Daresha Kyi

Directing

Daresha Kyi

Daresha Kyi is currently in post-production on the feature doc Black Voters Matter. In 2018 she was commissioned by the ACLU to direct Trans in America: Texas Strong, which garnered over 3.5 million views online, premiered at SXSW, won two Webby Awards and an Emmy for “Outstanding Short Documentary.” In 2017 she co-directed the feature doc Chavela.

Acting credits

Behind the camera

Chavela poster
6.9

Inspired by an exclusive interview and performance footage of Chavela Vargas shot in 1991 and guided by her unique voice, the film weaves an arresting portrait of a woman who dared to dress, speak, sing, and dream her unique life into being.

Chavela

2017

Chavela poster
6.9

Inspired by an exclusive interview and performance footage of Chavela Vargas shot in 1991 and guided by her unique voice, the film weaves an arresting portrait of a woman who dared to dress, speak, sing, and dream her unique life into being.

Chavela

2017

Mama Bears poster
1.0

Mama Bears is an intimate exploration of two “mama bears”—conservative, Christian mothers who have become fierce advocates for LGBTQ+ people—and a young lesbian whose struggle for self-acceptance exemplifies why the mama bears are so important.

Mama Bears

2022

Mama Bears poster
1.0

Mama Bears is an intimate exploration of two “mama bears”—conservative, Christian mothers who have become fierce advocates for LGBTQ+ people—and a young lesbian whose struggle for self-acceptance exemplifies why the mama bears are so important.

Mama Bears

2022

One Person, One Vote? poster
5.0

An in-depth look at the Electoral College, its slavery origins, and its impact on society today. The film features four dynamic electors from different parties offering insight into the inner workings of this often-misunderstood institution. A timely, nonpartisan film that will fill a stark information gap in American presidential elections.

One Person, One Vote?

2024

Land Where My Fathers Died poster
9.0

When a fiercely independent young African American woman and her nouveau-nationalist photographer boyfriend decide to visit the father she hasn't seen in years, the tragicomic reunion shatters her illusions and provokes the two lovers to reveal that they are both the wounded children of alcoholics. The revelation changes their perception of themselves and each other and serves as a springboard to a new way of relating. This award winning short narrative co-stars Daresha Kyi and Isaiah Washington in his first film.

Land Where My Fathers Died

1991

Land Where My Fathers Died poster
9.0

When a fiercely independent young African American woman and her nouveau-nationalist photographer boyfriend decide to visit the father she hasn't seen in years, the tragicomic reunion shatters her illusions and provokes the two lovers to reveal that they are both the wounded children of alcoholics. The revelation changes their perception of themselves and each other and serves as a springboard to a new way of relating. This award winning short narrative co-stars Daresha Kyi and Isaiah Washington in his first film.

Land Where My Fathers Died

1991

Land Where My Fathers Died poster
9.0

When a fiercely independent young African American woman and her nouveau-nationalist photographer boyfriend decide to visit the father she hasn't seen in years, the tragicomic reunion shatters her illusions and provokes the two lovers to reveal that they are both the wounded children of alcoholics. The revelation changes their perception of themselves and each other and serves as a springboard to a new way of relating. This award winning short narrative co-stars Daresha Kyi and Isaiah Washington in his first film.

Land Where My Fathers Died

1991

Trans in America: Texas Strong poster
1.0

Trans In America is a verité short documentary series, and an intimate portrait of three transgender individuals as they battle for their civil rights in the United States. The three films reveal the daily impact of discrimination on three families as they battle with bathroom bills, vulnerability in employment and housing, and the aftermath of incarceration, in Texas, Illinois and Georgia. Texas Strong is an intimate portrait of Kimberly and Kai Shappley: a mother has to confront her religious community while her 7-year-old transgender daughter navigates life at school, where she's been banned from the girls' bathroom.

Trans in America: Texas Strong

2018

Battleground Georgia poster
NR

Passionate voter engagement, followed by the fury of those who spread and believed "the big lie" were dominant narratives of the U.S. elections of 2020. Ahead of the 2024 election cycle, in this installment of the Turning Point series, Battleground Georgia becomes the lens through which to view the history of racist voter suppression, the power of grass roots organizing and the tension between old institutions and new ways of thinking about what a vibrant democracy could be.

Battleground Georgia

2024

Love, Joy & Power: Tools for Liberation poster
NR

Meet the co-founders of the Black Voters Matter Fund, Cliff Albright and LaTosha Brown, and learn about the work they do to empower African American communities.

Love, Joy & Power: Tools for Liberation

2025

No artwork available
NR

Award-winning short drama about friendship and jealousy between a stay-at-home mom and her career-driven friend.

The Thinnest Line

1988