In 2021, we kicked off one off a new film initiative, the Mosaic Lab, that attempted to address the connection between intimate partner violence and HIV transmission by working with young men to promote healthy masculinity among their peers. Nine young men from the Greater New Orleans area between the ages of 14 and 21 participated in the 6-month long fellowship, where we held individual discussions with them about gender and masculinity to create this short film.
Picking up where Woke left off, In the midst of a downward spiral, Brandon, a college student in New Orleans, discovers a truth about his past that could either liberate him or push him over the edge. After isolating himself from most of his friends, Brandon struggles to piece his life together and find the support he needs to get back on top.
Director - Iman Shervington
Producer - Iman Shervington
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY - JAKE SPRINGFIELD
Editor - Iman Shervington
Winner of the Louisiana Narrative Feature Audience Award at NOFF 2022
New Nickels (2021)
New Nickels explores the healing journeys of five Black women living with HIV in the South, as they emerge from the shadows and find community, self-acceptance and love. This short film is supported by Gilead and will premiere at the 2021 New Orleans Film Festival.
Director - Iman Shervington
Producer - Iman Shervington
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY - Iman Shervington
Editor - Iman Shervington
In commemoration of Black Maternal Mental Health Week, IWES' Founder/CEO, Dr. Denese Shervington, a community psychiatrist and public health professional, speaks with IWES' Chief Impact Officer, Dr. Lisa Richardson, a social scientist and public health researcher, about the intersection of mental health and birthing while Black.
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY - IMAN SHERVINGTON
DIRECTOR - IMAN SHERVINGTON
EDITOR - IMAN SHERVINGTON
To answer questions about the implications of the COVID-19 vaccine in the Black community, we convened two acclaimed physicians—Dr. Roberto Vargas, Internal Medicine Physician & Assistant Dean for Health Policy at Charles Drew University and Dr. Lauren Teverbaugh, Child & Adolescent Psychiatrist, Pediatrician, and Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at Tulane University—to discuss not only how and why the vaccines were developed so quickly, why it's so important for Black people to get vaccinated and the impact the vaccines can have on the trajectory of the pandemic, but also the history of Black folk and medical experimentation in this country.
This Meeting Is A Protest! (2021)
This Meeting Is A Protest! is a series focused on four members of our Youth Leadership Council (YLC) speaking openly and honestly about the pressing problems facing young people in 2020. These videos are snippets of a roundtable discussion for teens, hosted by teens, and supported by IWES health educators. The title “This Meeting Is A Protest!” was taken directly from a comment during the session from one of the participants, and it signifies how this space was a chance to speak out against racism, the inequitable response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the school stressors put on young people, all while they feel as if their full humanity is not being recognized.