Winner: A Special Jury Prize in the MFF19 Future/Now Competition went to Zora Howard for Writing and Performance

When seventeen-year-old Ayanna (Zora Howard, in a breakthrough performance) falls for a handsome, slightly older man named Isaiah (Joshua Boone), her entire world is turned upside down. But love is complicated, trust is hard, and when the first blush of romance leads to new challenges, Ayanna has to examine her choices and grapple with an uncertain future. Beautifully photographed against the sun-drenched backdrop of Harlem’s rapidly changing landscape, Rashaad Ernesto Green’s PREMATURE is a touching, poetic portrayal of contemporary young love, the story of a woman whose inner strength is a promise upon which the film delivers.

Q&A with director Rashaad Ernesto Green, producer Darren Dean, and star Zora Howard to follow.