Doc speaks to ‘angst,  unease and courage’ of Black women

ALICIA BENJAMIN

Charlotte filmmaker Alicia Benjamin’s movie debut, the documentary “Dreams Float Around Us,” spotlights the concerns of Black women during the second Trump administration.

Using adversity as inspiration for creative work is a longstanding practice among artists. 

For local fledgling documentary filmmaker Alicia Benjamin, today’s divided political landscape became the motivation for her debut “Dreams Float Around Us.” 

“[All] the crazy policies and actions of the current administration [are] causing so much confusion and unease,” Benjamin said. “I knew if I was feeling traumatized and disillusioned after the 2024 presidential election [then] other Black women were feeling the same way.” 

Benjamin wanted to shine a spotlight on the voice of African American women, a group frequently locked out of political discussion. 

“I want people to see the real angst, unease and courage Black women, and many other groups of people, had and still have surrounding the second go round of the Trump administration,” she said. 

In her debut documentary Benjamin turns the camera on eight Black women of various ages and backgrounds and asks them one question, “How does it feel to be a Black woman in 2025?” 

“The women in the film frankly discuss their triumphs, fears and hopes for themselves and their community during these uncertain and chaotic times,” Benjamin said. “They represent so many of us.” 

The documentary, which premiered at the Charlotte Black Film Festival in June, is a culmination of Benjamin’s lifelong passion for creative storytelling and performance art. 

“I’ve always been interested in writing, performing and film since I was in grade school,” she said. 

Raised primarily in the Wilmington, Delaware, area, Benjamin earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Maryland and studied theater and screenwriting at Hunter College in New York City.

“First I focused on journalism, then theater (acting and directing), and then I did some work on small film productions in Nashville, which really piqued my interest in producing and directing film,” she said.

Benjamin worked as a journalist in New York, Baltimore and Nashville prior to relocating to Charlotte in 2007, where she is a freelance writer and editor. She has also worked as a director and writer for several theatrical productions.

Benjamin admits that her creative goals initially didn’t include documentary filmmaking, but her interest was ignited after interviewing Tommy Nichols, founder of the Charlotte Black Film Festival. 

“Tommy invited me to a gathering with filmmakers that he has worked with and mentored,” Benjamin recalled.

Despite lacking experience in filmmaking, Benjamin applied for a micro grant offered by Nichols in 2025.  

“I wasn’t prepared for much of any of the documentary filmmaking process,” she said. “But I had passion for the idea of my documentary because of the times we’re living in, after the Trump administration took over.” 

Benjamin recalls feelings both overjoyed and apprehensive when she received notice that she had been selected as a grant recipient.

“Now I had to actually put together the pieces to make a short film.” 

Undeterred by any reservations, Benjamin turned to a common 21st Century resource to learn the ropes. 

“I watched all kinds of tutorials on YouTube on the best way to shoot projects,” she said, adding that she used her iPhone for principal filming. 

Working without a script, Benjamin set about finding participants for the project. She scouted eight Charlotte-area women ranging in age from 22 to 80. Among the women interviewed are college students, an entrepreneur, mental health advocate, performing artist and school board member. 

“We knew the trouble that was coming, and we’ve all seen it and experienced it,” Benjamin said of the topic, “but through the words of the women in the film, we see the hope and bravery they have. I put the ‘script’ together after I shot everything, found the additional footage and selected the sounds and music that I wanted.” 

Benjamin commissioned video editor Bryan Archilla, admitting, “I knew I wouldn’t be able to do that part.” Once filming was complete and adding copious production notes, she passed the footage to Archilla. 

“I gave [Archilla] the script – meticulously detailing everything I wanted to see in the film and prayed he would cut it the way I was seeing it,” she said. 

Her prayers were answered. 

After the premiere at CBFF, “Dreams Float Around Us” was subsequently selected for the Durham Region International Black Diversity Film Festival in Ontario.  

“To know that my film resonated with folks all the way in Canada made me happy,” Benjamin said, adding she hopes the film will be selected for other festivals. 

Although Benjamin, who lists David Fincher, Spike Lee and Julie Dash as some of her inspirations, is thrilled about the interest in “Dreams Float Around Us” and committed to staying humble. 

“I’m so very far from that,” Benjamin says after noting the “great work” being done by Black women filmmakers like Ava Duvernay and Gina Prince-Bythewood in recent years. 
“I’m just a tiny little worm, crawling in the dirt, seeking information,” she said. 

Benjamin says she is focused on selecting a story and writing a script for a new short narrative film she’s brainstorming. 

“I have a few ideas,” she said, adding that fictional film work is her true ambition. “I’ve really always dreamed of directing fictional films.” 

“Dreams Float Around Us” is not yet available on social media due to submission restrictions set by some film festivals. However, Benjamin says she is “still working on” another local screening. 
In the meantime, anyone interested in seeing “Dreams Float Around Us” can reach out to her via Instagram @ramalicia. 

“I am very proud of the film I made,” she said. 

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