CINEMATIC SHORTS COMPETITION
In Partnership with
2025 Short Films
Bleached - Text SHORT 1 to 20707
While trying to complete the unfinished quilt of her late grandmother, a big city artist finds her relaxation and mourning disrupted after finding pieces of old, bleached fabric in the laundry. As she works on the quilt and uses the mysterious patches, the voices of her Grandmother's long since gentrified community pay her a visit.
IN/FINITE - Text SHORT 2 to 20707
On the verge of his first tech job, a young black man is given a 24-hour ultimatum, surrender his likeness to their creative ai, or lose the opportunity altogether. As he uncovers the exploitative truth behind the company's diversity agenda, he must decide whether to protect his identity or sacrifice it for the people who depend on him.
BORROWED TIME - Text SHORT 3 to 20707
BORROWED TIME illustrates a day in the life of Renee Welch, a Lupus survivor who channels her frustration from fighting for disability coverage into her art.
Film as Activism
The 2025 Cinematic Shorts Competition in partnership with Adobe, will take place during the 116th NAACP National Convention in Charlotte, NC from July 12th – 16th. This exciting competition will give SIX (6) filmmakers the opportunity to produce a short film addressing issues of social justice. The winning filmmakers will each be awarded a $10K grant to produce a short film in conjunction with the NAACP Hollywood Bureau and NAACP+ Studios.
In addition, ALL the filmmakers in this year's cohort will receive an all-expense paid trip to Los Angeles to attend the 57th NAACP Image Awards, where they will walk the red carpet, and attend informational meetings with industry executives.
Competition Details
All you need to know about the 2025 Cinematic Shorts Competition.
Meet the Filmmakers
Demi Anais - New Orleans, LA
Demi Anais is a genre-agnostic Writer, Director, Producer with a passion for creating immersive, character-driven films. Aside from her own projects, Demi also works on sets as a SAG-AFTRA Stunt Performer. Currently, Demi is in the financing stage of development for her 5th short film, 'Memory Walk', and plans to begin pre-production in 2025.
Auriyana Armour - Los Angeles, CA
Auriyana Armour is a rising filmmaker and storyteller dedicated to crafting raw, poetic narratives that center the Black experience. A recent graduate of Spelman College and an MFA candidate in Film & Television Production at the USC School of Cinematic Arts, Auriyana's work blends documentary sensibilities with lyrical visual language. Through her films and digital platform, Channel Auri, she explores themes of identity, vulnerability, and cultural memory.
Kyvon Edwin - Queens, NY
Kyvon Edwin is a native Saint Lucian award winning Director, Producer, Writer and Actor currently based in New York. He is an alumnus of the Lee Strasberg Theater and Film Institute as an Eleanora Duse Scholar. His work has been featured at Academy Award qualifying festivals including American Black Film Festival, Martha's Vineyard African American Film Festival, Hip Hop Film Festival, Essence Film Festival, Bronzelens Film Festival and the Festival de Cannes among others.
Kerri Garrett - Atlanta, GA
Kerri Garrett is a multidisciplinary artist and creative force with Midwest roots from Columbus, Ohio, and Southern soul grounded in Atlanta, Georgia. A proud Clark Atlanta alum, her foundation in dance and acting inspires her filmmaking where she centers the Black Diaspora experience with a joyful and impactful focus on Black queer lives. She has worked with artists like Teyana Taylor, Ari Lennox, and Kanye West, and brands including Google, FENTY, and Tefar.
Mekhai Lee - Brooklyn, NY
Hailing from Charlotte, North Carolina, Mekhai Lee is a proud graduate of the Drama program at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, where he performed in/directed many productions including The Brothers Size and Angels in America. Before graduating in 2018, Mekhai joined the First National Touring Production of the acclaimed The Color Purple Revival featuring Cynthia Erivo (as Grady/ Harpo u/s) and subsequently moved to New York City, having since performed in multiple professional productions.
Ralph Parker III - North Hollywood, CA
Ralph Parker III is an LA-based director, writer, editor and musician born in Wilmington, North Carolina. As a filmmaker, he uses his voice to depict evocative characters in surreal and distinct settings to comment on the world around us. His thesis film, Sammy, Without Strings, won awards at the Austin Film Festival, Wrap Shortlist Film Festival, Morehouse College Student Film Festival and DGA Student Film Awards.
2025 Behind the Scenes
