AMERICAN CLAY PREMIERES DURING MVAAFF WEEK AT MARTHA'S VINEYARD

A Supernatural Period Thriller Uncovering the Power of Ancestry, Intuition, and Truth

Trailer here
BTS here
Press Kit and Imagery here
Credits here

LOS ANGELES, Aug. 4, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- American Clay, a haunting and beautifully shot short film from Hundreds Entertainment and Saddlebrook Media, will make its debut in Edgartown during the Martha's Vineyard African American Film Festival (MVAAFF). Set in 1937 and steeped in intergenerational wisdom, the film weaves ancestral magic, resistance, and storytelling into a suspense-filled narrative with real-world cultural resonance.

In the film, Bernice, a mixed race, 18-year-old girl with second sight, uncovers a dark family secret and sets out to expose the truth. But on the wrong road in a dangerous sundown town, she finds herself hunted by two lawmen determined to keep that secret buried. Drawing strength from her ancestors and her gift, Bernice must run, hide, and ultimately fight for her life.

"American Clay is a meditation on identity, grief, and quiet extreme volatility passed down through generations. Inspired by true events, it explores the emotional residue of trauma, how it seeps into land, memory, and body. Visually, we used constant motion to mirror our characters' internal unrest, always circling, always fleeing." Said Christoper Jackson, Director of American Clay. "It's a story about reckoning, with history, with loss, and with what we choose to carry forward."

With breathtaking visuals and a chilling original score, American Clay taps into the roots of Black and multicultural identity without centering trauma, choosing instead to explore spiritual resilience, intuitive power, and the stories passed down through generations.

"This story felt mystical and spiritually aligned from the moment I heard it," says executive producer, co-writer and music director Vi City. "I wanted the film to feel like more than just a period piece. It's a reflection of truth-telling through art, sound, and vision rooted in real history, but charged with the kind of energy that makes people feel seen and inspired."

Saddlebrook Media's family story is the inspiration behind the film. Founded on a commitment to reclaiming the American narrative through evidence-based research, oral tradition, and richly rooted characters. Executive Producers Carmen Perkins and Michelle Taylor, both co-creators of American Clay, lead with intention and vision.

"This film is our love letter to the women who came before us, and the ones still finding their voice," say Perkins and Taylor in a joint statement. "We wanted to make something that honors family, ancestry, and the hidden strength passed down through generations. American Clay is not just a story, it's a spiritual echo, a cultural reclamation, and a creative offering to anyone who's ever wondered where they come from and how far they can go."

Shot in Los Angeles across locations from Thousand Oaks to Burbank, the production came together in just a few days, a true labor of love shaped over months of writing, re-writing, editing, and sound design. The film's immersive soundtrack, curated by Vi City, features four original songs including "A Mess, A Mess," "Thousand Times," "Fendi Plans," and "The Chase." Collaborators include vocalist Gabrielle Carreiro (formerly of June's Diary), Vega Heartbreak, Mike Jay, violinist Alan of Black Violin, and Grammy-winning mix engineer Jaycen Joshua.

American Clay is more than a film; it's a cinematic experience that reclaims space for culturally rich storytelling while challenging the boundaries of traditional historical narratives.

For more information please visit: https://www.americanclaymovie.com and follow on social at @americanclaymovie  

Premiere Details:

Date: Thursday, August 7, 2025
Time: 10:30 AM - 12:30 PM
Location: Edgartown Cinemas 2
Address: 65 Main Street, Edgartown, MA 02539

Open to the public RSVP - https://www.americanclaymovie.com/showtimes

Cast and Credits
Directed by: Chris Jackson
Written by: Aviv Rubinstein & Vi City
Story by: Carmen Perkins, Michelle Taylor, Aviv Rubinstein & Vi City
Executive Producers: Carmen Perkins, Michelle Taylor, Vi City
Produced by: Vi City
Production Companies: Saddlebrook Media LLC, in association with Hundreds Entertainment Corp
Starring: Kaitlyn Jackson as Bernice
Additional cast includes: Oliver Fredin, Patrick Perfetto, Ella Taylor, Isaiah Sossou ("Zeovert"), Nathan Patterson, Iris Gaspar, Michael Middleton, Bianca Alexander
Cinematography by: Dennis Robert Thomas
Edited by: Scott Simerly Jr.
Coloring by: David Torcivia
Original Music by: Vi City for Hundreds Entertainment Corp
Sound Design & ADR: David Basseliz
VFX: Fernando Torres
Casting: Vi City & Chris Jackson

About Hundreds Entertainment

Hundreds Entertainment is a music and film production company founded in 2015 by Vi City. Preceded by a renowned reputation for creating quality works, Hundreds continues to expand on its exposure and prominence in the music and film space. That reputation allows Hundreds to enlist the top music producers, writers, performers, screenwriters, and movie producers to create elite level projects. For more information, please visit

About Saddlebrook Media

Inspired by a vision to unlock the beautiful mysteries rooted in every family's oral tradition, and supported by evidence-based research and technology, Saddlebrook Media is committed to an expansive slate of feature films, documentaries and novels that tell authentic stories and give ownership of the American narrative to a culturally rich spectrum of historically rooted characters. For more information please visit https://saddlebrook.media/

SOURCE Hundreds Entertainment