Will

Jessie Maple became the first Black woman to direct an independent feature film with this raw, unflinching portrait of heroin addiction and recovery. Shot on location in Harlem with a budget of $12,000, Will stars Obaka Adedunyo as the titular character, a former All-American basketball star who has fallen from grace because of his dependence on junk. As he finally finds a renewed sense of purpose, dangerous temptations loom for Will and his street-tough mentee, Little Brother (Robert Dean). This groundbreaking landmark of Black cinema was selected for preservation by the Library of Congress, and embodies Maple’s trailblazing determination to reflect the stories of her community onscreen.