This is installment #3 of Shadow And Act’s #ShortFilmShoutout series.

We’ve heard the story of two down-and-out friends who are presented with a way to improve their lives, but have you seen the story presented via two girls from South Central? That’s the case with this week’s #ShortFilmShoutout, The Dispute.

The Illegal Civ Cinema film, shot in a portrait aspect ratio, is written by and stars Kasey Elise and Andrea Ellsworth as two best friends from around the way who, by happenstance, come into an offer for an unlimited credit card. The card presents them with the opportunity to change their lives and to finally rise up above their current situations. But, as the official description states, the journey helps them “find out what’s really important in their friendship.”

If you’re still unsure about the film from this description, then maybe one of the comments from Twitter will convince you: “Seems like an episode of Atlanta.” Indeed, the film does fit the aesthetic and vibe of a high-brow show like Atlanta, which, like this film, tells the story of Black friends trying to come up in a world seemed designed to keep them down.

The film is directed by Mikey Alfred and produced by Malcolm Washington, with cinematography by Ayinde Anderson. It also features music from rapper Aminé. The costume and makeup by Linda Stokes and Joseph Adivari respectively are their own characters in the film, defining the line between the “haves” and the “have nots,” similar to how B.A.P.S. used hair and clothing to delineate country girls Nisi (Halle Berry) and Mickey (Natalie Desselle Reid) from their posh California surroundings.

Give the film a watch and see what you think!

READ MORE:

#ShortFilmShoutout: ‘Malcolm’ Imagines What Malcolm X Would Say About 21st Century Racism

#ShortFilmShoutout: Ifeoma Nkiruka Chukwuogo’s ‘Bariga Sugar’ Follows An 8-Year-Old In Lagos

Black Filmmakers, Submit Your Film To #ShortFilmShoutout

Photo credit: Illegal Civ Cinema/YouTube

Andrea Ellsworth

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