MOMMAS Film Debuts at Peachtree Village International Film Festival

- September 30, 2021

Executive Producer Leslie Black and Director Latasha Choe Johnson

Share Their Passion and Point of View on Pain, Prosecution and Police Brutality.

ATLANTA, GA. Actress turned writer and executive producer Leslie Black's film MOMMAS will make it's debut during the 16th Annual Peachtree Village International Film Festival. The nearly 40-minute film is also a finalist in the Festival's Shorts Competition sponsored by JARO, a multi-platform streaming service.

Told from the perspective of mothers who have lost their sons through interactions with police, MOMMAS, stars Black (“Doom Patrol,” “Star”) flanked by a leading ensemble that includes Beliria Sims (“David Makes Man”), Robin Antoinette (“Reckless Love,” “Stolen Lilies”) and Laketa Renee (“Doom Patrol,” “Genius: Aretha”).

“MOMMAS is more than a passion project for me. I was compelled to do this not only because I want to do meaningful work as an actress, but because as a writer, I felt there was a need to tell these stories from a different perspective. The local and national news outlets tell the story one way, but I wanted to tell it our way…the mamas way.” ~ Leslie Black, Writer, Executive Producer.

Building on a creative relationship that extends back 10 years, Leslie chose director Latasha Choe Johnson to bring her vision and perspective to the film. “This is a story that needed to be told and it felt good to create it with mothers who truly empathize with the pain that we unfortunately so often see in the media. I have very strong feelings about the state of our justice system so this was a story I was eager to tell.” ~ Latasha Choe Johnson, Director.

Johnson's directorial style is organic and visceral, providing many opportunities for compelling performances by the leading ensemble that were enhanced by a strong supporting cast that includes Amanda Rosario Glass (“Love in 500 Characters”), Challedon Saltor (“Genius: Aretha”) and Taurean Cavins-Flores (“A Good Wife”) as the District Attorney.

“On behalf of the entire team behind this film, we would like to thank the organizers of PVIFF for creating and sustaining a platform that allows for a growing diversity of American stories to be shared with audiences. Furthermore it's an honor to be a finalist in the JARO shorts competition, the accolade is a testament to the talent and commitment of our entire cast and crew.” ~ Anthony R. Page, Producer.

Audiences have an opportunity to decide the winners in the competition. We invite you to view and rate the film here: https://magazine.watchjaro.com/jaro-pviff-short-mommas/