Screen-Centered.com

By: Myriam Akbar I’ve always loved bite-sized storytelling, whether on the screen or page. Since I was a child, anthologies have been one of my favorite narrative forms. Twilight Zone, Goosebumps, Creepshow, Trilogy of Terror, Tales From the Hood . Contained, thematic, and addictive. This pushed me to study short stories while pursuing my degree in Literature and Creative Writing. However, strangely enough, it wasn’t until about a year ago that I began watching short films. As a script writer and an aspiring filmmaker, it only made sense that I study that narrative form in addition to full-length projects. It has been such a fun and rewarding experience.  In honor of BHM, I have compiled a list of short films featuring Black talent–whether it be lead actors or filmmakers. WAKE by Bree Newsome; for example, is a favorite of mine that I’ve been rewatching every year. The films on this list are mostly of the horror genre but there’s also some thriller, comedy, and sci-fi mixed in. Th...

By: Myriam Akbar HIM is a supernatural cult horror film directed by Justin Tipping and produced by Jordan Peele. On a surface level, the plot follows a rising football star named Cameron who goes to remote grounds for an intense mentorship after an injury that could end his career. However within that, supernatural elements and religious allegory are used to examine the obsessive and exploitative nature of American football culture. Following its release, reviews were initially negative in terms of online discourse but became divisive as more people watched the film. Rotten Tomatoes gave it a 56% score based on 1000+ verified ratings, impacting the overall reception of the film. Often people use these scores to determine whether they’re going to watch in theaters or wait for streaming–sometimes whether they’re going to watch at all. From what I gathered, viewers had issues with the cohesiveness of the story, lack of scares, relatability to the characters, and multitude of complex theme...