FOR AHKEEM
Directed/Co-Produced by Jeremy S. Levine | Directed by Landon Van Soest | Produced by Iyabo Boyd and Nicholas Weissman | Executive Produced by Jeff Truesdell | Edited by Lily Henderson | Field Produced by Bradley Rayford | Production Company: Transient Pictures
“Masterful…shows us the undeniable power of cinema.”
“A special achievement…As close as documentaries come to putting us inside the mind of someone who society easily overlooks.”
“One of the most powerful documentaries ever crafted about the current nature of race relations in America. ”
“For Ahkeem is THE millennial documentary on Black girlhood.”
SYNOPSIS
After a school fight lands 17-year old Daje Shelton in a court-supervised alternative high school, she’s determined to turn things around and make a better future for herself in her rough St. Louis neighborhood. But focusing on school is tough as she loses multiple friends to gun violence, falls in love for the first time, and becomes pregnant with a boy, Ahkeem, just as Ferguson erupts a few miles down the road. Through Daje’s intimate coming-of-age story, For Ahkeem illuminates challenges that many Black teenagers face in America today, and witnesses the strength, resilience, and determination it takes to survive.
HIGHLIGHTS
Top 10 List in Entertainment Weekly (“Must List”) and People Magazine (“People Pick”)
Daje Shelton named on the Cinema Eye Honors List of “Unforgettables” in 2017, subjects that “helped to define documentary cinema in 2017” – IndieWire
Winner of 12 awards—including 8 “Best Feature Documentary” awards—and an official Selection of over 60 film festivals
Opened theatrically in 10 cities and broadcast on PBS
Streaming on Hulu and Sundance Now
96% rating on Rotten Tomatoes
