Black & Blue
New York City, New York | Film Short
Horror, Music
In this Afro-surrealist tale, Coltrane, a gifted saxophonist haunted by trauma, struggles to stay paid and relevant in Harlem’s speakeasy scene. One drunken night, she plays for a mysterious presence promising to "feed her soul and lick her wounds"— but its price may be her sanity, safety, and self.
Black & Blue
New York City, New York | Film Short
Horror, Music
1 Campaigns | New York, United States
Green Light
This campaign raised $9,810 for production. Follow the filmmaker to receive future updates on this project.
106 supporters | followers
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In this Afro-surrealist tale, Coltrane, a gifted saxophonist haunted by trauma, struggles to stay paid and relevant in Harlem’s speakeasy scene. One drunken night, she plays for a mysterious presence promising to "feed her soul and lick her wounds"— but its price may be her sanity, safety, and self.
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
Black and Blue is an Afro-surrealist Horror short film.
Coltrane, a talented young artist grappling with childhood trauma, is struggling to stay relevant and paid while regularly performing in a speakeasy in Harlem. After consecutive unsuccessful nights, she’s left drunk, with one 50 dollar bill to her name and her saxophone. Maybe it’s the liquor, but she finds herself performing for someone or something that claims it can “feed her soul and lick her wounds.” But it doesn’t come alone, and the cost is Coltrane’s sanity and security.
Moodboard
Why ME?
I rarely see black women leading in the horror or jazz world, and I’m determined to change that. As a black artist shaped by women and the surreal experience of simply existing in this world, I know this story because I live it. Black and Blue is deeply personal, because it is rooted in my lived experience of gentrification, cultural erasure, and the haunting beauty of being both seen and misunderstood. Afro-surrealism and horror aren’t just genres to me, they’re the exact languages this story needs. With your support, I can bring this vision to life and help redefine who gets to be the hero, the villain, and everything in between.
Why THIS?
This story is a celebration of our joy, or soul, and of all the things we couldn’t say, but put into our music. My story is cautionary reckoning with integrity and dreams and the cost of selling your soul. All in one of the many places jazz calls home.
Why NOW?
Right now. History is being erased. Buildings renamed. Books banned. Right now. People are being removed from their homes. The very things we hold on to for joy, peace, rebellion, the arts, are being censored. This is the time to make art that not only starts a conversation, but ignites the fire inside to be steadfast about your individuality, your humanity, your creativity. Why not now?
Why YOU?
If your taste leans toward the bold, the surreal, and the soulful—Black & Blue is calling you. This genre-bending Afro-surrealist horror honors the legacy of Black musicians who shaped and cultivated the foundation of music, and explores the cost of artistic brilliance. Your donation helps bring to life a story that disrupts the norm, centers Black women, and blurs the lines between horror and heritage. Every contribution fuels a vision that dares to be different. Help us make something unforgettable. Help us make noise that can’t be silenced.
Our Characters
Where We Are & How This Campaign Moves Us Forward
Black & Blue is currently in pre-production, with an early fall 2025 shoot planned (2 days principal, 1 day pickups/B-roll). We are securing camera, sound, and G&E equipment, and our all-women-of-color team is volunteering time and resources. This campaign is our first major fundraising push. We need $12,250 to cover essentials like equipment, locations, meals, production design, and transportation. Reaching this goal will greenlight our shoot and allow us to fully bring the film to life.
When & How You'll See the Film
We aim to complete post-production by Winter 2025/early 2026 and begin a festival run focused on Black storytelling, music-centered narratives, and women filmmakers (BlackStar, Urbanworld, New Orleans Film Festival, and more). We'll also host community screenings at historic Harlem venues like the National Jazz Museum, Room 623, and Bill’s Place, locations that inspired the film. Post-festival, we plan to pursue digital distribution, educational licensing, and museum partnerships.
Stretch Goals
If we surpass 100% funding, stretch goals will help us:
- Pay our crew and actors
- License jazz tracks for the score
- Expand our community screening series
- Bolster post-production (editing, sound mixing, color grading)
Look & Mood
Ever seen a horror film set in Harlem’s jazz scene? Me neither. Let’s change that.
Pledge what you can every dollar brings us closer to production!
Follow our campaign for exclusive updates & sneak peeks
Share this project with friends, artists, and jazz/horror lovers!
Our Film References
Round Midnight (1986)
Candyman (2021)
Sorry To Bother You (2018)
Don’t miss your cue, join the band!
Support Black & Blue and help us bring this haunting Harlem jazz tale to life.
Follow the rhythm, follow the story:
@blackxbluefilm
linktr.ee/blackandblueshort
Hit that follow button, make a pledge, and stay tuned. This set is just getting started.
