ARRAY @ PLAY: SHORT FILM SHOWCASE
2026-07-25 15:30 - 17:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | ARRAY Creative Campus, 180 Glendale Blvd, Los Angeles, CA, 90026, United States
Ride the tide and roll through the streets with a duo of documentaries lensed by surfers and skateboarders of color. Exploring the persistance of play, these stories on screen remind us that space is something we can inherit or adopt, protect and pass on. From pavement to shoreline, we claim and center these spaces as our birthright. The back-to-back screenings will be followed by a conversation with the filmmakers.
FEATURED FILMS:

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MOVING MOUNTAINS
Directed by Jessa Williams of INTRSXTN Surf
MOVING MOUNTAINS, documents the raw and inspiring journey of Tre’lan, a young Black man from Tulsa, Oklahoma, who escapes his troubled past to find redemption on a remote Hawaiian island. Through the transformative power of big wave surfing, Tre’lan confronts his trauma, embraces healing, and discovers the resilience to reshape his future and find peace in the ocean’s most powerful waves.
ABOUT THE FILMMAKER:
Jessa Williams is an award-winning director, producer, and creative entrepreneur based in Los Angeles. Her directorial debut, MOVING MOUNTAINS is a short film about her partner Tre’lan Michael, one of the few Black big wave surfers in the world. Celebrated for its emotional depth and cinematic strength, MOVING MOUNTAINS received top honors at the Tribeca x UNINTERRUPTED Film Festival, selected personally by LeBron James, Naomi Osaka, and Joel Embiid.

THE MOTHER TO MY STYLE
Directed by Cleon + Tre of Neighbors Skate Shop
THE MOTHER TO MY STYLE, is a historic record of Leimert Park, a unique and legendary south-central Los Angeles community that is a cradle of black-culture and pan-Afrikan energy. Leimert Park is the mother of a movement, a sound, and the identity of a community that is inevitably going to change. This film is a dialogue between the generations of the past, the present and those to come. It’s a road map; it is a window to where we are coming from and a vision of where we are headed.
ABOUT THE FILMMAKERS:
Cleon and Tre are co-owners/co-founders of Neighbors Skate Shop a retail/community space located in the heart of the Crenshaw/West Adams districts in South Central Los Angeles. Neighbors Skate Shop is a bridge between generations; an attempt to protect and preserve the legacy of their community in Leimert Park through the love, energy and momentum of skateboarding.

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ARRAY @ PLAY is a summer storytelling series curated to spark your sense of play through games and films as a tool for strategy, connection and community-building. Hosted on ARRAY’s Creative Campus.

Our July program brings together an interactive world-building game followed by a short film showcase to explore how we claim space, forge new pathways and shape the communities we call home. Through collaborative gameplay, we’ll gather, imagine and create visions for a new world together. The accompanying films ground these themes in lived experience, from one person’s pursuit of surfing as an act of healing, to an intimate portrait of a vibrant inner-city neighborhood through the eyes of everyday residents. This convening invites us to consider the act of play as a transformative practice, revealing community as something we create and sustain together.

ARRAY @ PLAY x LOVE, PEACE & SPADES
2026-08-22 12:00 - 16:00 | ARRAY Creative Campus, 180 Glendale Blvd, Los Angeles, CA, 90026, United States
Pull up + play! Join ARRAY + Love, Peace & Spades™ for an afternoon of conversation, culture and card games open to all experience levels.
ARRAY invites Love, Peace & Spades™ to our Creative Campus to host their signature Talk + Play program. We’ll begin with “The Importance of Preserving Play” panel, a moderated discussion and community talkback exploring why play matters, what we lose when it disappears and what it means to preserve the games passed down for generations. Then we pull up chairs and play. Spades. Bid Whist. Tunk. Dominoes. These are not just games; they are family heirlooms. Whether you’re picking up a deck for the first time or returning to a game you grew up with, Talk + Play creates a welcoming space to learn, relearn and share in the enduring traditions that have kept communities connected for decades. Free lessons provided!
Bring your curiosity, your game face and your community spirit. There’s always room at the table.

ARRAY @ PLAY is a summer storytelling series to spark your sense of play through games and films as tools for strategy, connection and community-building. Hosted on ARRAY’s Creative Campus in Los Angeles.

