What's the Film About?

 Thematically, it is similar to La Haine, Sing Sing, Get Out, and Nickel Boys

Our protagonist, referred to simply as 23, is a "Licensed Civil Servant" at the home of the Selah family. In his world, prison labor can legally be contracted not only by institutions like for-profit prisons, but by individual citizens. Meaning, anyone who can afford it, can lease slave labor from the government. 23 has been biding his time, keeping his head down, trying not to make trouble so he can finish his sentence in peace, and get home to his daughter. He's got only four months left on his sentence, but when an incident at the Selah's home causes an infraction that will add much more time to his sentence, 23 becomes desperate, and decides he will do whatever he can to escape.

This story will cause audiences to re-litigate the way they feel about our carceral system, will hold a microscope up to the fact that slavery was never truly abolished in the United States, and that there are millions of people currently living in this hellish predicament. In Partnership with Black Lives Matter Paterson, this film will help to raise awareness to a far outdated institution that disproportionately affects Black men in the U.S., in the hopes of reforming that system and enacting true restorative justice.

Our film seeks to indict the dehumanization inherent in our carceral system, while honoring the dignity, agency, and humanity of those most affected by it. I truly believe you are the artist to bring this character to life to love, with care, and with honesty. 

Tonal References. Calm, quiet, slice-of-life. Very little, if any, music or sound effects. Emphasizes the mundanity, the normalcy, of institutional violence.

Visual References Below. Lots of sunlight, beautiful kaleidoscope of colors, seemingly pleasant ambience, juxtaposing the insidious nature of their circumstance.

Who's the Film About?

John, a.k.a "23," is, most importantly to him, a father. Though convicted only of a petty crime, he lives in a world where even something as small as shoplifting can lead to a life of enslavement. A gentle man with a naturally quiet disposition, the type of person children feel instantly comfortable around, he is trying his best to get home to his daughter.

The role of 23 will be played by Dushaun Thompson. Dushaun is an American actor and movement artist from Richmond. A graduate of Norfolk State University with a bachelor’s degree in Interdisciplinary Studies, he relocated to Los Angeles to pursue his career in the entertainment industry. Passionate about meaningful storytelling, Thompson is dedicated to creating work that uplifts, empowers, and resonates with audiences worldwide. Through his artistry, he strives to inspire young people to embrace their individuality and believe in the power of perseverance, purpose, and self-confidence. His credits include roles on Law & Order, ABC's The Rookie, as well as numerous films and national commercials.

Eric Selah is 23's lessee. The owner of the vineyard and head of the Selah household, he is charming when need be, sociopathic, violent, and determined to extend 23's sentence so that he can keep his services.

Marie Selah is Eric’s wife. Though not as outwardly vicious as her husband, she relishes in the fact that she can order 23 to do as she pleases, and threatens Eric’s violence if he doesn’t comply.

Valentina Selah is Eric and Marie's daughter. Naive to 23's predicament, she sees him as a live-in playmate. She's known him almost all her life and loves him as another caretaker.

Majid Jordan is 23's defense attorney. Hard-nosed and scrappy, though jaded by the system within which he’s forced to operate. He is determined to fight for 23's freedom, even if doing so could cause him to lose his own.

The Team

Tyler Brooks - Writer/Director. Tyler Brooks is an actor, writer, and director from Paterson, New Jersey. Since graduating with a degree in Creative Writing from American University, he has acted in numerous films and television shows, including CBS's Blue Bloods, the STARZ crime drama Power Book II: Ghost, Peacock's Poker Face, and the new FOX medical drama Best Medicine.

His debut narrative directorial project, Something Else Tonight won Best Short at the DC Independent Film Festival, both Best Drama and Best Overall Short at the Albany Film Festival, Best Film at the Fourth Wall Film Festival, and Best First-Time Director at the Brooklyn International Short Festival. Tyler is represented by KEY Talent Management; Amsel, Eisenstadt, Frazier & Hinojosa Talent Agency; and BookEnds Literary Agency.

 Jolene T. Carter - Producer. Jolene T. Carter is an award-winning filmmaker, photographer, musician, and jack of all trades when it comes to creative arts. Her films have screened at film festivals in the United States and internationally, including a screening at the renowned Centre Pompidou in Paris.

