Tara McNamara “Black Santa.” In two words, the progressively provocative title of Minneapolis-based Travis Wood’s Indeed Rising Voices short is likely to spark intrigue about this emergent filmmaker with a fresh perspective. The 10-minute comedy follows Henry, an Atlanta father who makes an annual tradition of working as a mall Santa Claus with his son Otis as an elf sidekick. Now in his self-conscious middle school years, Otis is embarrassed by the charade until he learns that his father has a noble ulterior motive: to help teach him how to upend stereotypes and increase positive Black representation. In both commercial and personal efforts, Wood specializes in telling stories about the Black experience.
