Naked Acts

+ intro by Rógan Graham, BFI Film Programmer

Celebrated as a key film in the canon of African-American independent cinema in the 1990s, Bridgett M. Davis’s first and only feature is a fresh, sensitive exploration of a Black actress attempting to reclaim her sexuality.

  • Director

    Bridgett M. Davis

  • With

    Jake-Ann Jones, Patricia DeArcy, John McKie, Ron Cephas Jones

  • USA 1996. 87min

  • Digital 4K

Cicely, a beautiful aspiring actor, has just landed her first major role. But there’s a problem: it requires a nude scene. Her mother was a Blaxploitation star known for her sex appeal, while Cicely is a survivor of sexual assault with life-long body image issues. Combined, these issues have left her with a strong aversion to dis-robing in public. Now, with the support of her boyfriend Joel, she attempts to overcome her fear. Naked Acts is a gem of a rediscovery – a biting, witty takedown of cinematic and cultural mores.

Contains racist attitudes.

2023 restoration from original film stock preserved by Black Film Center & Archive (Indiana University).

See other screenings of Naked Acts.