Celebrating BAVC Media at Sundance 2025
The Sundance Film Festival 2025 is just around the corner, and we couldn’t be more excited to cheer on some incredible films from BAVC Media’s community.
These works showcase a stunning variety of stories, from a poetic look at Black farmers’ legacy in the American South to an intimate portrayal of Deaf Academy Award winner Marlee Matlin, and from an investigation of disability rights to a heartfelt exploration of chosen family.
Here’s more information about these incredible projects and the visionary BAVC Media filmmakers behind them.
Seeds a BAVC Media supported film directed by 2019 MediaMaker Fellow Brittany Shyne
An exploration of Black generational farmers in the American South reveals the fragility of legacy and the significance of owning land.
In her stunning directorial debut, Brittany Shyne crafts a poetic and poignant portrait of Black farmers in the American South. With an intimate lens, Shyne immerses us in the rhythms of everyday life. The rich black-and-white cinematography relishes simple moments — wind through hair, candy from grandma’s purse, conversations through car windows — turning them into striking vignettes that honor the families’ connection to the land and each other. A sobering statistic underscores the urgency of their story — Black farmers owned 16 million acres in 1910, but today, that number has dwindled to just a fraction. The farmers in this community struggle to access funding that white farmers nearby seem to secure with ease. The dream of continuing to pass their land to future generations is at stake, and Shyne’s portrait vividly and lovingly captures a legacy that deserves to endure. —Stephanie Owens
Life After a new documentary feature film directed by Reid Davenport (2021 MediaMaker Fellow)
In 1983, a disabled Californian woman named Elizabeth Bouvia sought the “right to die,” igniting a national debate about autonomy, dignity, and the value of disabled lives. After years of courtroom trials, Bouvia disappeared from public view. Disabled director Reid Davenport narrates this investigation of what happened to Bouvia.
Life After brings Reid Davenport back to Sundance after his 2022 Sundance Film Festival debut, I Didn’t See You There. Reid’s signature participatory approach makes this investigation both gripping and personal. His insightful perspective and evident passion build a look at one complex case into an expansive and existential exploration of the theoretical sanctity of life and the stark practical realities of disabled experience in an ableist society. Profound and unflinching, this documentary engages in philosophical terrain that is treacherous, challenging, and ultimately rich and necessary. Life After looks closely and critically at where progressive values of bodily autonomy and individual choice collide with latent fears of disability and an unequal value of the lives of disabled people. In doing so, Reid untangles an issue at the heart of our moral societal standing. —Ash Hoyle
You can also join Reid as well as award-winning podcaster Maya Chupkov at a panel discussion with filmmakers with disabilities on Saturday, January 25 at 5pm-6:30pm. Hosted at and by the National Ability Center, the event will be moderated by National Stuttering Association Salt Lake City Chapter Leader Matt Didisheim. It will be an opportunity to meet filmmakers who are passionate about telling stories of people from marginalized communities, including the disability community, and it learn more about stuttering and speech diversity.
Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore co-edited by 2017 MediaMaker Fellow, Mentor, and frequent collaborator Kristina Motwani
In 1987, Marlee Matlin became the first Deaf actor to win an Academy Award and was thrust into the spotlight at 21 years old. Reflecting on her life in her primary language of American Sign Language, Marlee explores the complexities of what it means to be a trailblazer.
Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore feels like a full-circle moment. As a child, filmmaker Shoshannah Stern was inspired to believe that a deaf woman like herself could pursue a career as an actor after seeing Matlin win her Oscar. Stern’s directorial debut is an intimate, honest, and loving conversation between two profoundly connected people that weaves together Matlin’s first-person account with interviews from those who know her best.
Matlin and the filmmaker’s genuine understanding allows them to explore the good, the bad, and the traumatic throughout Matlin’s career. From the early days and major successes to her famously tumultuous high-profile relationship, to the years of being ignored and patronized by Hollywood, and on to getting sober and repeatedly changing the game for her community — with and without their approval. —Ania Trzebiatowska
Hold Me Close a new documentary short film co-directed by Aurora Brachman (2023 MediaMaker Fellow)
A chronicle of the power and complexity of the relationship between Corinne and Tiana, two Queer Black womxn who experience cycles of life’s joys and pains together in the home they share.
Check out the full Sundance program here.
