Daresha Kyi

Chavela

Daresha Kyi, Catherine Gund

Chavela Vargas, Pedro Almodóvar

Inspired by an exclusive interview and performance footage of Chavela Vargas shot in 1991 and guided by her unique voice, the film weaves an arresting portrait of a woman who dared to dress, speak, sing, and dream her unique life into being.

Trans in America: Texas Strong

Daresha Kyi

Kimberly Shappley, Kai Shappley

Trans In America is a verité short documentary series, and an intimate portrait of three transgender individuals as they battle for their civil rights in the United States. The three films reveal the daily impact of discrimination on three families as they battle with bathroom bills, vulnerability in employment and housing, and the aftermath of incarceration, in Texas, Illinois and Georgia. Texas Strong is an intimate portrait of Kimberly and Kai Shappley: a mother has to confront her religious community while her 7-year-old transgender daughter navigates life at school, where she's been banned from the girls' bathroom.

The Thinnest Line

Daresha Kyi

Award-winning short drama about friendship and jealousy between a stay-at-home mom and her career-driven friend.

Land Where My Fathers Died

Daresha Kyi

Isaiah Washington, Daresha Kyi

When a fiercely independent young African American woman and her nouveau-nationalist photographer boyfriend decide to visit the father she hasn't seen in years, the tragicomic reunion shatters her illusions and provokes the two lovers to reveal that they are both the wounded children of alcoholics. The revelation changes their perception of themselves and each other and serves as a springboard to a new way of relating. This award winning short narrative co-stars Daresha Kyi and Isaiah Washington in his first film.