Directed by Leslie Harris • 1992 • United States
Starring Ariyan A. Johnson, Kevin Thigpen, Ebony Jerido
Leslie Harris’s indie touchstone made a splash when it won a special jury prize at Sundance in 1993, offering a window into a world still sorely underrepresented in mainstream cinema: that of an ambitious, outspoken, and hilarious young black woman growing up in Brooklyn and navigating the trials and tribulations of adolescence. Boasting a charismatic performance from star Ariyan A. Johnson and a killer hip-hop and R&B soundtrack (with an emphasis on women artists), JUST ANOTHER GIRL ON THE I.R.T. is both a vivid time capsule of 1990s New York and a bracingly raw and real coming-of-age portrait that’s lost none of its vitality.
Up Next in Black Debutantes
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Eve’s Bayou
Directed by Kasi Lemmons • 1997 • United States
Starring Jurnee Smollett, Meagan Good, Samuel L. Jackson“The summer I killed my father, I was ten years old . . .” So begins Kasi Lemmons’s spellbinding feature debut, an evocative journey into the maze of memory steeped in fragrant southern-gothi...
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Pariah
Directed by Dee Rees • 2011 • United States
Starring Adepero Oduye, Pernell Walker, Aasha DavisThe path to living as one’s authentic self is paved with trials and tribulations in this revelatory, assured feature debut by Dee Rees—the all-too-rare coming-of-age tale to honestly represent the exp...
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Pretty Red Dress
Directed by Dionne Edwards • 2022 • United Kingdom
Starring Natey Jones, Alexandra Burke, Temilola OlatunbosunA glamorous red dress unlocks a torrent of secrets and desires for a South London family in this vibrant, warmhearted exploration of identity and masculinity. Just out of prison, Travis...
