{"id":2386,"date":"2026-09-16T16:03:00","date_gmt":"2026-09-16T16:03:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/funkynubianrepublic.com\/convo\/2026\/09\/16\/tired-of-being-told-no-black-filmmakers-build-their-own-stage\/"},"modified":"2026-09-16T16:03:00","modified_gmt":"2026-09-16T16:03:00","slug":"tired-of-being-told-no-black-filmmakers-build-their-own-stage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/funkynubianrepublic.com\/convo\/2026\/09\/16\/tired-of-being-told-no-black-filmmakers-build-their-own-stage\/","title":{"rendered":"Tired of Being Told No? Black Filmmakers Build Their Own Stage"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Source: Dominique Maddox \/ Dominique Maddox<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

From\u00a0Devale Ellis<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0Tristan \u201cMack\u201d Wilds<\/strong>\u00a0to the Wire\u2019s\u00a0Andre Royo<\/strong>\u00a0and NBA legend\u00a0\u00a0Allan<\/strong>\u00a0Houston<\/strong>, the second annual showcase of\u00a0Surrounded by <\/em>Stories\u00a0celebrated Black voices, bold filmmaking, and stories told on their own terms.<\/p>\n

Co-founded by actor, singer and filmmaker\u00a0Tristan \u201cMack\u201d Wilds<\/strong>\u00a0and filmmaker\u00a0Greg Cally<\/strong>,\u00a0Surrounded By Stories<\/em>\u00a0brings filmmakers, actors, film lovers and industry creatives together for screenings, networking, panels and conversations designed to support the next generation of storytellers.<\/p>\n

Radio and TV personality\u00a0Jazmyn Summers<\/strong>\u00a0was on the scene for Radio One, capturing the cinematic magic.<\/p>\n

Among the evening\u2019s biggest draws was actor and filmmaker\u00a0Devale Ellis<\/strong>, who stars in\u00a0Old Gray Mare<\/strong>, directed by Courtney Glaud\u00e9. But the conversation with Ellis quickly moved beyond his latest acting role into something much more personal: Black love, fatherhood, marriage, family and the lessons he has carried from the generations before him.<\/p>\n

Devale Ellis on Black Love, Family and Finding His Soulmate<\/strong><\/em><\/h3>\n

Ellis and his wife,\u00a0Kadeen Ellis<\/strong>, have built a public presence around their marriage and family that challenges some of the stereotypes surrounding Black relationships and fatherhood.<\/p>\n

For Ellis, that mission begins at home.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat really inspired that is my family,\u201d he explained. \u201cI come from a lineage of really good men.\u201d<\/p>\n

He recalled growing up surrounded by fathers, grandfathers and uncles who provided their families with something he now considers invaluable: \u201cTheir biggest message to me was to protect the queen.\u201d<\/p>\n

His grandmother was always cared for, he said, as was his mother. Ellis wanted to carry that same philosophy into his own marriage and family while pushing back against a narrative he believes too often ignores Black fathers who are present, loving and deeply involved.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey make it seem like Black fathers don\u2019t exist,\u201d he said. \u201cThe narrative is that we\u2019re not here, but that\u2019s the farthest thing from the truth.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ellis sees his own family life as a way of showing another reality.<\/p>\n

\u201cI just want to walk in my truth and show people that I\u2019m not the anomaly,\u201d he said. \u201cBlack fatherhood is everywhere around us.\u201d<\/p>\n

And that same philosophy extends to his marriage.<\/p>\n

Asked how he and Kadeen keep their relationship fresh after so many years together, Ellis didn\u2019t offer a complicated formula.<\/p>\n

\u201cBeing honest with each other, constantly dating each other, giving each other grace to change,\u201d he said.\u201cI think I was just lucky to find my soulmate. I can\u2019t really give you rules. I just know that I love her more than anything. So I\u2019m willing to do whatever it takes to keep that love alive. She\u2019s willing to do the same, so it\u2019s both of us. \u201c<\/p>\n

