New Jersey Filmmakers Showcase: Talks With Myself, Atelier

Join us for an evening celebrating New Jersey filmmakers, storytellers, and creative entrepreneurs through a special shorts program featuring Operation: Is Jersey the New Hollywood?, the debut of Talks With Myself Season 6, Episode 6, and Atelier: The Story of Brownmill Company.

Atelier: The Story of Brownmill Company is a lyrical documentary short film about Justis Pitt, Kwaku Agyemang, and Taha Shimou, the three young men behind the Newark-born clothing brand Brownmill Company. Through sentimental archival footage, mixed-media animation, and verité-style observational footage, the film offers an intimate and inspiring portrayal of how three Black men turned their love of art and fashion into a business that has forever changed the fabric of their community. Beyond celebrating Black entrepreneurial excellence, the film seeks to foster dialogue on legacy, representation, cultural heritage preservation, and the power of collective creativity.

Talks With Myself is a Black queer dramedy that centers around Morris as he reckons with the lies and choices that have shaped his life. Sharing his and his friends’ stories through raw livestream confessionals, Morris and those closest to him collectively search for love, healing, and clarity. The series offers a nuanced portrait of Black queer life anchored in New Jersey and told from an authentic community perspective.

Following the screenings, attendees are invited to stay for a conversation exploring filmmaking in New Jersey, from large studio productions to independent and web-based storytelling. Panelists include Damon Williams and Brandon Tyler, co-founders of WTHGlobal Production Company; Roger Omeus Jr., director and writer of Talks With Myself; Erby Beauvil, producer of Talks With Myself; and Anya Dillard, director of Atelier: The Story of Brownmill Company, joined by Brownmill Company founder Justis Pitt-Goodman. The discussion will be moderated by Darryl Dwayne.