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117 Years of Movie Bullsh*t

Logline: Frank and Candice, two aspiring Hollywood stars are sent back in time, during the Gone With the Wind Era, by the evil Dick Whitman, an old school studio exec. As Frank and Candice try to get back to the present time, they keep getting stuck in movies of the past as token Black characters.

Synopsis: Frank and Candice, two Hollywood hopefuls, are sent back in time to the era of Gone with the Wind by the evil Dick Whitman, an old-school studio exec. They desperately try to find a way back to the present but keep getting stuck in movies of the past, being cast as token Black characters. As they struggle to navigate the wild and wacky realities of the era, they find themselves in increasingly absurd situations and must confront their own identities and desires.

From randomly appearing in classics that feel like Lilies Of The Field, to somehow ending up in a mash-up of Monsters Ball and Training Day, Frank and Candice can't seem to catch a break. They never know what world they’re going to appear in next. But as they stumble their way through old films, they start to see just how outdated the industry really is.

In the process, they confront the stereotypes and tropes that have plagued Black cinema for years, from the pimp and hoe archetypes of the Blaxploitation era to the token Black best friend in scary movies and romantic comedies. With heart and humor, Frank and Candice challenge these outdated portrayals only to discover they're stuck in a virtual reality world called the Cycle of Manipulation (or "COM" for short), which is basically like being trapped in a bad bigoted acid trip. And as they uncover the truth behind the COM and work to find their way back to reality, they must also evade the various disguises and traps set by Dick.

While confronting these old stereotypes and tropes, they also begin to suspect that there is something more sinister at play. They realize that Dick Whitman is behind the whole thing and that he is using the COM to manipulate and control them. This guy Dick is like the Lex Luthor of Hollywood. When they discover his true motive, they must band together to find a way back home before they're trapped in the COM forever.

  • Candice Vernon
    Director
    Make America Great?, Two Trials, Cave Canem
  • Candice Vernon
    Writer
    Make America Great?, Two Trials
  • Frank Adkinson
    Writer
  • Frank Adkinson
    Producer
  • Blue Kimble
    Producer
  • Frank Adkinson
    Key Cast
    "Frank"
    All American, The Game
  • Karen Obilom
    Key Cast
    "Candice"
    House Party, Greys Anatomy, Insecure,
  • Jesse C. Boyd
    Key Cast
    "Dick Whitman"
    The Walking Dead, Outer Banks, Emancipation
  • Blue Kimble
    Key Cast
    "Detective"
    Ruthless, P-Valley, The Family Business
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Genres:
    Comedy, Drama, Sci-Fi
  • Runtime:
    29 minutes 50 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    February 3, 2025
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital, Arri Alexa
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Black & White and Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Digital Cinema Package:
    Unavailable
Director Biography - Candice Vernon

Candice Vernon’s directing career kicked into high gear with her award winning short film, MAKE AMERICA GREAT? which she wrote, directed, and produced. The film screened at festivals worldwide and received write-ups by The Hollywood Reporter and Decider.com. The success of the film opened doors for Candice to be signed to The Russo Brothers production Company formerly known as Bullit. She was then hand-picked by Stevie Wonder to direct THE DREAM STILL LIVES, celebrating the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, Candice worked with The Obama’s, Stevie Wonder, Common, Paul McCartney, Bruce Springsteen, Meryl Streep, and countless other entertainment luminaries. The video has garnered over 1 billion impressions to date. It is this experience that put Candice in the spotlight and set her on a trajectory for where she is now as a DGA member.

She’s also a former ad agency Executive Producer/Head of Production, where she used this experience in working with brands, production companies, and high profile directors to become a Director herself. Born in Jamaica, Candice also grew up in the USA, and Germany, providing her with a unique outlook on humans as subjects which sparked her passion for storytelling. She loves a good comedy-drama, and secretly wants to direct a superhero film…

Known for her work in comedy, and documentary content, with high profile celebrities (Academy Award Winner Regina King, improv queen Jenny Slate, Sterling K.Brown, Simu Liu), Candice has directed for NBA2K, Svedka Vodka, Warner Media|HBO, P&G: Cascade, Vaseline, Spotify, Hulu, and BuzzFeed. Most recently she’s at the helm of TWO TRIALS, a feature length documentary surrounding the social justice cases of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd. She received her BA in Film & TV from Temple University and currently resides in Los Angeles and Accra, Ghana.

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Director Statement

117 Years of Movie Bullshit is a film that brings together my passions—old movies, time travel, technology, and the advancement of the Black narrative—into one audacious project. The story of Frank and Candice, two Hollywood hopefuls lost in a time loop of cinematic history, allowed me to explore the absurdity and tragedy of an industry that has repeatedly sidelined Black talent.

While I was writing this, I couldn’t stop thinking about Ta-Nehisi Coates’ Between The World and Me. The way he talks about how Black bodies and images in America don’t really belong to us hit me hard. So, this film? It’s my way of saying, “Hell no, we’re taking that back.” It’s my way of reclaiming those images, of taking back the narrative that has so often been distorted by the very medium I love—cinema. It felt essential to craft a story that not only critiques the past but also serves as a love letter to our people, reminding us that we have the power to shape our own stories, both on and off the screen.

Now, don’t get me wrong—there’s humor here, a lot of it. But it’s the kind of humor that makes you think, that makes the audience question the images they’ve accepted for so long. By placing Frank and Candice in iconic films of the past, I wanted to highlight how little has changed in the portrayal of Black characters, even as the world around them evolved. This journey is as much about resisting the roles imposed on them as it is about discovering the power in crafting their own identities.

I wanted to take everything I love—time travel, old Hollywood glamour, dark comedy—and flip it on its head. Because here’s the thing: we have to be the ones telling our stories. We can’t let anyone else define who we are. It’s about that fight, that resistance, and about finding power in rewriting the script. As a director, I’m obsessed with the intersection of past and future, of reality and fantasy, and 117 Years of Movie Bullshit is where all these elements collide. My hope is that this film not only entertains but also sparks a conversation about the narratives we consume and the power we have to redefine them.

In creating this film, I wanted to do so many things— not only dive into the realms of old Hollywood and stereotypical tropes, but explore technological manipulation, all while pushing the Black narrative forward. It’s a film that demands to be seen and, most importantly, felt.

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Candice Vernon