In 2017, my cousin was killed in a tragic gun incident at just 27 years old.

In the following years, I witnessed the effects ripple through my entire family.

It was devastating, and I couldn’t show up enough.

So, I wrote About That Time as a word of encouragement, a warm embrace, and a healing tool—not just for my family

but for all Black families and communities who’ve experienced profound loss.

I didn't realize this letter would become

my own tool for healing.

It asked questions I wasn't ready to answer and

unearthed pains I had buried to stay strong and cope.

Writing this story forced me to reflect on truths

I hadn’t admitted to myself.

It made me laugh, cry, and confront the cracks I ignored.

This isn’t just a time travel film.

It’s a story about what we carry, what we bury,

and what we refuse to name.

About what happens when grief goes unspoken,

when generational pain calcifies into legacy,

and when healing feels out of reach.

It's about the loved ones who never made it back-

and those stuck and forced to make sense of it all.

But it’s also about joy.

Because in Black households, joy and trauma sit at the same table.

The music still plays.

The jokes still land.

And the food carries yet another soul.

Too often, we bury our pain, holding onto the belief that time heals all wounds.

But it doesn't.

Admittance and action do.

I hope this story serves as a reminder of our resilience-

and a blueprint for how we can support one another through the pain.

This film is my ode to the Black family experience—

a celebration of its beauty,

complexity,

and power to overcome.

Jonathan Kemp

Writer, Director, Executive Producer

About That Time

In Loving Memory