Filmmaker Statement

Shoebox is a deeply personal film about the split-second choices young Black men are forced to make in the face of violence, abuse, and survival. Inspired by the saying, “Every day we wake up, we have a chance and a choice,” this story follows James, a teen at a breaking point, as his decision to pull the trigger or not fractures his fate into two starkly different realities. It’s a reflection of the fear we carry, the weight of being perceived as a threat, and the cost of reacting over reflecting. This film is my way of speaking to that pain and pushing the conversation forward so our next generation doesn’t inherit the same trauma in silence.