Film.
Dialogue.
Healing.
Where stories
take root.
Reels & Roots uses film and storytelling to center underrepresented voices, foster deep dialogue, and create pathways to healing, learning, and cultural connection.
We curate films
that move people—and conversations
that help those stories
take root.
What we do
Where reels make roots
Reels & Roots creates transformative film experiences that extend beyond the credits.
Through screenings, conversation, reflection, and creative programming, we help communities encounter authentic stories, explore difficult questions, deepen empathy, and imagine what comes next together.
Screen
Powerful, culturally resonant films.
Converse
Thoughtful dialogue with filmmakers, community leaders, subject-matter experts, and audiences.
Take root
Reflection that becomes connection, learning, healing, and action.
The Reels & Roots Experience
Four principles. Every room.
Our work is grounded in four principles that shape every screening, partnership, and community conversation.
01Watch
We curate powerful films that tell authentic stories—films that challenge perspectives, uplift underrepresented voices, and invite audiences to see one another more clearly.
02Reflect
After the credits roll, we invite audiences to pause and take in what they have seen. Reflection helps people process emotion, recognize new perspectives, and consider how the story connects to their own lives.
03Discuss
We bring people together to share those reflections out loud. Through guided conversations, panels, and community dialogue, we create space for understanding, empathy, and action beyond the screen.
04Grow
Change does not happen in a single screening. We return to these spaces again and again, nurturing cultural growth and deepening community connection through sustained engagement.
Next on screen
Beyond The Block
A rare look inside Sing Sing as incarcerated men prepare to step onstage and tell their own stories.
Screening + conversation with Director/Producer Asia Johnson
- Date
- September 27
- 5:00–8:30 PM
- Venue
- Phoenix Theatre Cultural Centre
- Indianapolis
Why film?
A film can place us inside a life we have never lived.
It can turn an issue into a person.
A statistic into a story.
A stranger into someone we recognize.
Reels & Roots creates space around those moments—so audiences can watch, reflect, talk, and leave seeing one another a little differently.
The room matters.
The screen starts the conversation.
What happens in the room afterward is where Reels & Roots becomes something more.
Our story
Built at the intersection of story and community.
Reels & Roots was co-founded in Indianapolis by Dr. Russell J. Ledet, Mallory Brown-Ledet, Konah Williams, and Raymond Powell—storytellers, strategists, and community advocates united by a belief that film can heal, connect, and transform communities.
What began with local screenings has grown into a vision for experiences that bridge art, conversation, representation, and collective healing.
Take root
Ways to take root
Support the work
Help the story travel further.
When you give to Reels & Roots, you are doing more than supporting a screening.
You are helping create spaces where authentic stories are seen, difficult conversations are welcomed, and communities can reflect, connect, and grow together.
Newsletter
Stay close to the story.
Be the first to hear about screenings, filmmakers, conversations, partnerships, and new ways to get involved.