UNAPOLOGETIC: Youth in Motion 2022/23

Frameline is set to begin development on a film discussion guide and educational resources complimenting Ashley O’Shay's groundbreaking feature documentary Unapologetic (FL44) with the goal of amplifying the ongoing impact campaign. The film tells the story of two fierce queer feminist abolitionist leaders, Janaé Bonsu and Bella BAHHS coming of age within the Movement for Black Lives in Chicago.  

Working together with the film’s Impact Producer Naeema Jamilah Torres, Frameline will create a film discussion guide and multimedia resources to be distributed to over 30,000 students along with access to the film in September of this year. Together, we seek to facilitate understanding and practices of anti-racism and identity-based organizing in K-12 schools nationwide. Resources will seek to inspire meaningful and impactful conversations among the program constituency around prevention of identity-based discrimination and abolition of systemic injustice against people of color, and examine the importance of mental health preservation and self-care for activists. Frameline's Youth in Motion program serves more than 1600 schools nationwide and is delivered through extracurricular programs supporting LGBTQ+ youth and Allies known as Gender- Sexuality Alliances. 

About Director/ Producer Ashley O’Shay 

Ashley O’Shay is a director-DP based in Chicago, IL, whose work focuses on illuminating marginalized voices. She has collaborated with a number of national brands, including Nike, Vox, Wilson Tennis, and Dr. Martens. Most recently, she filmed an international commercial spot for Wilson Tennis, with over 1M views in digital markets. In 2020, she captured the final episode of Dr. Martens' "Tough As You" series, starring the band Phony Ppl, accruing over 65K views on social and web. Her work also appeared in the critically-acclaimed Lifetime docuseries, Surviving R. Kelly. Although she has crafted many short films, Unapologetic is her first venture into the feature world. The film premiered at the 2020 BlackStar Film Festival and was shortlisted for the International Documentary Association Awards. 

About Impact Producer Naeema Jamilah Torres 

Naeema Jamilah Torres is an award-winning, Chicago-area filmmaker originally from New York City. As a writer, director, and producer, she aims to tell stories that unpack notions of womanhood, complex ethnic identities, and legacies in the Americas through visual and audio mediums. Her work has screened at a number of fests, including New Orleans Film Festival, San Francisco Doc Fest, and St. Louis International Film Festival. After receiving a BFA in Film & Media Communication Arts, she pursued a career in home entertainment distribution working at companies such as HBO. Her passion for non-fiction storytelling led her to impact producing and outreach work, as well as crafting documentaries. In addition to creative storytelling work, Naeema advocates for BIPOC, femme-identified filmmakers of color in Chicago as part of the leadership of Mezcla Media Collective. 

About Frameline Youth in Motion 

Since 2008, Youth in Motion has provided free LGBTQ+ films and curriculum guides to Genders & Sexualities Alliances (formerly known as Gay-Straight Alliances) and educators in schools nationwide. Youth in Motion now supports more than 30,000 in all 50 states! Youth in Motion’s 2021-22 collection features the acclaimed Hulu Original Documentary, CHANGING THE GAME. You can register your school here! Contact YouthInMotion@frameline.org for more information