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BRIEF TENDER LIGHT
(2023, 93 minutes)
Documentary Feature
Four African youths from different countries and socioeconomic backgrounds pursue knowledge at America’s premier technological university – the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). From arrival at MIT, through visits back to their home countries, to graduation from college, the film follows transformative years of their lives as their ambitions evolve. Their dreams are anchored in the Tanzania, Rwanda, Nigeria and Zimbabwe they have left, but their daily realities are defined by America – by the immediate challenges in their MIT classrooms, as well as the larger social issues confronting the world outside of those classrooms. Each is forced to refine their ideas about the world and about themselves. Each must decide how much of Africa to hold on to and how much of America to absorb. More at: brieftenderlightfilm.com.
HONORS
🏆 BEST FIRST TIME FILMMAKER: Newburyport Documentary Film Festival 2023 – World Premiere
🏆 BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE FILM: Tacoma Film Festival 2023 – West Coast Premiere
🏆 BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE JURY PRIZE: Urbanworld Film Festival 2023 – New York Premiere
🏆 BEST FEATURE FILM AUDIENCE AWARD: Urbanworld Film Festival 2023 – New York Premiere
🏆 YOUTH VISION AWARD: United Nations Association Film Festival 2023
🏆 AUDIENCE CHOICE/BEST OF FEST AWARD: Rockport Film Festival 2023
🏆 AUDIENCE AWARD FOR BEST DOCUMENTARY: East Lansing Film Festival 2023
🌿 The Newport Beach Film Festival 2023 – California Premiere
🌿 St. Louis International Film Festival 2023 – Missouri Premiere
🌿 Pan African Film Festival 2024
🌿 Frozen River Film Festival 2024
PRESS
GBH Under The Radar, 1/12/2024: New documentary features African students at MIT and their journey far from home
Making Media Now Podcast, 1/12/2024: Arthur Musah Shines a “Brief Tender Light” on the International Student Experience at MIT
The Chronicle of Higher Education, 1/10/2024: Latitudes: A new film shines a light on the experiences of international students from Africa
The World Wise Podcast, 1/7/2024: 43. Four African Students, MIT, and dreams of a Made-in-America degree: Arthur Musah on his new film, Brief Tender Light
Vague Visages, 1/5/2024: Review: Arthur Musah’s ‘Brief Tender Light’
American Documentary, 11/14/2023: ‘POV’ Introduces Four African Students At MIT Striving to Become Agents of Change in Brief Tender Light
Telling Tall Stories Podcast, 11/01/2023: “Brief Tender Light” by Arthur Musah
WBUR, 10/16/2023: African-born students shine as agents of change in documentary ‘Brief Tender Light’
Variety, 10/10/2023: Sundance Institute and Sandbox Films Select Eight Films Highlighting Diversity in Science to Receive Grants
Bay State Banner, 9/20/2023: ‘Brief Tender Light’ Documents the stories of African MIT students
WBUR, 9/15/2023: 8 Greater Boston film festivals to check out this fall
The Boston Globe, 9/13/2023: Arthur Musah’s documentary ‘Brief Tender Light’ follows four African students’ journeys at MIT
Deadline, 6/14/2022: Ten Nonfiction Projects From First-Time Filmmakers Announced For Gotham Documentary Feature Lab
NAIJA BETA
(2016, 50 minutes)
Documentary
When a team of MIT undergraduates heads home to Nigeria to shake up education through a robotics summer camp for high-schoolers, their ideals are tested by reality. More at: naijabetafilm.com.
