Afrocentricity

On the surface, this collection of shorts by up-and-coming African American filmmakers arrived at a perfect time. The cutting-edge products of the New Black Cinema of the early '90s had disappeared, giving way to embarrassingly stereotypical, scatological fare such as Booty Call and Next Friday. This feature-packed compilation (which includes production notes, interviews with all of the filmmakers, and audio commentary by four) attempts to prove that African American cinema is intent on moving past the lowbrow humor, as six of the seven shorts steer clear of any comedy. Featuring: The Gift, directed by Tanya Boyd; Hip-Hop: The New World Order, directed by Muhammida El Muhaijr; Kings, directed by Niva Dorell; Breakfast at Ben's, directed by Chuck Wilson; A Gut Feeling, directed by Lee Davis; Breakdown, directed by Jeff Byrd; true., directed by Charles Stone III