Joshua Afiriyie

A closeted high school senior is torn between attending homecoming with her crush and a mandatory family reunion where she must hide who she is. Overwhelmed by conflicting expectations, she discovers a mysterious portal beneath the school bleachers that lets her exist in both places at once. As she shifts between realities, her dual lives begin to unravel. Guided by her best friend and a perceptive queer classmate, she confronts her fear of coming out and the pressure to conform. Through magical realism and emotional insight, the story explores queer identity, the burden of secrecy, and the liberating power of self-acceptance.

Simmer is a 15-minute narrative drama concerning a young, black high school student named Carter Williams. The film weaves us in and out of a subconscious space where Carter processes suppressed emotions triggered by events and relationships in the real world. Although his English teacher pushes him to get involved in a poetry showcase and develop his talents, a racist bully and avoidant father operates against him. Over the course of the story, the conflict blends both real and imagined spaces parallel to Carter’s evolution from repression to expression.

Simmer is a 15-minute narrative drama concerning a young, black high school student named Carter Williams. The film weaves us in and out of a subconscious space where Carter processes suppressed emotions triggered by events and relationships in the real world. Although his English teacher pushes him to get involved in a poetry showcase and develop his talents, a racist bully and avoidant father operates against him. Over the course of the story, the conflict blends both real and imagined spaces parallel to Carter’s evolution from repression to expression.

As they wait for the result of a pregnancy test, two roommates navigate the complex and competitive nature of growing up femme presenting people and how it affects their friendship.