Meet Janaé and Bella, two fierce abolitionists whose upbringing and experiences shape their activism and views on Black liberation. Through their lens, “Unapologetic” provides an inside look into the ongoing movement work that transformed Chicago, from the police murders of Rekia Boyd  and Laquan McDonald to the election of mayor Lori Lightfoot.

JANAÉ BONSU, 24, moves from South Carolina to Chicago committed to pursuing her PHD in social work. However, in the midst of all of the trauma surrounding state and intra-community violence, the movement calls her for a higher purpose.  

Meanwhile, in the heart of the city, a loudspeaker closely follows Chicago-native BELLA BAHHS, 22, at a protest as she proclaims, “this is Black history that we are making! Even if we don’t, our stories gon’ make it!” The crowd erupts. Soon after, a video of this performance goes viral, changing her presence both within and outside her Chicago community. She is thrust to the forefront of the Movement as an artist-activist. Internally, however, Bella grapples with the recent death of her grandmother, her primary caretaker while her parents were incarcerated.

Throughout the film, we see how movement actions play out in the landscape of Chicago's city politics. After a slew of protests, some with deep wins for the organizing community, our characters continue fighting deep, personal battles including risking hard-sought careers,  familial struggles within the criminal justice system, and discord within the organizing community.  

Can Janaé and Bella separate the movement from their personal lives and begin to ask - in a Trump-era America - what does a sustainable lifestyle look like for both their community and their own well being?

SPECIAL post-screening live Q&A with Unapologetic’s JANAÉ BONSU

Started by Speller Street Films and The Luminal Theater, BLK Docs is an initiative to help build an authentic documentary film culture within the African-American community through film screenings, webinars, and more interactive film events. Our ongoing virtual screenings are in partnership with FilmFestivalFlix.

This program is sponsored by South Carolina Humanities, a not-for-profit organization; inspiring, engaging and enriching South Carolinians with programs on literature, history, culture and heritage. It is also sponsored in part by the Carolina Film Network, a nonprofit organization that exists to bridge the gap between industry professionals and growing artists by way of networking and education in the film industry.