2026 Finalist, Student Narrative Finalist

JOHN

Year: 2026

Runtime: 17 minutes 22 seconds

Synopsis:

A University of Southern California Thesis Film. Abigail, a black female lawyer, navigates systemic racism and discrimination in a predominantly white and male corporate law office. She faces microaggressions and overt discrimination from her coworkers and superiors, including being mistaken for a paralegal despite being a lawyer. Abigail’s frustration reaches a breaking point when she decides to disguise herself as a white man to navigate the world with privilege. She then sees another side of the hidden racism that exists within her world. Her innovative ideas are stolen and credited to others behind her back. The film highlights the challenges faced by minorities in corporate environments and the resilience required to navigate systemic biases while advocating for change.

Film Credits

Meet The Director:

Amirah Adem is a filmmaker originally from Stone Mountain, Georgia. She holds an MFA in Film and Television Production from the University of Southern California and a BA in Media Studies from Pomona College.

The films she has produced have been student BAFTA longlisted, shown at the American Black Film Festival, and supported by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. She directed a Coca-Cola commercial through the Refreshing Films Program as one of four finalists, and screened in Cinemark theaters nationwide. Her USC thesis film, John (2026), is on the festival circuit and was a finalist in the 2024 Annapolis Film Festival Short Film Pitch Competition. She has worked for Peabody Awards, Tyler Perry Studios, and 2.0 Entertainment.

Her films center Black leads in untold stories across diverse genre lenses. Amirah’s earlier advocacy work, through the Strauss Foundation and Davis Projects for Peace, advanced global initiatives against Female Genital Mutilation. She strives to represent multicultural stories revealing the shared humanity within them.

Writer:

Amirah Adem

Producer(s):

Nellie Luna, Tosin Omolola and Yennefer Fang