Documentaries
How We Get Free (2023)
How We Get Free follows the incredible journey of Elizabeth Epps, a deeply dedicated abolitionist and the founder of the Colorado Freedom Fund, which helps incarcerated people who can’t afford their bail before trial. Over the course of two years she works to abolish the unjust practice of cash bail in Colorado and the criminalization of poverty, while sparring with the local sheriff and considering a run for State Representative.
Documentary Short
Directed by Samantha Knowles, Geeta Gandbhir
Shortlisted for 2024 Academy Award for Best Documentary Short Film Award
Official Selection, HotDocs 2023
Official Selection, DOC NYC
Official Selection, Aspen Shortfest 2023
Official Selection, San Francisco International Film Festival
Black and Missing (2021)
Cases of missing Black people remain unresolved four times longer than those of white people. "Black and Missing" pulls back the curtain to explore the systemic behaviors and attitudes that stem from centuries of deeply rooted racism. The series also exposes the stark disparity in the media coverage of white and Black missing persons. This intimate look at Derrica and Natalie's personal crusade to locate missing Black people also highlights stories of hope and closure as the Black and Missing Foundation contributes to the resolution of several high-profile missing persons cases.
Docuseries: 4 Episodes
Directed by Samantha Knowles, Geeta Gandbhir, Yoruba Richen, Nadia Hallgren
Winner, Cinema Eye Honors Award for Outstanding Achievement in Nonfiction Series
Winner, NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Directing in a Documentary Series
Winner, Gracie Award for Best Director
Winner, 2022 Television Academy Honors Award
Winner, Independent Spirit Award for Best New Documentary Series
Winner, AAFCA TV Award for Best Documentary
Nominee, Black Reel Award for Outstanding Documentary
Generation Impact: The Coder (2021)
When Jay’Aina “Jay Jay” Patton discovered coding, she was a 10-year-old girl who had just gotten her first laptop, learning while peering over her dad’s shoulder. “She was able to comprehend and just absorbed it like a little sponge,” recalls Jay Jay’s father, Antoine Patton. Antoine was incarcerated and while there, used his time to learn coding - which inspired Jay Jay to do the same. Fast forward to today, and(inspired by her own family’s experience), not only has the now 16-year-old built a groundbreaking app(Photo Patch) which helps children send photos and letters to incarcerated parents for free - she is also helping teach thousands of people of color to code at Unlock Academy.
Directed by Samantha Knowles
Winner, NYICFF Grown Up Short Film Award
Official Selection, Sundance Film Festival: Inaugural Brand Storytelling
Official Selection, Providence Children’s Film Festival
Official Selection, Maui Film Festival
Official Selection, Port Townsend Film Festival
Official Selection, 2022 Lunafest Film Festival
Official Trailer
Tangled Roots (2020)
Tangled Roots follows Attica Scott, the only black woman in the Kentucky state legislature, as she fights to dismantle a system of discrimination against black people penalized for something seemingly innocuous – their hair.
BET Premiere in June 2020, Showtime Premiere in August 2020
Directed by Samantha Knowles
Produced by Samantha Knowles
Official Selection, Tribeca Film Festival 2020
Official Selection DOC NYC Film Festival
Official Selection American Film Institute Film Festival (AFI Fest 2020)
Official Selection, Athena Film Festival at Barnard College
Official Selection GLIDE Social Justice Film Festival
Official Selection, Milwaukee Film Festival(Women’s History Month)
Official Selection Rocky Mountain Women’s Film Festival
Tangled Roots Trailer
The Blue Line (2018)
The Blue Line chronicles a small town's controversial decision to paint a blue line in support of the police department on one of their busiest streets and follows – against the national backdrop of the 2016 election and the ongoing police brutality debate – the explosive division that emerges between residents for and residents against the line.
Directed by Samantha Knowles
Produced by Samantha Knowles
Official Selection, Tribeca Film Festival 2018
Official Selection, NBC Meet The Press Film Festival
New York Times Op-Doc
“Mr Mayor I am ashamed of what you did today”
Why Do You Have Black Dolls? (2012)
Why Do You Have Black Dolls? is a film inspired by a question asked of an 8-year old girl. It explores the history, the beauty, and the pride that is the black doll. Through it’s characters, a little-known community of black doll enthusiasts, it reveals that the black doll is more than just a plaything – it is a powerful cultural artifact that represents the history of the people it depicts. The Huffington Post said of the film: “Knowles’ film is more than just a look at black dolls and doll collectors – it begs deeper questions of identity and invites a really important conversation”. Featured in Ebony Magazine, TheGrio, NPR, the NY Daily News, USA Today, the Huffington Post, Jet Magazine, BET.com, and more; and screened at numerous film festivals.
Directed by Samantha Knowles
Produced by Samantha Knowles
Winner, New York City Council Citation
Winner, Spirit Award, Reel Sisters of Diaspora Film Festival
Winner, Audience Award, Women, Action & the Media(WAM) Film Festival
Official Selection, Martha’s Vineyard African American Film Festival
Official Selection, Hollywood Black Film Festival