LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – DECEMBER 14: Etienne Maurice and Sheryl Lee Ralph attend WalkGood LA’s 2nd Annual FilmGood And Wellness Festival “Acting In Comedy” panel at WalkGood LA on December 14, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Robin L Marshall/Getty Images)
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From November 6-9, WalkGood LA will launch its Third Annual FilmGood Film & Wellness Festival, the nation’s first and only film and wellness festival spotlighting independent, underrepresented filmmakers and creators of color. The multi-day event features screenings of short and feature-length films, accompanied by filmmaker Q&As, industry workshops, wellness activations, and community networking in Los Angeles, held at The WalkGood Yard in Los Angeles.
FilmGood, inspired by festivals like Sundance, SXSW, and Martha’s Vineyard African American Film Festival, cultivates a vibrant and inclusive community for filmmakers, industry professionals, and movie enthusiasts, with wellness at the centerpiece of its programming. Founded by Etienne Maurice, an entrepreneur, community activist, actor, wellness expert, and the son of Emmy Award-winning actress Sheryl Lee Ralph, the festival aligns with the mission of The WalkGood Yard, Maurice’s creative wellness studio, which is part of the nonprofit wellness organization WalkGood LA.
WalkGood LA is a Black owned and family-led 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to healing and uniting communities through art, wellness, and activism, as it was developed by siblings Etienne Maurice, Ivy Coco Maurice, and Marley Ralph. WalkGoodLA has become a cultural movement that merges creative expression with purpose, creating equitable healing spaces across Los Angeles and beyond.
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – DECEMBER 14: (L-R) William Stanford Davis, Lisa Ann Walter and Sheryl Lee Ralph speak at WalkGood LA’s 2nd Annual FilmGood And Wellness Festival “Acting In Comedy” panel at WalkGood LA on December 14, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Robin L Marshall/Getty Images)
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Through year-round programming at The WalkGood Yard, including repertory screenings, workshops, and panels, FilmGood provides a crucial platform for diverse storytellers—welcoming individuals of all ages, races, religions, sexualities, and abilities—to exhibit their work, expand their networks, sharpen their skills, and access essential wellness resources, ultimately supporting those often on the margins of the film industry.
“We started FilmGood because we wanted our community to have a festival that not only celebrates our stories but also takes care of the storytellers,” says Etienne Maurice, Founder of WalkGood LA. “So many of us in entertainment are chasing the next project, but we rarely pause to ask how we’re actually doing. We’re building a festival that celebrates the power of our stories and the importance of our well-being. You can’t pour into your art if you haven’t poured into yourself.”
His mother, Ralph, shared her sentiments about the upcoming festival, where she’ll appear as a special guest, “Watching my son and the WalkGood family create FilmGood reminds me that when we tell our own stories, we heal our own people. This festival is proof that film can do more than entertain,” she says.
Lena Waithe, actress, filmmaker, and screenwriter, is an avid supporter of the film festival and believes that Maurice is expanding his mother’s legacy through his creative work. “Knowing FilmGood began as a continuation of your mother’s mission 25 years ago gives me chills. The impact you’re leaving behind-uniting people in the fight for racial equity and healing through the arts-is nothing short of extraordinary,” she shared via email.
The four-day festival will blend visual storytelling with immersive wellness experiences, featuring the 25th anniversary screening of the classic “Love & Basketball,” a special presentation of the 2025 Sundance Official Selection “Ricky,” and workshops with industry leaders from DreamWorks Animation, ColorCreative, and other notable organizations.
The festival will offer cinematic and wellness programs designed to inspire attendees both creatively and personally. The festival kicks off on Thursday, Nov. 6, with a Meditation & Sound Bath led by Marley Ralph and Ivy Coco, followed by the Short Film Spotlight, “Hoops, Hopes, & Dreams,” honoring Michael Latt’s legacy. The evening culminates with the 25th Anniversary Screening of “Love & Basketball,” presented by the African American Film Critics Association (AAFCA), followed by a Q&A session.
The weekend features robust professional development programming:
- Outside The Lines: A Playbook to Navigating Black Animation: A rapid-fire workshop with Dreamworks Animation and Black N Animated (BNA) leadership, featuring a screening of the Oscar-qualifying animated short “Wednesday with Gramps”
- TV Writers Interactive Fireside Chat with acclaimed showrunner Raamla Mohamed “Reasonable Doubt,” Little Fire Everywhere”
- Producers Workshop with Deniese Davis (Co-founder of ColorCreative, Producer of “Insecure” and “One Of Them Days”
- Director’s Masterclass with visionary filmmaker Morgan Stevenson Cooper “Bel-Air,” “Yay,” presented by Blasé.
The 2025 FilmGood Film & Wellness Festival competition program was curated from over 180 submissions from across the nation. The lineup announced today includes 12 titles, including four narrative short films, four documentary short films, and four episodic projects.
The 2025 FilmGood official selections are:
NARRATIVE SHORTS COMPETITION
Moonluck Wonton / 2025 (Director: Siddiq Saunderson, Screenwriter: Siddiq Saunderson, Producers: Ashley Cimone Leslie, Chanel Hinds) – When Jamie stumbles upon a trombone case by the church on the night of the full moon he calls the homies, Che and Turq, to meet him for wontons at their favorite restaurant. As they navigate the allure of this mysterious find and the possible danger of it all, Jamie is forced to confront a deeper question: Is it his lucky night or does this blessing belong to someone else?
