a film about hope, redemption, and the struggle to beat the odds

CONCRETE PEARL is a coming-of-age story loosely based on real life events.  It centers around the title character, Zemira Black, a book smart but awkward African-American girl struggling to find her place and her voice in the world.  As if dealing with the stress of being a teenager isn’t hard enough, Zemira struggles with the adversity of her drug addicted parents and an upbringing in a violent South Bronx neighborhood, both of which are starting to destroy her unless she can figure out how best to fight for her life.

While this film’s primary theme is redemption, its depiction of drug use, violence, and teen promiscuity in a contemporary urban setting remains unapologetic. The goal of the film, however, is not to rehash longstanding stigmas of the black experience in modern America, but rather to challenge them. CONCRETE PEARL provides a story told from a young black girl’s point-of-view with themes of hope, love and family unity—a rare perspective explored in American cinema.

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