Join us for our next installment of Afro-Picks, a CCCADI a virtual talk series that highlights emerging filmmakers and films set in the communities of the African Diaspora.
Our June event will feature the film “Pier Kids” which follows three gay and transgender homeless youths on the streets of New York. Caught up in the precariousness of survival and self-preservation, they seek refuge at Christopher Street Pier forging their own chosen family.
View scenes from the film and take part in this live discussion with filmmaker Elegance Bratton and our host Major Nesby.
All month long CCCADI is honoring our ancestors who longed for and learned of their stolen freedom on June 19, 1865. We seek to continue embodying their legacy of resilience by celebrating our community’s ability to create, to inspire and to love, freely.
Revisit this page at the time of the event to watch live. You can participate in the live Q&A session with the filmmaker by viewing the event on our CCCADI Facebook or Youtube.
Elegance Bratton is an award-winning and boundary-breaking director, writer and producer. He began making films as a US Marine after a spending a decade homeless on the streets of New York. He has grown into one of the most trailblazing artists of his time. As a member of the LGBTQ+ community, his work captures stories untold with honesty and verité.
In 2021, Bratton won the Film Independent Truer Than Fiction Spirit Award which is presented to an emerging director of non-fiction features who has not yet received significant recognition.
His nonfiction feature debut, “Pier Kids” has played more than 50 film festivals worldwide and received praise for its raw and truthful portrayal of survival and self-preservation on the streets of New York City as seen through the eyes of three LGBTQ+ young people of color.
He made his television debut as the creator and executive producer of the Viceland television series “My House.” The 10-episode series was nominated in the category for Outstanding Documentary at the 2019 GLAAD Media Awards. The series is currently available on Hulu.
His short film, “Buck,” premiered domestically at Sundance 2020 and the London Film Festival (BFI)2020. His short film debut, “Walk for Me” was the winner of the 2017 Mexico International Film Festival Gold Palm Award and is available on Amazon Prime Video.
Bratton holds a B.S. from Columbia University (2014) and M.F.A. from NYU Tisch Graduate Film (2019). He resides in New York.