Shorts Series 3: African Film Festival Atlanta 2025

Shorts Series 3: Fragments to Wholeness : A Cinematic Journey of Identity, Healing & Transformation

Through powerful storytelling, Fragments to Wholeness explores the complexities of human experience: identity,memory, resilience, and the pursuit of belonging. These eight compelling short films take audiences on a deeply personal yet universally resonant journey, uncovering the fragments of self that shape us and the paths we take

toward wholeness.Each film in this program sheds light on characters navigating their own battles, desires, and truths, reminding us that healing is a process, and wholeness is an ever-evolving state of being.

United States of America| 7 minutes 29 seconds

Aaliyah Davis embarks on her journey of appreciation for her own skin.

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Marissa Baker is a screenwriter and director of all her work. She majors in the BFA of cinematic arts at Indiana University Bloomington. She has a YouTube channel, 1BakerFilms, where her short films are available to watch! She also won best High School Film for her short “Beautiful Roots” in the Indiana Youth Film Festival 2024.

Nigeria| 28 minutes 13 seconds

The troubling past of a young wife creeps back and makes her face a greatest fear.

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EDIKAN SAMUEL UWAK popularly known as SMART EDIKAN is a young talented storyteller, certified Director and Producer in Nollywood. He ventured into Film-making after getting a certificate in Directing from the Royal Arts Academy, Lagos in 2015.

As a young passionate filmmaker with a drive to succeed in the film capital of Nollywood, Lagos, and being a new resident, Samuel dives into the industry from the bottom. From being a Production Assistant to Production Coordinator, to Production Manager and also assisting in other departments, Samuel did it all to get to where he wants to be. As a passionate and hardworking filmmaker, it did not take much time for Producers and Directors to start noticing his passion, hard work and willingness to learn. He got his first job as an Assistant Director in 2019 and immediately starts directing other jobs.

Samuel’s passion grew for just wanting to be a Director to wanting to tell the real and true African stories from a different and unique point. His passion for storytelling has set him aside amongst his peers and colleagues, and made him more aware of how diverse and important story is to film-making. This passion and drive birthed the first short film he produced, which he also directed, MAY 27th, a film about rape victims and the importance of speaking up. Smart Edikan has also directed films like;18, SNATCHING FATE, LIFE AFTER DEATH, AFTER SCHOOL HOURS and many more.

Nigeria, Canada| 10 minutes

For the life of a young lady, Ife Adebayo, it's a repetition of memory and a forceful damage as she narrates to her therapist.

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Seun Faleke's journey into storytelling ignited in her pre-teens with her passion for writing. Born in Lagos, Nigeria, and moved to Canada in her early adult life. Despite graduating with a degree in computer science, her heart gravitated towards the arts. She furthered her education with a postgraduate diploma in project management and a film diploma, cultivating a diverse skill set.

For over seven years, Seun immersed herself in the world of visual effects, honing her creativity and technical expertise with her production hands-on experience in prominent Hollywood movies and TV shows, such as “Stranger Things”, “LIFT”, The Ozark”, “SEE”, “Midway”, and “The Flash”, among others. With unwavering determination, she embarked on her maiden project, "In Between the Sound of My Hummingbird," weaving together captivating narratives of identity and belonging.

While her debut art form short film awaits release, Seun's dedication and passion resonate deeply. Her journey serves as a beacon of inspiration, reminding others to fearlessly pursue their dreams. With each step, Seun continues to push boundaries, eager to share her unique voice with the world.

Beverly “Bev” Chukwu is a Nigerian American writer, director, and script consultant. Her projects have screened at the Women in Horror Film Festival, Cine Las Americas, AGLIFF, and more. Bev’s screenplay, PRINCE OF LAVENDALE STREET, was the feature winner in the 2021 BlueCat Screenplay Competition, and her video essay “Sometimes Black” is now used as educational material at the University of Texas at Austin. She has spent over seven years working in various mental health arenas and nearly a year providing behavior therapy to neurodivergent youth and adults. Bev has received fellowships from the Black List x WIF Episodic Lab, Google’s YouTube Originals Black Voices Creator Program, and the James A. Michener Center for Writers, where she also received an MFA in screenwriting and fiction.

Since 2022, Bev has served as a Development Executive for Pipeline Media, reading and elevating the work of writers worldwide. Bev continues to advocate for filmmakers as EA to the Head of Film and Creative Media at the Austin Film Society and through her relationships teaching for the nationally acclaimed Torch Literary Arts, the Writers League of Texas, Austin Bat Cave, and other local non-profits.

Her latest project “Princess” received financial support from YouTube Originals and will be presented as a proof of concept short for her psychological horror series, FOREVERLAND. She served as writer and director on the project.

United States of America| 17 minutes 47 seconds

This modern adaptation of *Richard III* focuses on Act I, Scene II, where Richard, Duke of Gloucester, woos Lady Anne as she mourns the loss of her husband, whom Richard has just killed. ichard's manipulation and Anne's conflicted emotions are brought to life in a way that is both haunting and visceral. The short also features a unique twist—Richard's physical affliction is revealed to be a ruse, adding another layer to his deceit.

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United States of America| 18 minutes 59 seconds

A 33-year-old shut-in convinces herself to go to a community festival, where she’s forced to confront her assaulter and a chain of hallucinations related to her unprocessed trauma.

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Antonio Rodriguez is a multi-disciplinary Creative Director, Designer & Filmmaker. He graduated with a BFA from CSULB in design and Computer Science and cut his teeth in the tech and design industry before jumping into Filmmaking.

United States of America| 5 minutes 30 seconds

When her hair appointment is canceled mere hours before a formal event, Gaia is forced to confront buried childhood trauma as she attempts to tame her hair by herself for the first time. Overwhelmed, Gaia turns to her matriarchs as a last resort and they tell her all she needs to hear.

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Chidera is an Igbo writer & audio engineer raised in Lagos, Nigeria and currently based in Austin, Texas. They are passionate about reclaiming indigenous ontologies and telling stories about traditional spirituality, migration, love, loss, and gender identity.

United States of America| 34 minutes 21 seconds

Therapist Jordan Graham struggles with fighting the trauma from his past while trying to keep his new patient Rita from committing suicide. He soon see's he can't escape his demons once their roles switch.

Winner Best Short at the East Point Peachtree International Film Festival

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Morocco, Italy| 18 minutes 37 seconds

Said, a 13-year-old boy in the old Medina of Rabat, has a side job collecting empty beer bottles to buy food for a dog he is hiding. Said finds keeping the dog he rescued conflicting with his family, friends, and religious tradition.

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Yassine el Idrissi (1983, Morocco) He was a journalist for several Moroccan (Al Masae) and international newspapers. In 2009, he made his first short documentary, Waiting for the snow. In 2013 he graduated from the Netherlands Film Academy. Today he devotes himself to directing. These films have been screened in more than 140 festivals (Rotterdam Film Festival, Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival, etc.).

Host or Publisher African Film & Arts Foundation