Film

In this intimate coming-of-age documentary set amid the marginalized neighborhoods of north St. Louis, 17-year-old Daje Shelton navigates the biased criminal justice policies and economic devastation that have set up so many black youth like her to fail. When a school fight lands her in a court-supervised alternative high school, she struggles to maintain focus while attending the funerals of friends killed around her, falling in love with a classmate named Antonio, and navigating a loving-but-tumultuous relationship with her mother. As events in Ferguson just four miles from her home seize the national spotlight, Daje learns she is pregnant and must contend with the reality of raising a young black boy in America. For Ahkeem illuminates the challenges faced by so many black teenagers today and witnesses the strength, resilience, and determination it takes to survive.

Fri, Oct 13 at 7pm
Q&A with Jeremy Levine and Landon Van Soest

Sun, Oct 15 at 4:30pm
Panel discussion on the School-to-Prison Pipeline with: Sarah Hinger, staff attorney for ACLU; Angelo Guisado, staff attorney for Center for Constitutional Rights; Winsome Waite, vice president of Alliance for Excellent Education; moderated by Katherine Cheairs, manager of Tribeca Teaches at Tribeca Film Institute

Tues, Oct 17 at 7pm
Iyabo Boyd (producer) will be in conversation with For Ahkeem editor Lily Henderson