That\u2019s my baby yo, since we were 18,\u201d he shared. \u201cThat\u2019s 26 years.\u201d<\/p>\n

That kind of longevity is impressive enough. But Ellis also has a story about romance that would be difficult to top.<\/p>\n

The best date he ever planned for his wife wasn\u2019t technically a date at all. It happened during the COVID-19 quarantine in 2020, when the couple was supposed to celebrate their 10th wedding anniversary with a vow renewal.<\/p>\n

The pandemic changed those plans.<\/p>\n

So Ellis improvised.<\/p>\n

Knowing that Kadeen\u2019s favorite artist is\u00a0Jamie Foxx<\/strong>, and that he knew Foxx\u2019s manager, Ellis made a call.<\/p>\n

\u201cI called Jamie,\u201d he recalled. \u201cI said, \u2018Jamie, we can\u2019t get out the house. Can you drive by and do a song? You can just sing for my wife.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Foxx had an even better idea.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe did a whole video singing her favorite song, \u2018Heaven,\u2019 for my wife and our anniversary,\u201d Ellis said. \u201cI don\u2019t think I could ever top that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Asked about his bad habits, Ellis offered an answer with a laugh.<\/p>\n

\u201cSome people think it\u2019s a bad habit, \u201cI\u2019m big on the greenery,\u201d he admitted. \u201cIt\u2019s like smoking a vegetable. That\u2019s what I tell myself. All right, don\u2019t judge me.\u201d<\/p>\n

And then there is his pet peeve.<\/p>\n

Ellis said he has no problem with fans approaching him. What bothers him is being secretly recorded without being acknowledged.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not that guy. I love people. I\u2019ll take a video. I\u2019ll call your best friend, but please no recording me when I\u2019m not watching. Just ask\u201d<\/p>\n

Ellis is also turning the lessons he learned about manhood and parenting from his family into a book \u201cRaising Kings\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

It is a natural extension of what Ellis was bringing to\u00a0Surrounded By Stories<\/em>: using his own experience to challenge narratives, create conversations and show audiences a fuller picture of Black family life.<\/p>\n

Tristan \u201cMack\u201d Wilds Wants More Voices at the Table<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Wilds isn\u2019t just one of the architects of the showcase. He was also part of one of its featured films,\u00a0The Last Worker<\/strong>, alongside\u00a0Naturi Naughton.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The film, written and directed by Naughton, asks an increasingly urgent question: What happens when artificial intelligence begins running everything?<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat happens in the world once we let AI start running everything?\u201d Wilds asked. \u201cWhat happens to us as people?\u201d<\/p>\n

The film brings a thriller edge to the showcase, but Naughton\u2019s larger creative vision reaches into questions about AI, sexual assault and the impact of technology on humanity.<\/p>\n

For Wilds, however, the larger story of the evening remains the opportunity itself.<\/p>\n

\u201cMan, the highlight, giving platforms to up and coming creatives,\u201d he gushed. \u201cI do what I do just so that not only could I create more opportunities for myself, for my family, for my friends, but for people who don\u2019t necessarily always have a voice.\u201d<\/p>\n

That philosophy is essentially the heartbeat of\u00a0Surrounded By Stories<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Wilds and Cally know firsthand what it means to navigate a film festival circuit where filmmakers can hear \u201cno\u201d repeatedly before finally getting that one yes.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe wanted to create an opportunity for filmmakers to actually showcase their work without the fear of competition or the price of admission that usually comes with jumping into these film festivals,\u201d Wilds explained. \u201cWe were trying to create a space that we wish was around when we were starting to make movies.\u201d<\/p>\n

TRENDING STORY: Naturi Naughton Takes on AI and Sexual Assault in New Film: Spills on Marriage and Her Pete Peeve<\/a><\/p>\n

