Here’s #Matter, a short film written by Idris Goodwin and directed and produced by J. Cody Spellman.  The short film stars Kimberly Vaughn and Ryan Hake.

After a feud on social media between two old friends, Cole attempts to find common understanding with Kim. What starts as a discussion on the meaning of the phrases “black lives matter” and “all lives matter”, quickly turns into a tough examination of the incredibly different lives they lived while growing up. #Matter is an intimate meditation on how difficult it is for people to have conversations on race and privilege, especially when those conversations shed light on the historical and societal impact that white people have had on people of color. 

#Matter was originally written by Goodwin, an award-winning playwright and directed by Spellman as a stage play through Jackalope Theatre Company’s Living Newspaper Festival in 2015. The play has since been presented across the United States and the United Kingdom. The play had always resonated with Spellman from the way the subject matter was presented and wanted to make Idris’s words more accessible to the world, which inspired him to make a filmed version. #Matter was shot on the iPhone 5S in homage to the impact that technology has had on the Black Lives Matter movement.

#Matter features music from  “Chasin Rallies” by Mykele Deville. Sound mixing was by Eddie Rodriguez. 

You can view it below: