By Michael Reel
The power of film to lift and empower us was evident at the 29th Annual S.E. Manly African American Short Film Showcase on Jan. 19–21, 2024, at the Regal LA Live Theater in downtown Los Angeles.
The highlight of the weekend of 50 short films hosted by the Black Hollywood Education and Resource Center (BHERC) was “Origin,” the 2023 must-see film by filmmaker Ava DuVernay.
“It’s been a very powerful and emotional day,” said Sandra Evers-Manly, president and CEO of BHERC. “It was a day of love and understanding. It started with the young people, 1,100 high schoolers. Seeing their emotion after watching ‘Origin’ was pretty impactful.”
Students from throughout Southern California were enraptured by “Origin,” the movie based on the New York Times Best Seller, Caste: The Origins of Our Discontent by Isabel Wilkerson.
Director Ava DuVernay searches for the root causes of racism in the United States while illuminating racism and hatred from a global perspective in her thought-provoking film.
“One of my students tapped me on the back and asked, ’Is this a real book?’ said Damani Mangum, an instructor with View Park Preparatory High School. “I said yes. She said, ‘Can we read this?’’ At the moment I had been fighting a lot of tears back myself.”
The 2012 murder of Trayvon Martin at the hands of George Zimmerman is one of the film’s first reenactments to resonate with the audience. “It was relatable to me as a black individual in America,” said Mahonda, a student at View Park High. “I have also been through racism and systems of oppression. This film really hit home for me.”
Although Zimmerman was found not guilty in 2013 for the murder of Martin, the polarizing case garnered international attention while helping to birth the social movement, Black Lives Matter.
“As an English teacher and writer, myself, I think the film was brilliant,’ said Gina Morgan, who teaches at Valley Oaks Center for Enriched Studies. Morgan spoke enthusiastically about the film’s impact on society in general. “I think it is a window to knowledge that so many people need to understand and see. I think it’s revolutionary.”
The enthusiastic audience of students attending the “Origin” screening represented a wide range of ethnicities.
“I appreciate the diversity inside the theater,” said Myracle Moore, a student at View Park High. “Not only did we see the diversity on the screen but with everybody in the theater. I felt that was really cool because not only were we learning about ourselves but we were learning about someone else.”
Cynthia Newton, a teacher accompanying students from San Pedro High School, was affected by DuVernay’s film. “I’m so emotional. I think it’s very important and impactful that every kid needs to see ‘Origin.'”
Jamal Speaks, Jr., an instructor at Valley Oaks Center for Enriched Studies, spoke passionately about teaching and having to walk out of “Origin” when the little black boy was forced to lay on a floating device in the pool by himself while being told not to touch the water where the white kids had been splashing around all afternoon.
“These kids behind me are exactly the reason why I go to work every day,” explained Speaks. “They deserve better and if not us then who? I think this movie is apropos, I think this movie is relevant and I think this movie is needed. It belongs in every high school across the country.”
The first day of the S.E. Manly African American Short Film Showcase closed as veteran actress Dawn Lewis provided a powerful perspective on “Origin.”
“If you ever need an intelligent answer or an intelligent response to the clear and blatant ignorance about how we can treat each other so poorly, this movie is it. This book is it.”
