Filmmaker Statement

I Held Him serves as a continuation of my vulnerable appraoch to storytelling. This artistic expression uses a raw, authentic, accessible tone which pierces through the heart while speaking to difficult and sometimes unspoken themes. The topics are carefully tended to with one motto in mind: simplicity breeds beauty. The urge to tackle the subject of platonic intimacy within the Black male community came after a personal experience - the same one reflected in the film. It was important for me for the audience to feel the time that passed between us. The silence. The reluctance. The searching for words. The need to comfort and be comforted, all while circumventing the societal pressures that had been placed upon us as Black men. This film is for him. This film is for us. Let us heal together in each others’ arms.