and produced in association with Lightwood Studios and DukeArts Studio. Previewed at Lightwood’s
one-night fictional nightclub NERVAHN on April 21, 2024, EYES is comprised of three movements: an
ethnographic photobook (“ACCESS”), a concept anthology film (EYES EYES EYES EYES), and a
bespoke DJ mix (“AMEN”).
Presented as a “narrative universe capsule,” the project examines the impact of digital culture
on personal identity and social dynamics in the Internet Age, relating Generation Z’s emotional journey
towards self-realization within a digital and oppositional context. EYES EYES EYES EYES features an ensemble cast
including Manny Collazo, Nijal Morgan, Harmony McMullen, Aryan Kale and Camille Dunn, who star as a fracturing
friend group confronting digital perceptions while seeking forms of social access. Didier Exantus, Simone McFarlane,
Aisha Baiocchi, and more appear in “ACCESS” as guest contributors and longtime friends of Brown.
Brown began work on the project in late 2022 during principal photography of See How We Fly, conceiving it as
the final installment in a retroactive trilogy; development across the capsule lasted for eighteen months and overlapped
with Fly’s 2023 release. Initial drafts for a series that spawned the film began in January 2023 at the University of Southern California,
and, after a period of relocation, in Harlem and Chapel Hill throughout Summer and Fall of that year.
Primarily a dramatic coming-of-age film, the central EYES narrative exercises a hyper-real directing style, referencing
satirical, documentary, psychological thriller, and neo-noir formats. The film features four sequences that toggle
through the perspectives of each of the main characters: “Whiskey, or his Dagger,” (Dominic); “ACCESS_01,” (Pierre);
“Flight of Bird,” (Stephanie) and “Apollo’s Nervahn” (Leo). The film interrogates contemporary social theories such as the gaze,
double consciousness, and modern masculinity, particularly emphasizing liberation in an Afrofuturist reimagining of social dynamics.
EYES features an abstract and experimental narrative structure, marking a departure from Brown’s previous efforts,
and boasts soundtrack composition features from Chisom Uzokwe, Dalia Marquez, Kidnxtdoor, and Donovan
Moore. Filming spanned nineteen days in February 2024, involving twice the crew of standard Lightwood
productions. Honey Dijon, Baby Keem, Little Simz, DJ MikeQ, Pharrell, and Donna Summer appear on
“AMEN,” whose juxtaposition of classic funk, disco, and soul-infused dance floor movements with
contemporary hip-hop and R&B concluded the capsule.
The film opened to critical acclaim at NERVAHN’s “Night of the Eyes,” drawing particular praise for its narrative and stylistic audacity,
examination of subject matter, and emotional depth; the capsule itself was warmly received as a satisfying climax to the trilogy.
EYES anticipates a limited release circuit at Duke University and the University of North Carolina at
Chapel Hill in Fall of 2024 before enjoying a wide release this Winter.
Trailer