Celebrating Black Stories (2021)

Black stories rightfully take the spotlight at NYICFF, as we highlight films that share the joy, determination, resilience and complexity of Black youth in a range of genres and styles. The films in this program are featured throughout our shorts programs and here in this curated program, underscoring the vibrancy of Black storytelling and allowing audiences to consider these works together in dialogue. In Ice Breakers, Josh Crooks is a young, gifted African-Canadian hockey player in an overwhelmingly white sport. But as he hones his talents he also discovers his passion is tied to a remarkable, though buried, heritage of Black athletes who helped pioneer modern hockey. Glowing in warm light and an attentive camera, Black Boy Joy is a beautifully filmed story of father and grandfather as they raise their young son with autism. Finally, in Broken Bird, we follow Birdie, a biracial girl raised by her Jewish mom, who spends a rare day with her father while preparing for both her Bat Mitzvah and stepping into adulthood on her own terms.