When the work becomes the story
Village Treasures
An African art store in Long Beach. A client assignment we turned into a narrative film. Delivered: an original score, two festival selections, and a season of recognition for the shop at its center.
Village Treasures — co-directed with Donovan Gardener and Devan Renea
Village Treasures is an African import boutique and gallery in downtown Long Beach, owned by Max Viltz.
Rather than describe the store, we leaned all the way into its cultural legacy and created Village Treasures. A coming-of-age short film, with a turn into magical realism. Stevi, a screen-absorbed teenager dragged along on a shopping trip, finds a Kalimba on a shelf. Every time she plays it, the store fills with spirit dancers.
Evoking these pan-African themes of art and connection carries the ethos onto a larger stage. David Geathers co-directed with Donovan Gardener and Devan Renea, edited the film, and wrote and performed its score — I Call It Kalimba, now on Spotify, Apple Music and Bandcamp.
Selected, and then recognized.
Official Selection at the Pan African Film Festival and the Micheaux Film Festival.
Then a season of recognition. In February 2024, during Black History Month, Long Beach City Council recognized Max Viltz in chambers, and Mayor Rex Richardson issued her a formal Certificate of Recognition. Parts of the film played as she received the honor. Village Treasures was marking seventeen years in business.
News and accolades about the shop traveled online, and screenings brought energy into the Village Treasures shop.
On set, and after
The making of it, and what it turned into.
See the film. Then go and see the shop in person. It is thriving, in downtown Long Beach.
This is the same team, the same process, for your institution.
A call, not a pitch.