TADPOLE

During a sleepover, Chris hopes to take a risk with his friend Alex that would change their friendship.

Director Bio

Jovan James is a filmmaker and photographer from Baltimore dedicated to showing the black experience with compassion and unflinching honesty. Starting from a young age with an interest in medicine and science, he independently discovered his love for film as a teenager. James developed his love of art and storytelling as he worked his way through college at University of Maryland. He is an NYU Tisch graduate film student and recently completed his first short film, The Jump Off, which explores the end of a relationship between two young gay black men. It had its film festival debut at UrbanWorld in New York City and has played at more than 20 film festivals across North America. His most recent short film, Tadpole, debuted at New Hampshire Film Festival 2018, where it was awarded Best Student Film, with many more screenings expected throughout 2019. He is currently working on his NYU grad thesis project and is set to graduate with a Master’s degree in 2019. Taking the next step and writing his first feature film, he is determined to push the boundaries even further on black queer stories.

Plays in

SHORTS: YOUNG HEARTS RUN FREE

The next generation of LGBTQ folks foster community in spaces beyond the bars, finding strength in visibility while…