Cast: Siddiq Saunderson, Jerrie Johnson, Travis Raeburn, Daryl Bright Clay
The Off-Brands / 2024 (Director and Screenwriter: Shayla Racquel, Screenwriter: Nekala Rosetta, Producers: Mitra I Arthur, Shania Banton, Moya Johnson, Nekala Rosetta) – Constance McKinney, a quirky teenage girl living with Sickle Cell, shares her experiences of attending a high school in a small southern town that defies the usual coming-of-age movie tropes. Cast: Grace Duah, Porsche Kemp, Jai Demond, Jackson Coppins.
Witness / 2024 (Director and Screenwriter: Saif Jaan, Co-Director: Radha Mehta, Producers: Radha Mehta, Omar Al-Dakheel, Sheheryar Ahsan) – A revered small-town imam faces a crisis of faith when he must choose between upholding the values of his mosque or protecting the safety and spiritual belonging of a trans man congregant. Cast: Faran Tahir, Shaan Dasani, Michael MacLeod, Nemma Adeni.
Zeke / 2025 (Director and Screenwriter: Kerry Coddett, Producers: Krystal Payne) – Set in a lively Brooklyn barbershop, Zeke follows Vic, a loyal customer whose routine visit takes a sinister turn. After falling asleep in the chair, he wakes up to a disturbing realization—something deeply unsettling has happened, but he struggles to process it. Cast: Hassan Johnson, Sam Jay, Stephen Cofield, Kerry Coddett.
DOCUMENTARY SHORTS COMPETITION
Big Bryce Son / 2025 (Director: Bryce Savoy, Screenwriter: Holin Hardy, Producer: Bryce Savoy) – After the death of his father and the birth of his son in the same year, Rapper Bryce Savoy finds himself navigating a transformative chapter in his life.
Dear Brandon / 2025 (Director: Krystina Christiansen, Producers: Krystina Christiansen, Kate Oliva) – At the end of his life and now paralyzed by MS, an avid outdoorsman reflects on his life’s lessons in a letter that is left on a hiking trail in Utah. Finding it 3,000 miles away, a filmmaker befriends him and his newfound family of strangers who have brought his letter to peaks around the world. Cast: Brandon Lingwall.
Keur Simbara / 2024 (Director: Sea Mahsati, Producers: Vashni Korin, Sea Mahsati) – Keur Simbara is an intimate, lyrical short documentary that follows a group of women community organizers in a rural Senegalese village as they build and sustain systems of health, finance, agriculture, and domestic infrastructure. Cast: Dusu Kante, Awa Diop, Coumba Ba, Adama Diop.
Shallow Water / 2025 (Director and Screenwriter: Osahon Tongo, Screenwriter: Jillian Hanesworth, Producers: Shayna Hayes, Osahon Tongo, Dow Edwards) – History is crafted bead by bead, woven ever so delicately into the fabric of Superbowl lore. The day after Super Bowl 58, while confetti was being swept up in Las Vegas, the NFL announced Queen Tahj Williams as the official designer of Super Bowl 59’s logo. Cast: Tyrann Mathieu, Tahj Williams, Dow Edwards.
EPISODIC COMPETITION
Remember | Pilot / 2025 (Director: Tari Wariebi, Screenwriter: Bernard David Jones, Producers: Gem Little) – A forgetful millennial, and his four best friends, navigate queer love, rocky careers, and the ups and downs of friendship, while realizing that his forgetfulness is more serious than imagined. Cast: Bernard David Jones, Hosea Chanchez, Griffin Matthews, Devere Rogers, Brandon Gill.
Southern Fried Rice | Episode 5: “First Draft Pick,” Episode 6: “My Sister’s Keeper” / 2025 (Director: Shayla Racquel, Screenwriter: Nakia Stephens, Producers: Keke Palmer, Sharon Palmer, Lenoria Addison, Nakia Stephens) – The only thing flying off the shelves…is their sanity. A quirky crew of friends will do what they can to keep their Los Angeles comic store afloat by any ridiculous means necessary.
Cast: Page Yang, Shaun Rose, Andreya Wallang, Kordell Beckham.
The Comic Shop | Episode 4: “Dungeons & Dragons” / 2025 (Director: Pier Paolo Piccoli, Screenwriter: Amber Jay, Producers: Cheyenne Ewulu, Amber Jay, Simone Kirlew) – The only thing flying off the shelves…is their sanity. A quirky crew of friends will do what they can to keep their Los Angeles comic store afloat by any ridiculous means necessary.
Cast: Cheyenne Ewulu, Zeno Robinson, Shanae Colem, Grayson Niles.
Transplants | Episode 3: “Rent Party” / 2023 (Director: Carlton Bell, Screenwriter: Alscott Worrell, Producers: Matthew Guthrie, Alscott Worrell, Rodney Hawkins Jr.) – Two LA transplants host a rent party to stay afloat—but when past loves and future desires crash the scene, the night erupts into chaos, confession, and unexpected connection.
Cast: Alscott Worrell, Rodney Hawkins Jr., Isaiah Joseph, Chris Hill.
