On the second Sunday of August, the congregation of Berean Baptist Church in Brooklyn was dressed in white. After the opening prayer, on a series of large screens flanking the altar, appeared the first installment of a six-part short documentary series on the church’s history, “The Audacity of Faith: Freedom From Freedom To.” Archival photographs and animated images brought to life a vision of Berean’s founders, who, in 1850, built a spiritual and communal home intended for both free Black Americans and white abolitionists determined to create a sanctuary of dignity in a hostile world.
From the balcony, 27-year-old filmmaker and drummer Jahleel Hills rolled the first frame. Hills, who runs his own production company, Hype Man Hills Productions, and has directed comedy specials on Amazon