Black Filmmakers Take Centerstage: BHERC Puts the Next Wave of Global Black Cinema in Front of the World's Buyers

Liquor Bank - dir. Marcellus Cox

Superman Doesn't Steal - dir. Tamika Lamison

Haint - dir. Jahmil Eady

Emerging Black Filmmakers Showcase puts 7 bold new voices before a global audience of buyers, financiers and distributors at the American Film Market Nov. 13.

Hollywood has changed, and Black filmmakers can no longer wait outside the room. BHERC brings seven directors stories of faith, family, hope and action straight to the buyers who need to see them.”

— BHERC founder/president Sandra J. Evers-Manly, award-winning producer

CENTURY CITY, CA, UNITED STATES, November 10, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- This week, the people who decide which independent films the world will see gather in Century City. Leading the effort to spotlight Black Cinema this year, the Black Hollywood Education and Resource Center (BHERC) is highlighting the importance and the necessity of Black films globally.

BHERC's 2026 Emerging Global Black Filmmakers Showcase screens Friday, November 13, at 3:00 p.m. on Screen 14 of AMC Century City 15, in the middle of the American Film Market (AFM). The invitation-only afternoon features seven short films ranging from supernatural comedy, gentrification horror to motocross action, boxing, alcoholism and a true story set during the Atlanta child murders. Five of the seven directors are women. These directors represent just a fraction of the talented filmmakers today.

Produced by the Independent Film & Television Alliance, AFM is the industry's premier marketplace for acquiring, financing and distributing independent film and television. Thousands of producers, sales agents, buyers and executives from more than 85 countries attend, and hundreds of millions of dollars in deals start there each year.

“As Hollywood has drastically changed, and the global landscape has shifted, we must create the opportunity and responsibly explore global markets for our filmmakers and our stories with vigor. That starts in the room where deals are made,” said BHERC founder and president Sandra J. Evers-Manly, award-winning producer Hunt for Planet B. “For too long, Black filmmakers have been expected to wait outside that room. These seven directors are not waiting. They are telling stories about faith, laughter, family, ambition, recovery, hope and home with confidence and determination. We are proud to put their work on the screen exactly where the buyers, financiers, distributors and a global audience will see it.”

The Films
DYING LAUGHING — dir. Tyler Young (15 min.) A raunchy comedian facing tax-fraud charges takes a job at her father's mortuary to pay off her debt and discovers a supernatural gift. Young, from Greenville, S.C., moved from morning news to documentaries and now writes and directs genre-blending stories about fractured family bonds across generations.

FOOD FOR THE SOUL — dir. Chisom Chieke (18 min.) As cultures clash and parents meddle, a first-generation Nigerian American and her Black Southern fiancé must choose between being true to themselves and living up to their families' expectations. Chieke, a Nigerian-American multimedia artist who studied chemical and biomedical engineering at Carnegie Mellon, earned a nomination at the 57th NAACP Image Awards for Outstanding Short Form (Live Action) for this film.

JULES — dir. Tiffany Abney (20 min.) Determined to reclaim her identity, Jules defies her boyfriend's ban on motocross and races against the ghosts of his past. Abney is an award-winning filmmaker and working stuntwoman, a former NCAA All-American and Team USA track athlete, a two-time Pennsylvania Hall of Fame inductee and a member of the Alliance of Women Directors.

SUPERMAN DOESN'T STEAL — dir. Tamika Lamison (19 min.) Based on true events, this coming-of-age story unfolds during the 1970s Atlanta child murders, seen through the eyes of 9-year-old Harriet and her superhero-obsessed brother, She won the 2025 NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Short Form (Live Action) for this film. Lamison's first screenplay, Jar by the Door, was a Sundance finalist and won the Gordon Parks Indie Film Award; she used the $10,000 prize to move to Los Angeles.

PUGILISTIC SOUL — dir. Mike Noel (20 min. 5 sec.) Starring Patrick Walker, this boxing drama goes backstage in the tense moments before a pivotal fight, where the hardest battles are internal. Noel fell in love with film at age 9 after seeing The Professional and first picked up a camera as a young member of St. John's United Methodist Church in downtown Houston.

LIQUOR BANK — dir. Marcellus Cox (15 min.) A young man relapses and misses his own one-year sobriety celebration at h is local AA group. Cox, an award-winning Los Angeles writer-director, is known for compelling and socially conscious cinematic storytelling, Cox tackles provocative themes that offer his audience profound insights into complex social issues. His films have screened at more than 200 international film festivals and captured over 150 awards.

HAINT — dir. Jahmil Eady (15 min.) When gentrifiers start mysteriously dying, a Gullah Geechee handywoman who has just lost her own home must decide whether to help them or leave the newcomers to their fate. Eady, from Charleston, S.C., and New York, holds an MFA in Directing from UCLA, where she was the Inaugural Graduate Class Artist, and completed AFI's Directing Workshop for Women Plus in 2025.

Event Details
• What: BHERC's Global Emerging Black Filmmakers Showcase at the American Film Market
• When: Friday, November 13, 2026, 3:00 p.m. (doors open 2:45 p.m.)
• Where: AMC Century City 15, Screen 14, 10250 Santa Monica Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90067
• Admission: By invitation only. Each invitation admits the invitee and one guest and is non-transferable.
• RSVP: rsvp@bherc.org by 11/11/26, 5:00 p.m. PST
• Seating: First come, first served

About BHERC
Founded by Sandra J. Evers-Manly, the Black Hollywood Education and Resource Center is a nonprofit public benefit organization dedicated to preserving and advancing Black images in film and television. Through festivals, scholarships, education, competitions and special events, BHERC develops emerging talent while celebrating Black History and storytelling. www.bherc.org

BHERC INFO:| bherc@bherc.org | 310.284.3170

Lura Daniels Ball
Heartsung
+1 323-642-4343
luradb@Heart-sung.com

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