Boxed In (2022)

Love. Hate. Isolation. Hope. BOXED IN is the story of many told through the heartache and empowerment of one young girl - KALILAH JAMES, confident, witty, outgoing...at least she used to be. Everything changed when her parents, KENDRICK and JALEESA, decided that their brilliant daughter, who dreams of being a robotics engineer, deserved the best head start money could buy. New neighborhood, new school, new friends - a trifecta of terror for any tween, but for the only dark-skinned student at a predominantly white STEM school in an elite, predominantly white suburb even customary events, like picture day, can be traumatic and taking extreme measures to fit in, can seem logical. BOXED IN's impressive mélange of talented actors includes New York City's own, Grammy-nominated, singer/songwriter Renee Neufville, founding member of the platinum-selling R&B group Zhané, and writer of the duo's many hit songs including "Hey Mr. DJ", "Groove Thang", and "Sending My Love" - which have been licensed and re-recorded by notable artists like Childish Gambino (a.k.a. Donald Glover) and Beyonce's protégé's Chloe x Halle. Renee was also the lead vocalist for RH Factor, the Grammy-nominated Jazz collective founded by the late, great Roy Hargrove. With a stellar career that has and continues to take her to stages around the world, and includes songwriting, performing and acting collaborations with renowned, Grammy Award-winning artists like Common, Jon Batiste, Robert Glasper, and the late Aaliyah and Gil Scott Heron, it's no surprise that Renee's more intentional foray into acting has been seamless and her portrayal of JALEESA JAMES, our story's proud, dynamic yet vulnerable and complicated mother, is simply fantastic. Filled with tender and teachable moments, BOXED IN explores the emotional impact of Eurocentric beauty standards from a multigenerational perspective and the spectrum of microaggressions, from colorism to mispronounced names, that continue to wield immense power over how Black women and girls perceive ourselves and others. But it is also a window into a few timeless truths: there's an emotional conflict for Black parents when we 'move on up' into places and spaces where our kids are often left out, ally-ship is critical in the fight for all forms of equality, the notion of feeling alone and different in new surroundings is a universal sentiment, regardless of age or ethnicity, and last, but certainly not least, it is absolutely essential that all parents continuously reaffirm for our children and for ourselves that wherever, whenever, and however we show up in this world...We. Are. Enough. Throw in an impressive array of iconic dolls, and you have a unique and compelling short film that ends on a hopeful and surprising note.