Project Link
http://justinjjordan.com/dayblack

DayBlack

Beneath the polluted clouds of Day Black, Georgia exists a mysterious who has killed to survive for a very long time. But Mercer no longer wants to simply exist, he wants to live. Day Black is the story of a former slave who was bitten by something in the cotton fields. Three hundred years later, he works as a tattoo artist in the small town of Day Black, a town whose sky is so dense with pollution, that the sun is nowhere to be seen, allowing Mercer to move about freely, night or day.

Even darker than the clouds are the dreams he's been having that cause Mercer to fall asleep at the awkwardest times (even while he's tattooing someone). As he struggles to decipher his nightmares, someone from his pasts returns with plans for him–plans that will threaten his new way of 'life' and turn him back into the cold-hearted killer he once was.

  • Justin Jordan
    Director
    Mommy Uncensored: Confessions of a Real Mom
  • Keef Cross
    Writer
    "DayBlack" The Graphic Novel Chapters 1 - 3
  • Justin Jordan
    Producer
    Mommy Uncensored: Confessions of a Real Mom
  • Keef Cross
    Producer
  • Charity Jordan
    Producer
    Mommy Uncensored: Confessions of a Real Mom
  • Eugene Russell, IV
    Key Cast
    Under The Dome, Devious Maids, Reckless
  • Neal Ghant
    Key Cast
    Being Mary Jane, Remember the Titans
  • Thomas Jefferson Byrd
    Key Cast
    Ray, Da Sweet Blood of Jesus, Clockers, He Got Game, Set it Off, In the Heat of the Night, Brooklyn's Finest
  • Charity Jordan
    Key Cast
    Selma, Constantine
  • Christine Horn
    Key Cast
    Red Band Society, Reckless, Rectify, Complications, The Haves and Have Nots, Selma
  • Sharisa Whatley
    Key Cast
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Genres:
    Sci-Fi, Horror
  • Runtime:
    18 minutes 30 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    September 23, 2014
  • Production Budget:
    20,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Black & White and Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
  • San Francisco Black Film Festival
    San Francisco
    June 13, 2015
  • Art is King Urban Art Exhibit
    Atlanta, GA
    November 22, 2014
    Southeast Premiere
Director Biography - Justin Jordan

Justin has always been a dreamer.
Movies like Field of Dreams, Top Gun, ET, Jurassic Park, Malcolm X, and Last of the Mohicans inspired him, but he never thought a career in film was possible growing up in the plains of the midwest.
Justin began his career in advertising as an creative intern, where he learned the mechanics of great visual communication and, after several years of hard work, earned his way to Art Director. After years of crafting stories for Fortune 500 brands, he took the passionate plunge and spent most of his money on equipment to tell his own stories. Within one year, he had published his photographs nationally, directed a national TV commercial and created an award-winning web series based on his own family life.
A divine series of events landed Justin behind his inspirations Ava DuVernay, Bradford Young, and Mark Friedberg on the Oscar-nominated "SELMA," and the path to his dream was cemented from thereon. DayBlack is Justin’s first short film.

He considers his two children his greatest works of art, and often collaborates with the love of his life, Charity Jordan, in producing films and web series.

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Director Statement

DayBlack is about one man's grappling with humanity and existence. Merce, the urban philosopher, pokes holes in our social constructs and questions our cultural norms through Keef Cross' signature wit.