star Trek. Together they have made the short films “I See the Stars” and “Garden of the Gods,” which won “Best Horror” at the Georgia Shorts Film Festival.

South Africa| 4 minutes 36 seconds

When a 12-year-old boy visits his friend, the boys get into some expected mischief. But the boys soon find out, freedom can quickly get dangerous.

Best Student Film & Best Ensemble Cast at the 48 hour film project

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Liziwe Damba is a South African director who grew up in the Khayelitsha community. She's a writer/director/editor with great strengths in storytelling. She has studied at Film School Africa College.

United States of America| 10 minutes 52 seconds

After a home invasion gone wrong, Duke and his friend Dre find themselves in a heated situation with an unexpected turn of events.

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Rowland Jordan is an independent filmmaker based in Atlanta Ga. Starting his career as a producer, director & editor back in 2014, he also began his career as cinematographer in 2017 & has executed hundreds of projects since. He currently operates as the Co-founder of his production company BellaMar Pictures, specializing in narrative & docu-style content.

Nigeria| 29 minutes 7 seconds

A wealthy Yoruba family is nearly torn apart from within by grief, anger, resentment and waning intimacy... Until a young boy takes matters into his own hands and accepts help from a mysterious stranger.

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Ghana| 9 minutes 30 seconds

Three friends, Baako, Daana, and Limpu, discover a mysterious orb while working on a farm. This discovery leads to a dispute over how much the orb is worth and who gets the money. Daana turns violent to take the orb for himself, making the situation worse. As they try to conceal their misdeeds and escape their village, an unexpected twist reveals the lethal repercussions of their greed. The orb silently watches the unpredictable fate of those who seek its riches.

Get a taste of the film by watching the trailer

Numanu got introduced to film making through his host brother, who was studying film. In Tamale, filmmaking was seen as foreign, with no production houses, cinemas, or film schools, making it an unlikely career choice for a young person like him. Watching his host brother practice his craft ignited a passion in him for filmmaking. This newfound enthusiasm led him to immerse myself in online filmmaking tutorials and courses.

Upon returning to Ghana in 2010, he continued to nurture his filmmaking skills online, despite his parents' wishes for him to pursue nursing. In 2022, fueled by his unwavering passion for filmmaking, he made the bold decision to pursue it full-time. He founded Studio 23 in 2018, a video production house in Tamale, where he has since spearheaded numerous projects, including music videos, documentary films, TV series, short films, and event coverage. With expertise in cinematic and DSLR cameras, he has delivered works in various resolutions, showcasing his versatility and creativity.

Beyond filmmaking, he is deeply committed to community development. As the Vice-President and Creative Director of Northern Voices Ghana (NVG), a youth empowerment organization he co-founded, he has led initiatives aimed at driving social change in Northern Ghana. Leveraging his organizational and leadership skills, he has successfully executed multiple community projects and attended workshops locally and internationally.

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Host or Publisher African Film & Arts Foundation