JOY, FILM, & GOODNESS: A Reflection On The Festival Where Black Wellness and Cinema Collide
- Des Lee
- 5 days ago
- 3 min read
LOS ANGELES, CA — On a gray stretch of the boulevard, color rises. Wisps of incense curl
from the doorway, drawing people toward the glow inside. The hum of laughter and good energy
spills out onto the street. Inside, the atmosphere feels sacred yet alive—like a family gathering
disguised as a film festival.
Welcome to FILMGOOD, the first film and wellness festival dedicated to independent and
underrepresented filmmakers, creators, and artists of color. Now in its third year, the
event—created by WALKGOOD LA—has quickly become one of Los Angeles's most
refreshing cultural spaces.
FILMGOOD is proof that art and healing aren't separate. They coexist, feeding off each other.
And at a time when the film industry feels uncertain, this festival signals something powerful: a new era of storytelling led by Black creatives who refuse to dim their light.
A New Era for Black Filmmaking
Hollywood may be slowing down—caught between strikes, streaming struggles, and shrinking
budgets—but FILMGOOD is growing.
"To participate here," one attendee said, "is to resist the burnout." The festival's mission is
simple but revolutionary: to make filmmaking feel good again. To restore the wellness that gets
lost between deadlines and distribution deals.
Every film, panel, and conversation throughout the weekend centers on communal healing and
professional teaching. The result? A space that feels as creative as it is restorative.
Day One: Sound, Screens, and Soul
The opening night began with a sound bath led by co-founder Ivy Coco Maurice. It set the tone:
FILMGOOD isn't just about watching films—it's about feeling them.
The first screening, "Hoops, Hopes & Dreams," directed by Glenn Kaino and produced by the
late Michael Latt (Lead with Love), brought a new perspective to leadership on and off the
basketball court. The short tells the inspiring true story of how Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and
civil rights organizers used basketball to mobilize young Black voters. The film bridges past and
present, showing how art, activism, and athleticism intertwine to build community and shape the
future.
Later that night came a deeply nostalgic moment: a group rewatch of "Love & Basketball" to
celebrate its 25th anniversary. Filmmaker Gina Prince-Bythewood sent a heartfelt surprise—an
original shooting script giveaway that brought cheers from the crowd.
As the movie played, the room swayed between laughter and reflection. Millennials mouthed the
lines they grew up on, but this time, as adults, we caught more—the family dynamics, the quiet
lessons, the layered tenderness of Black love. There was something healing about it. Something
full circle.
"Medicine for the People" – Filmmaker Osahon Tongo on Storytelling and Ancestry
I found Osahon Tongo, director of Shallow Water, near the back, with incense smoke floating between us as he reflected on his journey.
"I'm from Chicago by way of Atlanta," he said. "Storytelling—it's how we pass on virtues and
magic through generations."
His short film, Shallow Water, which premiered on day two of the festival, explores the Black
Masking Indians of New Orleans, whose beading traditions tell stories of freedom and resistance.
"They sew their stories with needle and thread," he explained. "It's meditative, spiritual. When
they bead, they channel their ancestors. That's health. That's wellness. That's power."
When asked what community means to filmmakers today, Tongo didn't hesitate:
"Everything. Studios are collapsing, and algorithms don't understand our humanity. Community is
what saves us. Look at Ryan Coogler—he makes films for us, not the Oscars. And we show up.
That's the medicine. That's the model."
"Walk Good" – Etienne Maurice and the Vision Behind the Festival
Founder Etienne Maurice—actor, activist, and the heartbeat of WALKGOOD LA—moves
through the crowd with the ease of someone welcoming guests into his home.
"When you walk in here, I want you to feel like you're entering your grandmother's house," he said.
Maurice explains that WALKGOOD comes from a Jamaican phrase meaning take care, stay
safe. That sentiment runs through every inch of the festival—from the colorfully lit meditation
spaces to the affirmations printed on the walls. "This isn't just a film festival," he says. "It's a
wellness experience for artists who give so much of themselves."
The Joy Is the Resistance
FILMGOOD is a reminder that joy itself just might be our most radical act left in the arsenal.
As I stepped back onto the gray boulevard, the smoke still clinging to my hair, I realized: this is
what resistance can look like, too.
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