"Staying Present" is a short film about Black fathers that refuses to tell the story you've already seen. The film features five Black dads from completely different walks of life: an interior designer, a tattoo artist, a hip-hop musician, a dou bro (a male doula), and Cecil himself— an Afrofuturist Black dad serving as narrator and interviewer. Each man carries a different family makeup, a different entry point into fatherhood, and a different definition of what presence actually means. The film ends unconventionally — by design — because the goal was never closure. It was to become a living resource for our community.

This is more than a film screening. It is a curated 90-minute experience that intentionally brings together storytelling, community resources, and collective reflection around Black fatherhood, family wellness, mental health and healing.