The Quintessence shorts block during the 15th annual BlackStar Film Festival, showcased a narrative of short films with a theme around inexplicable energy as described in the festival’s program. Each film brought a unique sense of identity that sent the audience on a roller coaster of emotions. From laughter, to fear, to intrigue and mystery.
The following films were featured in the shorts block:
Fist of Mothers by Tchaiko Omawale
Potato Salad by Kyle Drew
Ish Meets a Mermaid by Jonathan Thunder
Angels Pull Your Hair by Gabby Beans
The Keeper by Tananarive Due and Steven Barnes
I want to narrow in on the horror film The Keeper by Tananarive Due and Steven Barnes. Based on the 2022 graphic novel of the same name, the story is centered on 10-year-old protagonist Aisha, who recovering from the traumatic aftermath of losing both of her parents in a tragic car accident. Her grandmother, now left to look after her, promises that she will do everything in her power to protect her and keep her safe. As she makes this promise, she clutches an amulet she carries as necklace that she keeps close. Sadly, her grandmother is not able to fulfill her promise as one fateful day she passes away, but before she does, she speaks to the powerful amulet that holds supernatural powers and tells it to protect Aisha.
And that is when strange things begins to happen in little Aisha’s life.
The Keeper has stunning cinematography, high-level production design and a haunting score that sounds perfect for theatrical viewing. What makes The Keeper even more meaningful is the deeply personal experience that inspired it. In a Q&A that occurred shortly after the screening of the film, Tananarive Due mentioned that the spark for the film came when he was around Aisha’s age.
She recalled being a young child named and spending the night in his great-grandmother’s room when he noticed the oxygen machine was missing its oxygen. Terrified that she might die, he was confronted with the fear of mortality and the possibility of losing someone he loved. Years later, he transformed those childhood fears into the foundation for The Keeper.
Due added that the screenplay was written during the wave of excitement surrounding Black horror that followed Get Out, a period when there was renewed hope that more stories by Black writers and creators would finally make their way to the screen. Having spent decades publishing books, she understood that if he wanted to see these stories told, he might have to take matters into his own hands. “If you don’t do it yourself, it doesn’t get done,” he explained.
But perhaps the most moving part of his story is that The Keeper represents the fulfillment of a childhood dream. Although Steven Barnes had previously worked in television, including projects like The Twilight Zone, what he really wanted was to see one of his stories become a feature film. As a child, his dream was simple: to sit inside a movie theater, see his name on the big screen, and watch his own movie surrounded by an audience. With The Keeper, that dream has finally become a reality.
Jolie Kanama, who plays Aisha is truly the anchor of this 23 minute film and she carries it with so much grace. Her character is a wounded soul trying to pick up the pieces to a like fractured and a get a nuanced performance like that from a child actor can be challenging. However filmmakers and Due and Barnes managed to get the best out of Kanama’s performance that allows the audience yearning for more once the screen fades to black.
The Keeper is proof that original Black horror in cinema is one of the most exciting genres still deserving of deeper exploration. There is so much more room for filmmakers to tell stories rooted in Black folklore, history, family, spirituality, and the particular fears that can emerge from our own lived experiences. Horror has always been a powerful vehicle for exploring the things we fear most, and Black filmmakers have an incredible opportunity to push the genre into places audiences haven’t seen before.
Horror experts such as Due and Barnes are more than ready for their first feature, and if this short is any indication, that feature cannot come soon enough. The Keeper demonstrates their ability to create genuine tension while grounding its horror in something deeply human and emotionally recognizable. More importantly, it shows that Black horror doesn’t need to rely solely on familiar tropes or reinterpretations of existing stories to make an impact. There are still countless original stories waiting to be told, and The Keeper makes a compelling case for giving filmmakers like Due and Barnes the opportunity and resources to tell them.
The Keeper screened at the 2026 BlackStar Film Festival.
