A transcendent exploration of identity and legacy, the breakout short film from director Christopher Ray Jackson continues its rise on the global stage earning international acclaim for its artistry, cultural impact, and storytelling power.
LOS ANGELES, Nov. 6, 2025 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- American Clay, the haunting and beautifully shot short film from Saddlebrook Media and Hundreds Entertainment, continues its extraordinary rise on the festival circuit, earning multiple honors across the United States and Europe. The film won at the Venice Short Film Awards, where its director Christopher Ray Jackson was also recognized as Best First-Time Filmmaker, celebrating his striking debut and the film's profound creative vision.
Adding to its growing list of accolades, American Clay has now been officially selected as a Semi-Finalist for the 2025 Cannes Indie Shorts Awards - a testament to the film's expanding global resonance.
A visually stunning and emotionally layered work, American Clay taps into the roots of Black and multicultural identity without centering trauma, instead exploring spiritual resilience, intuitive power, and the stories passed down through generations. With breathtaking visuals and a chilling original score, the film reflects a new wave of contemporary filmmaking that reclaims cultural narratives with depth and reverence.
"Seeing American Clay honored in Venice and Cannes is a moment of deep gratitude," said Vi City, co-executive producer, co-writer, and music director. "This film was always meant to transcend time, it's a piece of art that speaks through sound, vision, and spirit. These awards affirm that truth-telling through creativity still has the power to move people everywhere."
The film's inspiration stems from Saddlebrook Media's family story, an intergenerational narrative built on reclaiming the American story through evidence-based research, oral tradition, and richly rooted characters. Co-executive producers Carmen Perkins and Michelle Taylor, both co-creators of American Clay, lead with intention and vision.
"These honors remind us why we made this film," said Carmen Perkins and Michelle Taylor in a joint statement. "American Clay was created to honor the women who came before us, their resilience, their quiet strength, their creativity. To see it celebrated on international stages like Venice and Cannes is powerful validation that our ancestors' stories still move people everywhere."
With its growing acclaim and profound message, American Clay continues to solidify its place as a powerful and necessary voice in independent cinema.
American Clay is more than a film; it's a cinematic experience that reclaims space for culturally rich storytelling while challenging the boundaries of traditional historical narratives.
For more information please visit: https://www.americanclaymovie.com and follow on social at @americanclaymovie.
Cast and Credits
Directed by: Chris Jackson
Written by: Aviv Rubinstein & Vi City
Story by: Carmen Perkins, Michelle Taylor, Aviv Rubinstein & Vi City
Executive Producers: Carmen Perkins, Michelle Taylor, Vi City
Produced by: Vi City
Production Companies: Saddlebrook Media LLC, in association with Hundreds Entertainment Corp
Starring: Kaitlyn Jackson as Bernice
Additional cast includes: Oliver Fredin, Patrick Perfetto, Ella Taylor, Isaiah Sossou ("Zeovert"), Nathan Patterson, Iris Gaspar, Michael Middleton, Bianca Alexander
Cinematography by: Dennis Robert Thomas
Edited by: Scott Simerly Jr.
Coloring by: David Torcivia
Original Music by: Vi City for Hundreds Entertainment Corp
Sound Design & ADR: David Basseliz
VFX: Fernando Torres
Casting: Vi City & Chris Jackson
About Hundreds Entertainment
Hundreds Entertainment is a music and film production company founded in 2015 by Vi City. Preceded by a renowned reputation for creating quality works, Hundreds continues to expand on its exposure and prominence in the music and film space. That reputation allows Hundreds to enlist the top music producers, writers, performers, screenwriters, and movie producers to create elite level projects. For more information, please visit www.hundredsentertainment.com
About Saddlebrook Media
Inspired by a vision to unlock the beautiful mysteries rooted in every family's oral tradition, and supported by evidence-based research and technology, Saddlebrook Media is committed to an expansive slate of feature films, documentaries and novels that tell authentic stories and give ownership of the American narrative to a culturally rich spectrum of historically rooted characters. For more information please visit https://saddlebrook.media/
Media Contact
Alford & Co. Public Relations
Pristina Alford
253-307-8462
Media Contact
Pristina Alford, Hundreds Entertainment, 1 253-307-8462, [email protected], www.hundredsentertainment.com
SOURCE Hundreds Entertainment
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