Still here? Here's BTS and stills from the director's previous work, Lovely:
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Meals for Cast & Crew
Costs $1,250
Feeding our team is essential to keeping morale high and energy strong during long shoot days.
Location Fees
Costs $3,000
Authentic Harlem jazz spaces are key to grounding Black & Blue in the jazz culture that inspired it. Our inspo: Room 623, Bill's Place, JMIH
Crafty (On-Set Snacks & Drinks)
Costs $800
Keeping snacks and drinks on set helps our cast and crew stay energized, hydrated, and sharp throughout the shoot
Transportation
Costs $1,400
Getting our people and gear safely to set is non-negotiable. These funds help cover Ubers, van rentals, and equipment transport across NYC.
Set Design
Costs $2,000
Black & Blue takes place in a visually surreal version of Harlem. Set design funds help us build an immersive world with props and details.
Hair & Makeup
Costs $800
Our characters move between reality and dreamlike distortion—hair & makeup are vital tools for our surrealist visual storytelling
Equipment Rentals
Costs $3,000
Luckily, we have some equipment on hand, but additional rentals will be necessary to fully bring Black & Blue's creative vision to life.
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
Meet the Writer-Director
Nyah Anderson, with her own unique perspective and innovative creativity, is a filmmaker and multi-hyphenate artist, who has always believed that she has the capacity to do many things. She was born and raised in New Jersey, and currently based in the Tri-state. Nyah recently graduated from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, dual-minoring in Music and Child Adolescent Mental Health Studies (CAMS). Her art style showcases the complexity of black people, specifically black women. "We are not monolithic,” says Anderson. She believes life is beautifully complicated, and she strives to capture every moment of it.
Meet the Producers
Pamela Diaz is a Bronx-born and raised producer, writer, and actor who creates work that honors the layered realities of Afro-Latinx identity and reflects on The Common Thread: The Universality of the Human Experience. She has had the pleasure of producing Among the Wounded, which premiered at the New York Short Film Festival, Big Apple Festival, and Northeast Horror Film Fest. Since earning her BFA in Drama from New York University, she has performed in projects such as In the Bronx Brown Girls Can See Stars Too and Venus in Transit.
Zahri Josita Jackson is a filmmaker and actor from PG County, MD, whose work explores themes of loneliness Black woman- and girlhood, and mental wellness. While performing in works for HBO, Disney+, and Netflix and formerly co-directing the digital zine, TEAM Mag, Zahri was honored as a 2021 Gucci Changemaker, and landed roles at Culture.House Media and Paramount+. Zahri earned her BFA in Film & Television from New York University.
Zahri’s debut short film, In My Garden, had its World Premiere at the Black Film Festival of New Orleans and its New York premiere at the Chelsea Film Festival in 2023. She is currently in post-production for her sophomore film, $FREE.99, produced in partnership with the Gucci Creative Fellows Program.
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
Black and Blue is an Afro-surrealist Horror short film.
Coltrane, a talented young artist grappling with childhood trauma, is struggling to stay relevant and paid while regularly performing in a speakeasy in Harlem. After consecutive unsuccessful nights, she’s left drunk, with one 50 dollar bill to her name and her saxophone. Maybe it’s the liquor, but she finds herself performing for someone or something that claims it can “feed her soul and lick her wounds.” But it doesn’t come alone, and the cost is Coltrane’s sanity and security.
Moodboard
Why ME?
I rarely see black women leading in the horror or jazz world, and I’m determined to change that. As a black artist shaped by women and the surreal experience of simply existing in this world, I know this story because I live it. Black and Blue is deeply personal, because it is rooted in my lived experience of gentrification, cultural erasure, and the haunting beauty of being both seen and misunderstood. Afro-surrealism and horror aren’t just genres to me, they’re the exact languages this story needs. With your support, I can bring this vision to life and help redefine who gets to be the hero, the villain, and everything in between.
Why THIS?
This story is a celebration of our joy, or soul, and of all the things we couldn’t say, but put into our music. My story is cautionary reckoning with integrity and dreams and the cost of selling your soul. All in one of the many places jazz calls home.
Why NOW?
Right now. History is being erased. Buildings renamed. Books banned. Right now. People are being removed from their homes. The very things we hold on to for joy, peace, rebellion, the arts, are being censored. This is the time to make art that not only starts a conversation, but ignites the fire inside to be steadfast about your individuality, your humanity, your creativity. Why not now?
Why YOU?
If your taste leans toward the bold, the surreal, and the soulful—Black & Blue is calling you. This genre-bending Afro-surrealist horror honors the legacy of Black musicians who shaped and cultivated the foundation of music, and explores the cost of artistic brilliance. Your donation helps bring to life a story that disrupts the norm, centers Black women, and blurs the lines between horror and heritage. Every contribution fuels a vision that dares to be different. Help us make something unforgettable. Help us make noise that can’t be silenced.
