Film Independent Members and guests are invited to join us for a live Q&A with Miss Juneteenth writer/director Channing Godfrey Peoples and actor Nicole Beharie, and Yes, God, Yes writer/director Karen Maine and actor Natalia Dyer, moderated by Jazz Tangcay (Artisans Editor, Variety).

Registrants for this live Q&A event will receive access to Miss Juneteenth and Yes, God, Yes in their registration confirmation email, courtesy of Vertical Entertainment.

Miss Juneteenth

Turquoise Jones is a single mom who holds down a household, a rebellious teenager, and pretty much everything that goes down at Wayman’s BBQ & Lounge. Turquoise is also a bona fide beauty queen. She was once crowned Miss Juneteenth, a title commemorating the day slaves in Texas were freed – two years after the Emancipation Proclamation. Life didn’t turn out as beautifully as the title promised, but Turquoise, determined to right her wrongs, is cultivating her daughter, Kai, to become Miss Juneteenth, even if Kai wants something else.

 
2020, 103 minutes, color | Written and Directed by Channing Godfrey Peoples | Starring Nicole Behaire, Alexis Chikaeze, Kendrick Sampson, Lori Hayes, Liz Mikel, Marcus M. Mauldin, Akron Watson | Produced by Neil Creque Williams, Jeanie Igoe, James M. Johnston, Toby Halbrooks, Tim Headington, Theresa Steele Page

Yes, God, Yes

In the Midwest in the early 00s, sixteen-year-old Alice (Natalia Dyer) has always been a good Catholic girl. But when an AOL chat turns racy, she discovers masturbation and becomes ridden with guilt. Seeking redemption, she attends a mysterious religious retreat to try and suppress her urges, but it isn’t easy, especially after a cute boy (Wolfgang Novogratz) starts flirting with her. Alice’s sense of shame is spiraling when she uncovers a shocking truth about the retreat’s most devout. Desperate and confused, she flees and meets an unlikely ally (Susan Blackwell) who offers an alternative view of what it means to be good. For the first time, Alice realizes she can decide for herself what to believe and finally get the release she needs.

 
2020, 78 minutes, color | Written and Directed by Karen Maine | Starring Natalia Dyer, Timothy Simons, Wolfgang Novogratz, Francesca Reale, Susan Blackwell, Alisha Boe | Produced by Katie Cordeal, Colleen Hammons, Eleanor Columbus, Rodrigo Teixeira

Event details and guest participation are subject to change or cancellation without prior notice.