Short Films By Kahlil Joseph: Flying Lotus & Shabazz Palaces

Flying Lotus has just released a short film to promote his upcoming record, Until The Quiet Comes, and we feature it below, along with an oldie but equally goodie — Shabazz Palaces’ short film for their 2011 record, Black Up. See both videos after the jump.

 

Flying Lotus

Director Kahlil Joseph has put together a nearly 4-minute-long short film that begins with haunting images of violence upon urban youth. That destruction, though, soon turns into liberation via dance and resurrection, with three tracks from Flying Lotus — “See Thru To U”, “Hunger”, and “Getting There”, that feature Niki Randa and Erykah Badu — providing a female-driven backdrop that hints towards the possibility of second chances and better decisions. Until The Quiet Comes will be released October 2nd in North America and October 1st elsewhere.

 

Shabazz Palaces

Shabazz Palaces’ short film for 2011’s Black Up is longer, at nearly five minutes, and a bit more spastic than the Flying Lotus promo. Its images, which duck out from the grit of New York City into expansive nature, are an excellent visual pairing for the music of Shabazz Palaces, which combines urbanity with organic instrumentation and African influences. It’s no wonder that this film bears resemblance to the piece Kahlil Joseph did for Flying Lotus; he directed this one, also.

 


Flying Lotus – Until The Quiet Comes (Short Film by Kahlil Joseph)

 

Shabazz Palaces – Black Up (Short Film by Kahlil Joseph)

Added bonus, though not related to Kahlil Joseph: the music video for Shabazz Palaces’ “Are You… Can You… Were You?”

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Written by
Vee Hua 華婷婷

Vee Hua 華婷婷 (they/them) is a writer, filmmaker, and organizer with semi-nomadic tendencies. Much of their work unifies their metaphysical interests with their belief that art can positively transform the self and society. They are the Editor-in-Chief of REDEFINE, Interim Managing Editor of South Seattle Emerald, and Co-Chair of the Seattle Arts Commission. They also previously served as the Executive Director of the interdisciplinary community hub, Northwest Film Forum, where they played a key role in making the space more welcoming and accessible for diverse audiences.

Vee has two narrative short films. Searching Skies (2017) touches on Syrian refugee resettlement in the United States; with it, they helped co-organize The Seventh Art Stand, a national film and civil rights discussion series against Islamophobia. Reckless Spirits (2022) is a metaphysical, multi-lingual POC buddy comedy for a bleak new era, in anticipation of a feature-length project.

Vee is passionate about cultural space, the environment, and finding ways to covertly and overtly disrupt oppressive structures. They also regularly share observational human stories through their storytelling newsletter, RAMBLIN’ WITH VEE!, and are pursuing a Master’s in Tribal Resource and Environmental Stewardship under the Native American Studies Department at the University of Minnesota.

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