Directed and Written by Darnell Brown
Short Narrative | 10.5 min | English | USA
Saturday, September 27th, 2025 | 4:00PM Screening
Neighborhood House at Christ Church
20 N. American Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106
A fresh, off-beat dramedy that follows a passionate mental health worker as she struggles to balance her uniquely challenging job with keeping a promise to her daughter. Inspired by the writer/director’s experience as a former mental health professional.
Director’s Bio
Darnell Brown
Director/Writer
Darnell Brown is a TV & Film writer/producer from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where he grew up among the rich culture of one of America’s biggest cities. He has worked as a mental health professional and traveled the world as a legal videographer, exploring places he thought a Black man from Philly would never see. The oldest of four, Darnell loves to explore deeply personal, character-driven stories from unique perspectives…with a bit of comedy every now and then.
A finalist (the only drama writer) for Issa Rae’s 2018 ColorCreative TV writing contest during The American Black Film Festival sponsored by BET and the 2019 ABFF Drama winner of the WarnerMedia TV writing contest, as well as a 2019 HBOAccess Writing Fellow. Darnell has written for shows on BET, HBO and Amazon, even writing the fourth episode of the Hulu limited series, “MIKE.”
The short film, “LYZ” based on his former co-worker and friend of the same name, is his first time in the director’s chair.
“If you obey all the rules,
you miss all the fun.”
Katherine Hepburn
Actor
thewomensfilmfestival.org 