Black Life Everywhere

cai thomas is a documentary filmmaker and cinematographer based in Chicago telling stories at the intersection of location, self-determination, and identity about Black youth and elders. She grew up in Miami's Liberty City neighborhood and is deeply interested in stories rooted in place. Her film Change The Name which follows young activists from Village Leadership Academy organizing in Chicago's North Lawndale neighborhood premiered at the 2021 Tribeca Film Festival and was broadcast on BET. Her previous film Queenie about a Black lesbian edler in Brooklyn's Bed Stuy neighborhood premiered at NewFest in 2020 and is currently streaming on the Criterion Channel. Cai recently completed Beneath The Surface which documents data scientist and journalist Trina Reynolds-Tyler's investigation into gender based violence found in complaints made against the Chicago Police Department.