AWARDS
🏆ACHIEVEMENT IN DOCUMENTARY FILM – Silicon Valley African Film Festival 2016
🏆BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE FILM – Urban Mediamakers Film Festival 2016
🏆BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT FILM – Roxbury International Film Festival 2016
🏆HIGH OUTPUT DIRECTOR AWARD – Arlington International Film Festival 2016
🏆BEST HUMANITARIAN FILM (NOMINEE) – RapidLion: The South African International Film Festival 2017
PRESS
Africa Tech Roundup Podcast, 7/2/2017: A Chat With Naija Beta Filmmaker Arthur Musah
This Is Africa, 5/26/2017: Ghanaian filmmaker Arthur Musah tells the story of African immigrant students
MIT Division of Student Life, 5/19/2017: From Africa to MIT and Back Again
Press Release, 4/13/2017: One Day I Too Go Fly Inc Releases Award-Winning Directorial Debut NAIJA BETA Documentary By Ghanaian Filmmaker Arthur Musah on VOD Platforms VXH and Vimeo Worldwide
Media Update, 3/08/2017: RapidLion film festival engages African filmmakers in debate
Africa Is A Country, 1/25/2017: Documenting Nigeria’s ‘brain drain’
Sodas ‘N’ Popcorn, 12/15/2016: AFRIFF Review: Naija Beta, Directed by Arthur Musah
CNN, 10/07/2016: The MIT grad building Africa’s first STEM school
Slice of MIT, 9/20/2016: Alumnus Chronicles the Africa-MIT Experience
TRUE AFRICA, 4/30/2016: Naija Beta director Arthur Musah on ‘the value of homecoming and the power of youth’
SCREENINGS
July 9, 2017: Zanzibar International Film Festival [3:50PM @ Reclaim Centre/STCDA, Zanzibar, TANZANIA]
June 30, 2017: Realtime International Film Festival [4:24PM, Lagos, NIGERIA]
May 20, 2017: New York African Film Festival [4:30PM @ Maysles Cinema, Harlem, NY, USA]
April 27, 2017: MIT Division of Student Life Screening [3:30PM @ Room 3-270, MIT, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA]
April 25, 2017: MIT Lecture Series Committee Screening [7PM @ Room 26-100, MIT, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA]
April 25, 2017: HALI Indaba Conference [7PM @ Moriah Hill Resort, Lake Kivu, RWANDA]
April 20, 2017: Afrika Film Festival of Louvain-la-Neuve [7:30 PM @ Placet Center, Louvain-la-Neuve, BELGIUM]
April 14, 2017: Yale Undergraduate Association for African Peace and Development (YAAPD) Conference [5PM @ Yale University, Kroon Hall, 195 Prospect St., New Haven, CT 06511, USA]
March 8 & 11, 2017: RapidLion – The South African International Film Festival [March 8th 1:45 PM & March 11th 10:00AM @ The Mannie Manim Theatre, The Market Theatre, Johannesburg, SOUTH AFRICA]
February 16, 2017: The West African Film Festival [6-9PM @ University of Houston – Downtown, Robertson Auditorium, 1 Main St, Houston, TX 77002, USA]
January 14 & 15, 2017: African-American Film Marketplace and S.E. Manly Short Film Showcase [Raleigh Studios, 5300 Melrose Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90038, USA]
November 20, 2016: Global Entrepreneurship Week, African Leadership University [ALU Campus, MAURITIUS]
November 16 & 18, 2016: Africa International Film Festival (AFRIFF) [Genesis Deluxe Cinema, The Palms, Lekki, Lagos, NIGERIA]
November 5, 2016: Girls Day at the MIT Museum [11AM-4PM @ MIT Museum, 265 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA]
October 29, 2016: Arlington International Film Festival [7:02PM @ Capitol Theater, 204 Massachusetts Ave, Arlington, MA 02474, USA]
October 15, 2016: Silicon Valley African Film Festival [6PM @ Finn Center, 230 San Antonio Circle, Mountain View, CA 94040, USA]
October 13, 2016: Gary International Black Film Festival [2PM @ Bergland Auditorium, Indiana University Northwest | 3400 Broadway, Gary, IN 46408, USA]
October 10, 2016: Urban Mediamakers Film Festival [4:30PM @ Cinefest Movie Theater at Georgia State University, 66 Courtland St SE, Atlanta, GA 30303, USA]
September 28, 2016: MIT Club of Boston Screening and Panel Discussion [6.30PM @ MIT Bush Room 10-105, 222 Memorial Drive, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA]
July 2, 2016: The African Film Festival (TAFF) [11AM @ Texas Theatre, 231 W Jefferson Blvd, Dallas, TX 75208, USA]
June 26, 2016: The Roxbury International Film Festival [11AM @ Museum of Fine Arts Boston, MA, USA]
April 17 & 18, 2016: Festival International du Film PanAfricain de Cannes [Cannes, FRANCE]
FILMMAKER BIO