SWIRL FILMS AND MANSA PRODUCTIONS ANNOUNCE THE WINNERS
OF THE INAUGURAL BLACK LIFE FILM FEST
Each Winner Awarded $5,000 Towards Their Journeys into the Film Industry
Hundreds of Submissions Received for the Inaugural Festival Created to Highlight Short Films
Exploring the Beauty and Complexities of Black Life
ATLANTA, GA (September 09, 2020) — Swirl Films, the leading independent urban TV and film production company in the United States, and Mansa Productions, announced today the 10 winners of the inaugural Black Life Film Fest.
Submissions for the first year of the festival included short films in the form of dramas, comedies, romance, documentaries, animation, horror, sci-fi, and action films. The Black Life Film Fest was created to highlight and celebrate short films from Black filmmakers exploring the beauty and complexities of Black life and what that means to individuals and society as a whole.
The recipients of the $5,000 reward will also have the opportunity to meet with industry executives for potential distribution deals for their project. The Top 5 short films will be selected by a judging panel composed of Atlanta based Producers, Directors and Writers and will move on to pitch and workshop additional projects at the Atlanta-based Swirl Films and Mansa offices with key producers, writers, directors and editors. The winning projects will stream on MTANow mobile app, as well as the Black Life Film Fest website on Saturday, September 26th.
“We are so proud and impressed by the quality of short films that were submitted. It’s truly a testament to our belief at Swirl Films and the motivation behind the inaugural year – the Black film community is incredibly talented and their stories matter” said Eric Tomosunas, Swirl Films’ CEO and founder. “Mansa Productions has been an amazing partner in creating another platform for Black filmmakers to be heard and help further their careers in the entertainment industry.”
The ten filmmakers and their films include:
“Black Boy Joy” by Martina Lee
“MeMaw” by Zanah Thirus
“Body + Son” by Chris Hamilton
“THICKE” by Britt Banks
“Guilty Until Proven Innocent” by Eddie Gorie
“Give Us Free” by Mac Grant
“She Had to Ask” by Perri Camper
“Orange Morning” by Reshaun Jones
“AFRO” by Jenn Shaw
“BLOOM” by Jazmen Darnell Brown and Rashad Mubarak
“This film festival has truly been a journey. In a few short months, it grew from just a Sunday afternoon idea to hundreds of submissions of strong Black short films” said Tyrell Jemison, Producer at Swirl Films. “We’re looking forward to this becoming an annual festival that celebrates Black storytelling.”
Atlanta-based Swirl Films was founded in 2001 by Eric Tomosunas. The company produces the popular original drama series, Saints & Sinners, in addition to over 60 original productions across various platforms and distributors, including BET, TV One, Bounce, Lifetime, Hallmark, Reel One, Netflix & Up TV.
The Black Life Film Fest is executive produced by Eric Tomosunas, Tyrell Jemison, Jay Allen and Nikki Byles for Swirl Films and Kellon Akeem for Mansa Productions. For more details on how to watch the Black Life Film Fest visit: https://www.blacklifefilmfest.com/
About Swirl Films
Swirl Films is the leading independent TV & urban film production company based out of Atlanta, Georgia, founded by Eric Tomosunas in 2001. Swirls project slate includes the wildly popular original drama series, Saints & Sinners, and as well as high-quality films and series produced for TV One, BET, Bounce, Lifetime, Hallmark, Reel One, Netflix & Up TV. Swirl Films provides services and content across various areas of production spanning from script to screen, for movies, biopics, scripted series, award shows, specials and documentaries. Purchased in 2019, Swirl Films owns and operates its own 100,000 square foot film studio in Atlanta.
About Mansa Productions
Entrepreneur and producer Kellon Akeem founded Mansa to develop and produce captivating film and television content, as well as create organic entertainment events. Mansa set out to impact a vast audience on platforms that stretch from the big screen to the one in your pocket. Additional titles produced by Mansa include PERCY, starring Christopher Walken, Christina Ricci and Zach Braff, NINE DAYS with Winston Duke, Benedict Wong and Zazie Beetz and Mo McRae’s directorial debut A Lot Of Nothing starring Cleopatra Coleman and Y’lan Noel. Mansa plans to impact and invest in future filmmakers by continuously providing an opportunity for individuals to showcase their art through competition.
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