TRENDING STORY: Films We Loved At The 2026 New York African Film Festival [RECAP]<\/a><\/p>\n

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That mission goes beyond simply providing a screening room.<\/p>\n

\u201cYour voice gets muted, your pockets lessened,\u201d Wilds said of the traditional industry pipeline. \u201cThere\u2019s so many different hands in your works, your creative ideas and the money that you can actually gain from it. We wanted to give filmmakers their power back.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cally was equally direct.<\/p>\n

\u201cMan, we got to do it. We\u2019re doing it because nobody else wanted to do it,\u201d he said. \u201cA lot of these film festivals have become a little bit predatory.\u201d<\/p>\n

And when asked whether\u00a0Surrounded By Stories<\/em>\u00a0is intentionally a Black film event, Cally didn\u2019t hesitate.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes. we\u2019re doing it for our culture so that our culture can have a place to story tell in an organic way and really be appreciated.\u201d<\/p>\n

Andre Royo Finds the Joy in the Difficult Moments<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The showcase also brought together two actors with a special connection to\u00a0The Wire<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Andre Royo, beloved by fans for his unforgettable portrayal of Bubbles, was there with\u00a0Fragments of Joy<\/strong>, his deeply personal film about his mother and the early stages of Alzheimer\u2019s.<\/p>\n

Written and directed by Royo, the film stars\u00a0Maria Broom, Andre Royo\u00a0<\/strong>and\u00a0Kristina Klebe<\/strong>\u00a0and is executive produced by\u00a0Don Cheadle<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Royo described the project as an intensely personal experience.<\/p>\n

\u201cFragments of Joy is a personal experience about me and my mom sharing a moment and understanding that she\u2019s about to deal with Alzheimer\u2019s,\u201d he disclosed. \u201cI\u2019m about to deal with Alzheimer\u2019s as a caregiver and just getting ready and being present.\u201d<\/p>\n

He wasn\u2019t simply making a film about caregiving. He was using filmmaking to process his own experience.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wanted to share it as therapeutic for myself,\u201d Royo shared.<\/p>\n

The 15-minute film captures those unsettling moments when something begins to change and both a parent and child are forced to recognize what is happening.<\/p>\n

Royo\u2019s message for others facing similar circumstances is beautifully simple.<\/p>\n

\u201cFind the fragments of joy,\u201d he said, \u201cbe present, be focused, understand that it\u2019s fleeting.\u201d<\/p>\n

Allan\u00a0Houston\u2019s Story Goes Beyond Basketball<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The showcase also offered an exclusive sneak peek at filmmaker Greg Cally\u2019s documentary\u00a0The Wade and Allan Houston Story<\/strong>, centered on NBA star and New York Knicks legend Alan Houston and his father,\u00a0Wade Houston.<\/strong><\/p>\n

For Houston, the film is far more than a basketball story.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it\u2019s a story of love. It\u2019s a father-son story. It\u2019s a legacy story,\u201d Houston revealed.<\/p>\n

His father was a pioneer who broke barriers in the 1960s, and Houston followed his path into professional basketball, ultimately playing on what he called \u201cthe biggest stage in sports,\u201d Madison Square Garden.<\/p>\n

But the documentary explores what happens beyond the court.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a story of a pioneer who broke barriers back in the \u201960s and led his teams, led his family, and then his son comes and wants to follow in his footsteps and not just in sports, but just as a leader, as a person of faith,\u201d Houston said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a story of all fatherhood,\u201d Houston said. \u201cMost importantly, God the father, and that\u2019s where we get our principles and values from, and that\u2019s what we\u2019re trying to pour down to the next generation so they can impact their generation.\u201d<\/p>\n

A Lineup Built Around Different Kinds of Black Stories<\/strong><\/p>\n

The breadth of\u00a0Surrounded By Stories<\/em>\u00a0was part of its strength.<\/p>\n

The showcase featured:<\/p>\n