O.J.s Laugh

October 3rd, 1995. Two exe's (he's black, she's white) cross paths and reignite their relationship on one of the most racially charged days in history: the day of the O.J. Simpson verdict. Will past emotional baggage, and the dividing lines of race, keep them apart?

  • David McMillan
    Director
  • Kareem Ferguson
    Director
  • David McMillan
    Writer
  • Tarah Pollock
    Key Cast
    "Allison Raines"
  • Kareem Ferguson
    Key Cast
    "Jamal Burris"
  • Roy Vongtama
    Key Cast
    "Derek Ko"
  • David McMillan
    Producer
  • Kareem Ferguson
    Producer
  • Malcolm Bodon
    Producer
  • Project Type:
    Short, Web / New Media
  • Runtime:
    7 minutes 14 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    May 1, 2020
  • Production Budget:
    1,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Arri Alexa
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • View Park Collective Showcase
    Los Angeles
    United States
    July 10, 2021
    Official Selection
  • Pembroke Taparelli Arts and Film Showcase
    Los Angeles
    United States
    November 7, 2020
    Official Selection
  • African American Film Marketplace S.E. Manly
    Los Angeles
    United States
    October 9, 2020
    Official Selection
Director Biography - David McMillan, Kareem Ferguson

Proud Yale Alumni - Screenwriter, playwright and filmmaker David McMillan currently serves as a Supervising Producer and writer on Ryan Murphy’s upcoming Netflix limited series Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story, which is slated to come out in 2022. Before that, McMillan wrote and co-produced Showtime’s limited series revival of Dexter, slated to premiere later this year. He is currently developing a television series with Will Smith’s Westbrook Entertainment, and is writing a feature film for Paramount Players and Viola Davis’ JuVee Productions, as well as another feature film for Warner Brothers and Bradley Cooper’s Joint Effort production company.

In 2015, McMillan’s critically acclaimed play Watching O.J. had a successful production at Ensemble Studio Theatre/LA, earning him a Stage Raw Award for Best Achievement in Playwriting. He also wrote the feature spec Signal Hill, about famed attorney Johnnie Cochran, which was recently optioned.

In television, McMillan has been fortunate to work with and develop shows for some of Hollywood’s most notable producers, including Alex Kurtzman (Star Trek), Ryan Murphy (Glee), Will Packer (Girls Trip), Clyde Phillips (Dexter) and Carlton Cuse (Lost). His additional writing credits include Sleepy Hollow, Lucifer and Locke & Key.
McMillan is an alumnus of the Disney/Fox Writing Program and the CBS Diversity Writers’ Initiative. During the Writers’ Guild of America strike of 2007, he created the online political satire show News in Color, and served as YouTube’s News & Politics Editor.

A Los Angeles native, McMillan grew up in Inglewood and attended Crossroads School in Santa Monica, where he performed in a variety of plays and musicals. He continued to pursue his love for the performing arts at Yale University, where he earned his BA in English. McMillan then achieved his MFA in Production at USC, during which time he won several awards for his work, including the Jack Nicholson Screenwriting Prize, USC’s top prize for screenwriting. His short film Jump won the Showtime Black Filmmaker’s Showcase Award.
McMillan is deeply passionate about civil rights and social justice, and serves as a proud volunteer with Big Brothers Big Sisters. He currently resides in Los Angeles.

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Director Statement

This short film is based on the highly successful and award winning play 'WATCHING O.J.' written by the Co-Director David McMillan. Please see his extensive writing credentials as a playwright, television and film writer.

This short is meant to be a reflection of how the times in regards to race relations has changed and yet many things have not. We can discuss anti-miscegenation laws to O.J. Simpson, Rodney King and the current Black Lives Matter movement. The outright racist to some of our Caucasian fellow citizens who believe they are "woke" while still perpetuating the system of racial injustice and white privilege. There is no real racial harmony across the America as a generalization. We have legislation to make things seem harmonious in some aspects. However those laws are often and or are undermined for the benefit of those who are white. The challenge and task for America is to change hearts. So we really treat each other as equals in all aspects of our existence.