A coming-of-age portrait, The Debutantes follows an intergenerational group of Black women and girls in post-industrial Canton, Ohio, as they revitalize the debutante ball. Waltz lessons and etiquette classes clash with Gen Z sensibilities as a new generation of young Black women find their voices, their light and their own way forward.
Directors Spotlight
Contessa Gayles
Director
Contessa Gayles is an award-winning film director, writer, DP, editor and an Emmy-nominated producer. She tells stories about community, coming-of-age, Black liberation and the radical imagination.
- Year 2024
- Runtime 91 minutes
- Country United States
- Language English
- Cinematographer Brittany Shyne, Contessa Gayles, Imani Dennison, Robie Flores, Sade Ndya
- Composer Wynne Bennett
- Director Contessa Gayles
- Editor Stefani Saintonge
- Production Design Alastair Mecke, Christine Hsia
- Premiere Special Screening
