YCBA is based on the idea of the Kia Boys,

and what human stories are behind people making questionable decisions.

The film follows Nessa over the course of one night as her mother’s Sickle Cell condition turns critical. Faced with a lapsed insurance policy and a system that offers no safety net, Nessa is met with an impossible ultimatum: she must pay for the treatment by morning or watch the system turn its back.

This short film explores friendship and survival through the quiet weight of a family whose backs are against the wall. Proving that when the system fails, the ripple effect is a tragedy of events that can touch everyone.

Style, Format, and Approach

The story is spoon fed to the audience through following a trail of interwoven relationships as we enter Nessa’s world and observe how survival mode at different stages of life and social positioning shows up in each character differently. The film takes place over a single night into dawn, and the visual approach mirrors that urgency.  As a working Director of Photography, I’ve shot-listed every scene of YCBA Short Film. I’m a fan of becoming entranced when I watch a project. Pull me into your world, seamlessly lead me through the story and move me. Make me laugh, cry, bring my blood to a boil, and make my heart melt all in the same film. This is my approach to story telling. Though my project is short, I’ve crafted it over the past 4 years to evoke empathy in seeing the chameleon character of any inner city. The film closes with a fourth wall break, shifting from observation to confrontation, asking the audience to reflect and sit with the film's message.

"As a filmmaker, I am fascinated by the Domino Effect. We often look at the final result of a person’s choice and blame the city or the culture, without asking what pushed the first piece." — Director Ambria Cornelius

What Makes This Project Unique and How It Benefits Society

Sickle Cell disease affects approximately 9 out of every 10 Black Americans, and it remains one of the most underfunded and underrepresented conditions in both medicine and media.

This film does not lecture about healthcare inequity. It drops the audience into the middle of it and lets them feel what a family feels when you're dealing with this type of health disparity and what situations may arise when the system says no.

What makes this story unique is that it refuses to separate the personal from the systemic. There are no villains in this film, only people doing what they believe they must.

The title of the film itself poses a question that the audience sits with: You Could Blame Atlanta, challenging you to look deeper and ask, “What really pushed the first domino?”

My Relationship to the Material

I’m fascinated by the Domino Effect. We often look at the final result of a person’s choice and blame the city or the culture, without asking what pushed the first piece. The realities this film depicts are not abstract to me. I have watched families in my community face impossible decisions when the systems meant to protect them fall short. As both a writer and director, the belief that narrative film has the power to move audiences beyond statistics and into the lived experience of the people most affected is what drives me. Entertaining while enlightening and educating the audience is my career goal as a filmmaker.

Like Nessa, I am also a carrier for sickle cell, as is my father & many of my predecessors. It has always been peculiar to me that in the back of my mind, if I decide to have a family then it’s best for the other parent to not be a carrier for the health of the hypothetical child, a variable to always consider while choosing a mate based on uncontrollable factors. 

An interesting weight to carry through life, one that, if irresponsibly mishandled or ignored, has the potential to set off a lifelong ripple effect. This is part of the message I want to convey; through TJ, Nessa's younger brother with sickle cell and his prosthetic leg, the weight that Nessa involuntarily carries as a carrier and caretaker, and finally the symbolic root of their matriarch, who is herself affected and may not have known any better.

Mood & Tone

I am collaborating with DP Thomas “BJ” Williams-El II to create a visual language that mirrors this tension. Our goal is to push the audience past face value, whether it is a pair of Black Air Forces or a prosthetic leg, and see the human being underneath. Integrating gritty contrasting visuals with a raw and honest story.

YCBA is currently in active pre production. The script has been developed over the past three years, and we are now raising the funds needed to move the film into production and completion.

Budget

Contributions from this campaign will be used to secure final locations, support cast and crew labor, cover wardrobe and production logistics, provide meals and on set support, and complete post production including editing, sound design, color, and music licensing. More details can be found below:

The budget for You Could Blame Atlanta covers Production Labor and Cast shooting for 5 production days: 3 nights & 2 day during mid-spring. The script covers the span of 1 night with multiple external locations. To help with equipment rentals, all crew member's, aside from the gaffer, are providing their gear for no additional cost to reinforce achieving the desired look. Locations & Sets allow us to build an authentic, gritty world that feels as real as the city itself. Post-Production is where the story is truly polished and the pacing to leave a lasting impact on the audience. Sound design is in the Post-production budget as well as music-licensing and Color grading. Production Support (like logistics and "crafty") is how we ensure 1 hot nutritional meal per day + sustainable snacks throughout the shoot. This helps us provide a safe, and respectful environment for the cast, crew, and community members helping us tell this story. Each category is vital to moving the needle from a simple script to a cinematic experience that can spark dialogue about Sickle Cell and systemic neglect on the international festival stage.

If fully funded, YCBA will shoot in late spring 2026, move through post production in summer and fall 2026, and begin its festival submission run in 2027. This campaign is the bridge between a developed script and a finished short film ready for audiences, festivals, and community screenings.

Distribution Plans

We are looking at a strategic festival run beginning in 2027 following completion of post production in fall 2026. The film will first be submitted to high prestige international short film festivals such as the Sundance Film Festival and the Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival. If selected, these festivals provide significant visibility and can position the film for a broader international run.

If not selected for premiere at those events, the film will target other Academy Award qualifying festivals including the Atlanta Film Festival, Aspen Shortsfest, Palm Springs International ShortFest, and the LA Shorts International Film Festival.

Alongside this effort, the project will be submitted to Black led and culturally aligned festivals such as BronzeLens Film Festival, BlackStar Film Festival, and Martha’s Vineyard African American Film Festival to build audience momentum, cultural impact, and industry visibility.

Following the festival circuit, we are planning community screenings in Atlanta with reserved seats for students and Sickle Cell patients, creating space for dialogue around healthcare access and the lived experiences that shape the choices young people face. At the end of the festival circuit, we want to explore distribution partnerships to extend the film’s reach.

Closing Remarks

By supporting You Could Blame Atlanta, you are helping bring a community rooted, independent story to the screen. One that examines healthcare inequality, systemic neglect, and the strength it takes to survive when the systems meant to protect you fail. It exists to challenge stereotypes by displaying the forks in the road that arise when the societal odds outweigh reasonable thinking.

To honor the community behind this film,

we are building an interactive Digital Domino Wall on our website.

Every supporter, regardless of contribution amount, becomes a domino on this wall. It is a visual record of the people who stood together to ensure this story was told. When you contribute, your name is added to the chain, symbolizing that without your support, the sequence would not be complete.

For this project, we are collaborating with the BEEC for Fiscal Sponsorship

The Black Entertainment Economic Council is a 501(c)(3) membership organization serving the black entertainment community. 

The BEEC works directly with and within the community to facilitate organization, strategy and growth

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