Short Films by Nikyatu Jusu
5 Episodes
With her brilliant feature debut, NANNY—winner of the 2022 Sundance Grand Jury Prize—garnering acclaim, now is the perfect time to discover the smartly stylish short films of writer-director Nikyatu Jusu. By turns irreverent, provocative, powerful, and unsettling, these films—all centered on complex Black women, ranging from teenagers out for revenge (FLOWERS) to day-walking New York City vampires out for blood (SUICIDE BY SUNLIGHT)—display a masterful handling of tone, tension, and atmosphere.
-
05:31Episode 1Nikyatu Jusu Interview
Episode 1
This interview with director Nikyatu Jusu was recorded in 2022.
-
13:23Episode 2African Booty Scratcher
Episode 2
Directed by Nikyatu Jusu • 2007 • United States
Starring Ebbe Bassey, Kadane Clark, Erik GullbergProm nears and things seem to be spiraling out of control for the usually composed Isatu. In this coming-of-age story, West African tradition conflicts with American idealism and Isatu is forced to ...
-
16:54Episode 3Say Grace Before Drowning
Episode 3
Directed by Nikyatu Jusu • 2010 • United States
Starring Ebbe Bassey, Ellie Foumbi, Dennise GregoryEight-year-old Hawa is reunited with her African refugee mother after six years apart—and now finds herself living with a woman in the midst of a deep mental-health crisis.
-
Flowers
Episode 4
Directed by Nikyatu Jusu and Yvonne Michelle Shirley • 2015 • United States
Starring Amee Apedo, Belle Le Grand, Grant TambelliniTwo teenage girls in Brooklyn plot revenge against a teacher, only to see their calculated plan fall dangerously apart in this tense, complex examination of racial an...
-
17:11Episode 5Suicide by Sunlight
Episode 5
Directed by Nikyatu Jusu • 2019 • United States
Starring Natalie Paul, Teren Carter, Motell Gyn FosterProtected from the sun by her melanin, a day-walking Black vampire in New York City struggles to balance her job as a nurse, her relationship to her estranged children, and her bloodlust.
