THE MOTHS & THE FLAME

Part of IDFA 2026 – The Stories We Carry, curated by Black Soil Film Festival

The Moths & The Flame offers an intimate and deeply human portrait of young Black fathers in Florida, challenging dominant narratives surrounding Black masculinity, fatherhood and family life. Through personal experiences and everyday moments, the documentary moves beyond stereotypes to explore the complexities of raising children, navigating expectations and building meaningful relationships across generations.

At its heart, the film is about love, responsibility, vulnerability and the desire to create a different future. By giving space to voices and experiences too often overlooked, The Moths & The Flame invites us to reconsider how Black fatherhood is represented and understood.

As part of The Stories We Carry, Black Soil presents this documentary as a reflection on the stories we inherit, the expectations we challenge and the legacies we choose to pass on to the next generation.

Aftertalk: Philip Powel in conversation with Marcianno Meulink

Following the screening, Black Soil co-founder Philip Powel will be joined by Marcianno Meulink for a conversation about identity, fatherhood, masculinity, representation and the importance of creating space for alternative narratives of Black family life.