OIFF20 – Feature doc – “We Were Hyphy” and Short film:  “The Game God(S)” and “Free Nias”

“We Were Hyphy”

In the summer of 2006 the San Francisco Bay Area was Going Dumb! And Ghostriding the Whip!

“We Were Hyphy” is a music documentary about Hyphy, a thumping subgenre of hip hop, famous for its pounding bass, humorous slang, and insane dances! Whether you were there or not – you’ll love We Were Hyphy!

The documentary is a love song to “Hyphy” artists, dance, music, slang, clothes and, most importantly of all, the people who came of age during the “Hyphy Movement”.​

We Were Hyphy recreates the excitement of the times while showing the impact Hyphy had on millions of people in the Bay Area and beyond. The film is a fun, nostalgic experience for those lucky enough to experience Hyphy the first time around, and a tantalizing introduction to those discovering it for the first time now.

And whether you “went dumb” or have no idea what that means, We Were Hyphy will excite, entice and entertain you!

Directed by Larry Madrigal

“The Game God”

The Game God(S) shows 4 characters: Martina, Frank, Brianna and Craig. They share their experiences as the Goddess of the Crossroads pushes us between the then and the now, connecting The Game God, The Game and Capitalism to the Blackness.

Directed by Adrian L. Burrell

“Free Nias”

Shot follow documentary Style; Overwhelmed with anxiety and confined to the house by ankle bracelet Nias a young black man decides to break free and go on one long night adventure

Synopsis

Nias, a young black man from the underclass (America’s ghetto) has one dream: to leave their world and take his family and friends to the magical world of black excellence. This is where freedom lies and adventure begins. However, the journey together out of the underclass is cut short when Nias’ youngest brother dies. Ubuntu; “I am, because you are,” Now without a dream and confined to his home by ankle monitor Nias is left simply existing. Nias, his friend and siblings gather in the backyard to what looks like yet another memorial. Doom sets in and Nias panics at the feeling of his own imminent death. His sister calls the ambulance when Nias drops to his knees and clinches his chest. But when the paramedics arrive he’s told that what he’s experiencing is a panic attack.

Nias must find a way out of his worsening anxiety. But he’s triggered by his surroundings; police raids, his nephew’s close call with death and the contagious fear of his friends that’s dressed as necessary caution or as his brother calls it, “staying on your toes.” But then his sister arrives at the house with magic mushrooms. “He(the drug dealer) said eat one to two of the mushroom-stuffed Reese’s,” she tells the group.

Nias eats the Reese’s forgetting she said they were stuffed with magic mushrooms. Everyone else has one but Nias mindlessly eats five or six. They leave the second bag filled with extra mushrooms on the table. In a desperate attempt to save himself from a bad trip he reaches for love instead of fear. Love tells him to be free and cut his ankle bracelet off and go on an adventure. This adventure leads him across the bridge to San Francisco where the city lights are abundant. He keeps repeating: there are only two things in the world —love and fear. What if we always choose love? What happens if we have no fear?

Feeling open to the world, he and his family members run into a live podcast and find themselves backstage, “I’m going up,” the once fearful Nias exclaims. Nias steps out of his comfort zone and relies on this disembodied experience to put words to his thoughts and reach the diverse crowd in powerful ways. However, after this long powerful adventure the sun begins to rise and last night seems so far away. They have to be sober now. Love should start melting away and fear will return, inevitably. Fear touches Nias’ skin and he begins to unravel. His fear spreads to the minds of his friends. Did any of that happen? Or were they so high they believed they were finally on life’s adventure? They cross the bridge back to Oakland and they’re back grounded in caution.

Nias and the boys pass by their home where the police are waiting to arrest Nias for a violation. Nias lays in the backseat preparing his mind to survive the barriers of another cell. The mushroom dealer runs into the boys. “Man what ya’ll do? The police outside ya’ll spot. I told yall to stuff the Reese’s with one dose, not eat the whole shroom.” The shroom dealer laughs thinking they must’ve been really high. Nias and his friends come to a realization that they were never high; they thought the Reese’s came stuffed. In fact what they experienced was always in them. All of last night happened. “Boi you did that, that was all you!” Nias’ brother shouts before Nias turns himself into the officer waiting outside of his apartment.
It is a bittersweet ending because Nias’ is arrested but he learns a new perspective that could change his universe. All of the possibilities of living freely. Now that he knows this, what will he do?

Directed by Chi Chi Cannon