Our Characters
Where We Are & How This Campaign Moves Us Forward
Black & Blue is currently in pre-production, with an early fall 2025 shoot planned (2 days principal, 1 day pickups/B-roll). We are securing camera, sound, and G&E equipment, and our all-women-of-color team is volunteering time and resources. This campaign is our first major fundraising push. We need $12,250 to cover essentials like equipment, locations, meals, production design, and transportation. Reaching this goal will greenlight our shoot and allow us to fully bring the film to life.
When & How You'll See the Film
We aim to complete post-production by Winter 2025/early 2026 and begin a festival run focused on Black storytelling, music-centered narratives, and women filmmakers (BlackStar, Urbanworld, New Orleans Film Festival, and more). We'll also host community screenings at historic Harlem venues like the National Jazz Museum, Room 623, and Bill’s Place, locations that inspired the film. Post-festival, we plan to pursue digital distribution, educational licensing, and museum partnerships.
Stretch Goals
If we surpass 100% funding, stretch goals will help us:
- Pay our crew and actors
- License jazz tracks for the score
- Expand our community screening series
- Bolster post-production (editing, sound mixing, color grading)
Look & Mood
Ever seen a horror film set in Harlem’s jazz scene? Me neither. Let’s change that.
Pledge what you can every dollar brings us closer to production!
Follow our campaign for exclusive updates & sneak peeks
Share this project with friends, artists, and jazz/horror lovers!
Our Film References
Round Midnight (1986)
Candyman (2021)
Sorry To Bother You (2018)
Don’t miss your cue, join the band!
Support Black & Blue and help us bring this haunting Harlem jazz tale to life.
Follow the rhythm, follow the story:
@blackxbluefilm
linktr.ee/blackandblueshort
Hit that follow button, make a pledge, and stay tuned. This set is just getting started.
Still here? Here's BTS and stills from the director's previous work, Lovely:
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Meals for Cast & Crew
Costs $1,250
Feeding our team is essential to keeping morale high and energy strong during long shoot days.
Location Fees
Costs $3,000
Authentic Harlem jazz spaces are key to grounding Black & Blue in the jazz culture that inspired it. Our inspo: Room 623, Bill's Place, JMIH
Crafty (On-Set Snacks & Drinks)
Costs $800
Keeping snacks and drinks on set helps our cast and crew stay energized, hydrated, and sharp throughout the shoot
Transportation
Costs $1,400
Getting our people and gear safely to set is non-negotiable. These funds help cover Ubers, van rentals, and equipment transport across NYC.
Set Design
Costs $2,000
Black & Blue takes place in a visually surreal version of Harlem. Set design funds help us build an immersive world with props and details.
Hair & Makeup
Costs $800
Our characters move between reality and dreamlike distortion—hair & makeup are vital tools for our surrealist visual storytelling
Equipment Rentals
Costs $3,000
Luckily, we have some equipment on hand, but additional rentals will be necessary to fully bring Black & Blue's creative vision to life.
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
Meet the Writer-Director
Nyah Anderson, with her own unique perspective and innovative creativity, is a filmmaker and multi-hyphenate artist, who has always believed that she has the capacity to do many things. She was born and raised in New Jersey, and currently based in the Tri-state. Nyah recently graduated from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, dual-minoring in Music and Child Adolescent Mental Health Studies (CAMS). Her art style showcases the complexity of black people, specifically black women. "We are not monolithic,” says Anderson. She believes life is beautifully complicated, and she strives to capture every moment of it.
Meet the Producers
Pamela Diaz is a Bronx-born and raised producer, writer, and actor who creates work that honors the layered realities of Afro-Latinx identity and reflects on The Common Thread: The Universality of the Human Experience. She has had the pleasure of producing Among the Wounded, which premiered at the New York Short Film Festival, Big Apple Festival, and Northeast Horror Film Fest. Since earning her BFA in Drama from New York University, she has performed in projects such as In the Bronx Brown Girls Can See Stars Too and Venus in Transit.
Zahri Josita Jackson is a filmmaker and actor from PG County, MD, whose work explores themes of loneliness Black woman- and girlhood, and mental wellness. While performing in works for HBO, Disney+, and Netflix and formerly co-directing the digital zine, TEAM Mag, Zahri was honored as a 2021 Gucci Changemaker, and landed roles at Culture.House Media and Paramount+. Zahri earned her BFA in Film & Television from New York University.
Zahri’s debut short film, In My Garden, had its World Premiere at the Black Film Festival of New Orleans and its New York premiere at the Chelsea Film Festival in 2023. She is currently in post-production for her sophomore film, $FREE.99, produced in partnership with the Gucci Creative Fellows Program.