kelley kali
Founder, Producer, Director
Kelley is an LA native, Howard University & USC School of Cinematic Arts Alumna, and has directed, written, and produced award-winning films in Belize, Haiti, China, Brazil and locally in the USA. In 2018, Kelley wrote and directed Lalo’s House (executive produced by Garcelle Beauvais and Lisa L. Wilson), which went on to win the 45th Annual Student Academy Award and was in consideration for the 91st Annual Academy Awards.
Then in 2020 she wrote, directed, produced, and starred in the original feature film, I’M FINE (THANKS FOR ASKING), which was an early pick for narrative competition at the 2021 SXSW Film Festival. It went on to win a Special Jury Recognition for Multi-Hyphenate Storyteller (an award they created for her). It sold to and is streaming on BET+ and BET Her, Showtime, HBO Europe, had a theatrical release in March 2023 in the UK, and currently stands at 90% on Rotten Tomatoes.
In 2023/2024 she finished directing two studio feature films, Jagged Mind for 20th / Hulu and Kemba, an MPI and BET Original Feature Film. Kemba is based on true events and has been featured on CNN, MSNBC, news outlets across the nation and has screened in the U.S. Capitol to congress members and the public. Kelley was selected as a recipient of the 2021 Academy Gold Fellowship for Women in Directing and more recently received the 2024 Amplify Award at the Sundance Film Festival from the Sundance humanitarian partner, the Windrider Institute, for her directing work on Kemba. She was also nominated by the 2025 NAACP Image Awards for Outstanding Director in a TV Movie for Kemba. Most recently, her short film elle/elle became Oscar-qualifying in 2026 for the 98th Academy Awards. She is currently in development on Speak Less, a genre thriller exploring domestic violence, silencing, and reclamation through a supernatural lens, slated for release in 2027. Kelley’s mission is to be a creator who addresses issues within marginalized communities by using the art of filmmaking to create dialogue and action towards positive change.
melanie sharee
Producer
Born and raised between Sudan and the U.K., Sharee served as director of the American Black Film Festival (the youngest and first woman of color to helm a major film festival in the U.S.) for over a decade. She is also an award-winning writer (WGA) and producer, who has worked with notable artists such as Kevin Hart, Issa Rae, and Ryan Coogler. She strongly believes in the transformative power of storytelling as a vehicle for social change. Sharee’s most recent film is the documentary, “Donyale Luna: Supermodel, ” now streaming on HBO Max. She is current producing an untitled feature documentary for Netflix.