Black Film: Unscreened & Unstreamed, Lake Merritt Monster & NOSEEUMS at Oakstop – Oakland, CA

The Lake Merritt Monster, Ben Mulhound, 16:16 short, TALK BACK at the end of screenings.

Ollie Henderson is celebrating his birthday with his mom, Rebecca, when, on their way home, they are attacked by something in the darkness. Ollie screams for help, trying to hold on to his Mom, but she is ripped from his arms and dragged into Lake Merritt. Ollie’s dad, Baldemar, an Oakland Police Officer, arrives on the scene. He searches the area for answers, but a visibly shaken Ollie can only utter one word – “Monster.”

 Three years later, and the scene still haunts Ollie’s nightmares. He feels his mother’s disappearance is his fault, and is filled with shame that he did not fight to protect her. Determined to make things right, Ollie is constantly searching for his mother and for clues that might lead him to the mythical Lake Merritt Monster. Along with his friends Ham, App, and Heiro, Ollie devises a plan to find and kill the beast, not realizing the cost to his friends and family. It’s only with a little help from a monster-hunting Granny that Ollie learns his family’s own legacy with monsters – one that his mother was hoping to pass down to him. Armed with renewed strength, ingenuity, and the knowledge of his own role as a next-generation monster hunter, Ollie sets off on one last mission to defeat the Monster and find his mother.  TRAILER: https://vimeo.com/917235477?share=copy

NOSEEUMS, DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT, Raven DeShay Carter, feature

When Jason-Michael approached me with this fresh story concept, the story immediately

compelled me. Originally titled Biting Midges, I loved the themes of property, ancestral

ties, and female rage. Little did I know we’d be pitching the concept to Torchlight Studios

a few weeks later. And little did I know, my mind would go into overdrive in the pitching

room as I frantically stated why our story concept was the best one for Torchlight to invest

in.

An independent Ember (20s) studies in a library with Jasmine, her exuberant best friend.

Ember’s womanizing ex-boyfriend, Paul, appears suddenly. Tessa, Ember’s edgy, Asian-

American roommate arrives, intersecting the awkward situation with a weekend trip

they’ve planned with Tessa’s two other white “friends. ” Jasmine’s skeptical, reminding

Ember just how horrible Tessa’s stuck-up peers are. Eager to decompress, Ember

ditches Jasmine anyway for what she imagines will be a fun weekend.