black fairytales come to life in this short film

What a time for Black fantasy and sci-fi! Add to the mix an experimental short film, Thistles and Thorns which finds us in a magical realm inspired by the Black diaspora, our culture and Black heritage. A celebration of Black girlhood, we follow Assata on a treacherous journey to bring the magic back to the Garden of Sisterhood. Unlike the fairytales we’re so accustomed to seeing, Thistles and Thorns is a departure from the European aesthetics of Grimms’ fairytales. Our protagonist rocks an unapologetic afro and the friends and enemies we encounter on the way rock natural locks, too, subverting our image of fantasy worlds right off the bat.

Written by Yazmin Monet Watkins-Vieux and David Vieux and directed by Kalie Acheson, Thistles and Thorns is as representational behind the camera as it is in front of it with a majority woman crew.

In 2018, the film was screened at the LA Women Rising event at the SoHo House and received the Award of Merit and Best Short Film at the One-Reeler Short Film Competition.