Born and raised in New York, Jolene is a graduate of Howard University's Masters of Fine Arts in Film program. Her body of work consists of poetic, speculative stories that thrust characters into fantastical scenarios as a way to confront their deepest flaws. In all of her art, she draws from her upbringing as a Black girl in the city, exploring the intersection of identity, faith, and culture.

As the CEO of JT Carter Productions, she creates visual media for some of the largest organizations and local businesses alike. Also a hip-hop artist and music producer, she is the founder and host of Create on Purpose, a series of open sessions to platform local artists and build community among creatives.

Reneil Alcordo - Director of Photography/Executive Producer. The founder and CEO of Reneil Alcordo Productions, Reneil is a professional videographer, photographer editor, colorist - you name it, he does it! Based in New Jersey, Reneil shoots live events, DP’s commercials, shot, edited, and executive produced Tyler’s directorial debut Something Else Tonight. He is currently in the process of shooting and editing a feature documentary entitled The Sultan of Strangles, a film detailing how a jiu-jitsu instructor transformed an inner-city community.

Previous Work by Our Team

Why Tell This Story Now?

We feel this story is especially relevant now because, with increasing rhetoric surrounding the threat of criminality, with the gutting of voting rights, attacks on immigration and the deployment of the national guard against US citizens, a fact that is often lost is the financial aspect to the desire to detain and incarcerate as many people as possible. With institutions like the Angola Prison in Louisiana operating for profit, with prisoners quite literally picking cotton while overseen by guards on horseback, to the life sentence imposed upon Sean Gathright with the express desire to use him for his "sweat equity," being that "he's young, he's healthy, in reality we need that labor," we feel this film will be not only timely, but crucial.

Why You to Tell This Story? - Director Statement

Seeing a sugarcane field as a teenager for the first time on a trip to Jamaica, where my family immigrated from, was a visceral, formative experience for me. I remember not being able to shake the feeling of, “these fields are the reason my family was brought here in chains, these fields were where they bled, where a massive fortune was made on their backs.” It was eerie, it was sinister. And oddly, it was beautiful. The green hills, the golden, cascading sunshine. The natural beauty of the landscape seemed at odds with the terrible history I knew to be true.

I remember speaking with a good friend of mine about this experience, and he told me he had a similar one coming across a cotton field in Mississippi. We remarked, however, that though it feels as though it’s a faraway history we are reaching for, the forced labor in those very same fields is indeed a thing of the present, right here in our country.

Much like our character of Valentina, we’ve all been naive, we’ve all turned a blind eye, we’ve all been comfortable living in a world so predicated upon the exploitation of others that we at times can’t even picture a world without it. Myself included.

We hope that our film will shed light on this, will invite audiences to perceive the character of 23, John, with empathy, with truth, with dignity, and understand the injustices being committed by our nation to this day, in the hopes that we can make a better change for tomorrow.

Where are you in the Process?

We're currently in pre-production and scheduled to shoot in late August 2026 in Cape May, Elizabeth, and Paterson, New Jersey. We've got an incredible multi award-winning crew, and are working to finish putting the cast together and to be approved by SAG-AFTRA. We'll then dive into the abyss of editing, color, sound design, and final touches, and be ready for festival submissions by the New Year!

One of the most fulfilling parts of making any film is sharing it with the world, particularly, with your friends, family, and the people who helped you make the film in the first place! Check out our incentives to see how contributing can grant you early access!

Contribute and Pledge!

You can help this project come to life by making a pledge. We've already secured about 50% of our fundraising goal outside of Seed& Spark, and just need your help to cover the remaining $5,000! We need to collect at least 80% of our $5,000 goal (so, $4000, for the non-math heads like myself out there) in order to keep our funds. To contribute, you could either choose an incentive from our list, or contribute to a specific wish list item. No pledge is too small!

Once we raise over our fundraising goal, those funds will go toward location costs, post-production (editing, color grading, sound design, and a composer), and most importantly, payment for our insanely talented cast and crew. It will also cover fees to submit 23 to film festivals all over the world!

HOW ELSE CAN I SUPPORT THIS FILM?

Help us get the word out! You can share a link to this page on social media to help us increase our audience and encourage your friends and family to donate. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram @23_shortfilm.