ASH LAND
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ASH LAND

In ASH LAND, we offer a portrait of a Black woman who has turned her back on herself, afflicted by a quiet, insidious malaise. Her once-beloved refuge is now a den for survival, and rituals that were once joyous have become militaristic attempts at de-stressing. Compounded by the pandemic, she can no longer outrun the internal torment. When an enigmatic spirit finally catches up to her, she cultivates an understanding of true restoration and rebirth that reignites her love of Ashland, Oregon.

In this film, our proposal to humanity is simple: We are the ones we have been waiting for. We must heal us. We must cultivate our own joy. We must inhabit spaces in the fullness of our truth. We must love ourselves inclusive of and not in spite of our mortal wounds.

We Black. We in Oregon. Look at us.

OSF Short Films
ASH LAND was an official selection in 2021 for the Academy Award–qualifying Pan African Film Festival, the Brooklyn Film Festival, Bronzelens Film Festival, and Martha Vineyard’s African American Film Festival.

To learn more about the short films OSF is producing visit You Go Girl!
You Go Girl!

Cast & Creative Team

Directed by Shariffa Ali
Produced by Adrian Alea
Produced by Courtney Williams
Executive Produced by Tariq "Black Thought" Trotter

Screenplay by Banna Desta
Story by Shariffa Ali, Banna Desta, Cyndii Johnson, & Kamilah Long
Featuring Kamilah Long & Cyndii Johnson

Production & Costume Design by You-Shin Chen

Director of Photography: Tyler Maddox
Editor: by Gary Lundgren
Colorist: Jackie Ng
Original Score: Eric Raber
Additional Music: Avi Amon

Consulting Producer: Gary Kout

ASH LAND was shot within the ancestral homelands of the Shasta and Takelma peoples who lived here for millennia. These Tribes were displaced between 1851 and1856. Today, the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde Community of Oregon and the Confederated Tribes of the Siletz Indians identify their members as living descendants of the Takelma and Shasta peoples of this area.

Run Time: approximately 20 minutes.

ASH LAND is an official selection for the Academy Award–qualifying Pan African Film Festival.

The 29th Annual Pan African Film Festival (PAFF) will take place February 28 through March 14, 2021 (schedule TBD).

The PAFF is the largest Black film festival in the United States and the largest Black History Month cultural event in the nation, featuring over 200 Black films and 100 fine artists from around the world. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has designated PAFF as an official qualifying film festival for live-action and animation short films. The Los Angeles–based festival is normally held at the Cinemark 15 Theatres at the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza, but due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the festival will take place entirely online.

Out of more than 900 submissions from 83 countries, the 2021 PAFF will feature over 200 films including 168 narrative films, 39 documentaries, and 159 short and mini short films from 45 countries and in 43 languages.