An aspiring actress has lost considerable weight to land her first movie role, but what the director didn’t tell her was that it includes a nude scene. Reluctant to do it, she embarks on a personal journey that unveils secrets once hidden under her weight, as she discovers emotional nudity is just as revealing as taking her clothes off.

Bridgett M. Davis’s fearless exploration of Black female agency centers on Cicely (Jake-Ann Jones), the daughter of a former blaxploitation star, whose own foray into acting hits a snag when her role in a low-budget indie film requires her to do a nude scene—forcing her to confront her deep-seated body-image issues, the trauma of sexual assault, and her troubled relationship with her mother. Deftly blending raw drama with whip-smart comedy, NAKED ACTS touches on thorny issues of bodily autonomy and self-realization with a freshness and incisiveness that mark Davis as a pioneer in telling Black women’s stories on-screen with authenticity and insight.

The cinematic daughter of filmmaker Kathleen Collins — whose pioneering work LOSING GROUND inspired her to direct her sole fiction feature — Davis encountered many challenges while releasing the film in the mid 90’s. When NAKED ACTS did not find a receptive distributor, Davis decided to take things into her own hands — distributing and promoting the film herself. NAKED ACTS enjoyed relative success in the alternative festival and theatrical circuit, but remained one of the criminally under-seen “most influential Black films.”

In 2022, during research for her award-winning Black Film Archive, historian Maya S. Cade rediscovered Davis’ NAKED ACTS within the holdings of the Indiana University Black Film Center and Archive. Cade championed this independent feminist film and, thanks to her advocacy as well as support from other organizations, a digital restoration and remaster of NAKED ACTS was released in 2024. -SARAH-TAI BLACK

Featuring a post-screening virtual Q&A with Bridgett M. Davis

Poster illustration by Michael DeForge

Low/fixed income Black folks — message @BlackGoldTO on Instagram or Facebook for complimentary tickets!
PLEASE WEAR A MASK! Black communities continue to be disproportionately affected by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the structural inequities it further entrenches. We care for us! KN95 and N95 masks will be available onsite for guests.
ACCESSIBILITY: The film will be presented with subtitles. For wheelchair and mobility device users: Paradise has a wheelchair accessible washroom on site and wheelchair accessible spaces within the cinema. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to either Black Gold or Paradise if you have additional access needs or concerns!

Doors Open 30 Minutes Before Showtime.