Destiny Macon, Director, Writer 

Sloan Grant(s) Received: 2023, Athena Film Festival, Screenwriting Fellowship

Project Type: Feature 

Genre: Comedy

Length: 108 pages 

Field of Science: Civil and Environmental Engineering

Stage: Development 

Synopsis: 

Talk Black is a body-sharing buddy comedy about identity, ambition, resilience, and self-acceptance. Think Insecure meets The Nutty Professor, where code-switching takes on a life of its own. Mahogany Woods is a brilliant, overlooked engineer who’s spent six years grinding her way toward a PM position at TLS.

When she finally gets a shot at running a major revitalization project in her hometown, she finds herself competing against two clueless newbies. All while juggling her condescending boss, a bully big brother, and the good ol’ boy politics of the South. The pressure is enough to break anyone, or, in Mahogany’s case, fracture her psyche.

After the sonic impact of a rock blast causes Mahogany to begin hearing a woman’s voice, the thing that ultimately tips her over the edge of sanity is discovering her coworkers’ horrendous plans for Victor Village. They want to run a highway straight through the town and invite in “higher class business owners” to take over.

Anxiety regarding the impending urban renewal causes the voice Mahogany’s been hearing to emerge in human form, as a woman only she can see. Almost immediately upon her arrival, Liquida starts seizing control of Mahogany’s body and making power moves. Her boldness is initially a blessing, but when her unfiltered confidence leads to catastrophic consequences, Mahogany realizes she must learn to take charge of her larger-than-life alter ego, or risk losing everything.