Panelists:
DR. NATHANIEL BRYAN (participating virtually)
Dr. Nathaniel Bryan is an Associate Professor of Curriculum and Instruction at the University of Texas at Austin and the Joe R. & Teresa Lozano Long Endowed Faculty Fellow. He is the founder of Black PlayCrit and author of Toward a BlackBoyCrit Pedagogy, a landmark text exploring Black boyhood, literacy, and early childhood education. His research centers equity, diversity, and social justice in early childhood spaces—and his work in the American Journal of Play sits at the exact intersection of scholarship and the cultural traditions Love, Peace & Spades exists to honor.
DR. XHERCIS MÉNDEZ
Dr. Xhercis Méndez is an Associate Professor of Women, Gender & Queer Studies at California State University Fullerton, a popular educator, decolonial feminist philosopher, and conflict resolution specialist. She is the Director of Education at Love, Peace & Spades™ and the co-architect of Spades Academy™’s curriculum through her consultancy, Listen Bridge Change Consulting. Her work bridges rigorous scholarship and community practice—building educational frameworks rooted in cultural truth and collective healing.
KIMELIA WEATHERS-SMITH
Kimelia Weathers-Smith is a former TV challenge producer turned entrepreneur, originally from Washington, D.C. After producing for competition series including Hell’s Kitchen, Project Runway, and Making The Cut, she channeled her creative instincts into game design and launched Kim For The Win. Her flagship title Brilliant or BS? is stocked nationwide at Walmart, Barnes & Noble, and Target. She and her husband co-founded The Blackout Game Night—the nation’s first free community game night built exclusively around games designed by Black creators—using play to build connection, spark conversation, and celebrate creative genius.
CJ “KINGSOUL” PETERS (participating virtually)
Clemille “Cj” Peters, Jr. is a gaming entrepreneur, producer, and UX designer best known as the founder of Konsole Kingz and the creator of the culturally authentic mobile card game Black Spades. Founded in 2004, Konsole Kingz helped establish a blueprint for an urban gaming lifestyle brand—spanning content, virtual goods, platform distribution, and influencer-led campaigns that connect Hip Hop culture and gaming. Recognized as an industry pioneer, his career reflects a rare ability to bridge culture and technology—delivering commercially viable gaming products while authentically representing an underserved audience at scale.

AUGUST 28: A DAY IN THE LIFE OF A PEOPLE @ 6PM
2026-08-28 18:00 - 19:00 | ARRAY Creative Campus, 180 Glendale Blvd, Los Angeles, CA, 90026, United States
Commissioned by the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture to commemorate the museum’s opening in 2016, this 20-minute film reflects on six significant events in African-American history that all occurred on August 28 in different years. ARRAY joins the Smithsonian’s nationwide 10-year anniversary celebration of the film directed by Ava DuVernay and starring Don Cheadle, Regina King, Angela Bassett, David Oyelowo and more. A filmmaker conversation with Ava DuVernay will follow this screening.

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Additional Screening @ 7:30PM

AUGUST 28: A DAY IN THE LIFE OF A PEOPLE @ 7:30PM
2026-08-28 19:30 - 20:30 | ARRAY Creative Campus, 180 Glendale Blvd, Los Angeles, CA, 90026, United States
Commissioned by the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture to commemorate the museum’s opening in 2016, this 20-minute film looks at six significant events in African-American history that all occurred on August 28 in different years. ARRAY joins the Smithsonian’s nationwide 10-year anniversary celebration of the film directed by Ava DuVernay and starring Don Cheadle, Regina King, Angela Bassett and more. A filmmaker conversation with Ava DuVernay will be hosted BEFORE this screening at 6:30PM. Entrance for the conversation will begin at 6:20PM

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Additional Screening @ 6PM

AVA DuVERNAY'S MAIN CHARACTER ENERGY AT THE FORD
2026-10-29 20:00 - 22:00 | The Ford, 2580 Cahuenga Blvd., Los Angeles, CA, 90068, United States
Main Character Energy is a movie night that refuses to stay quiet. Talkback is not only encouraged, it is invited. For one night only, ARRAY transforms The Ford into a cinematic storytelling experience curated and hosted by writer and director Ava DuVernay. Clips from iconic films that honor our shared humanity are paired with vibrant voices from today’s most captivating thought leaders, artists, actors, and filmmakers. Throughout the night, you will not just watch… you will respond, and at times, you will even step into the scene. On this night, you are not a viewer. You are the main character.
The night is about community immersion with others, shoulder to shoulder in the dark, led by cinema that provokes ideas connecting us to the most defining issues of our time. So come and make your voice heard, Main Character. We are ready for your close-up!
