This is installment #24 of Shadow And Act’s #ShortFilmShoutout series.

The trials of assimilation rear their ugly heads when a Black CEO interviews a prospective employee in Colors of Sankofa, directed by Jalen Blot and written by Patrick Mensah-Boadi.

In Colors of Sankofa, Elyse Bempong (Tye Myers) is trying to fill a high position within her company, but she gets a shock from her childhood when Adeline (Samantha Thomas), her former bully, is the one interviewing for the position. The interview makes way for a discussion about colorism, assimilation, intra-racial discrimination, and the divide in the African diaspora.

“One theme we wanted to tackle is how colorism is perceived in the workplace,” Blot said in an interview with the Los Angeles Sentinel. “We not only see other races doing it but also our own. So in the film, we highlight how her name speaks to her work ethic. We really wanted to show how she built herself up despite the name barrier.”

The film is still currently screening on the festival circuit, including its recent showcase at the Pan African Film Festival.

READ MORE:

#ShortFilmShoutout: ‘Boxed’ Takes Viewers On Henry ‘Box’ Brown’s Harrowing Escape To Freedom

#ShortFilmShoutout: ‘Bushbaby’ Tackles Gentrification In Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn

#ShortFilmShoutout: Romantic Short ‘HOMI3S’ Perfectly Captures Awkward Run-Ins Of Millennial Dating

#ShortFilmShoutout: The Semi-Autobiographical ‘What This Place Meant’ Showcases The Notion And Emotional Toll Of Rebuilding

#ShortFilmShoutout: ‘Drive Slow’ Explores The Feeling Of Applying To College Through The Lens Of A Chicago Teen

#ShortFilmShoutout: Black Girl Magic Meets Period Piece Mystery In ‘Beauty’ #ShortFilmShoutout: The Animated Film ‘Felix’ Is A Sweet Tearjerker

#ShortFilmShoutout: ‘The Dispute’ Is ‘B.A.P.S.’ Meets ‘Atlanta,’ With A Focus On Friendship And Laid Edges

Black Filmmakers, Submit Your Film To #ShortFilmShoutout

Photo credit: Jalen Bolt

From Harlem to Hollywood, get the Black entertainment news you need in your inbox daily.

Tye Myers

Get relevant content delivered to you once a week