south of Safe, North of Brave.
a film about Georgia
South of Safe, North of Brave (SOSNOB) is a short documentary tracing the lives, leadership, and political awakening of fellows from the Georgia Youth Advocacy Fellowship at the The Rustin Institute for Leadership Development. Set against the backdrop of Georgia — a state suspended between its civil rights legacy and a rapidly shifting political future — the film explores what it means to come of age as LGBTQ+ young adults and allies in a region where safety, belonging, and representation remain deeply contested.
Through intimate storytelling, archival context, and on-the-ground organizing, SOSNOB examines how queer and allied young people navigate identity, family, faith, race, and activism in a South that is simultaneously hostile and transformative. While Atlanta has emerged as a cultural and political refuge for many LGBTQ+ Southerners, the documentary confronts the deeper contradictions of the state surrounding it: voter suppression battles, attacks on LGBTQ+ rights, racialized gerrymandering, and ongoing threats to the Voting Rights Act that disproportionately silence Black, Brown, and queer communities.
At the center of the film is the impact of the April 29 Voting Rights Act decision and the growing fear that hard-won political representation across Georgia may once again be dismantled. Rather than treating these issues as abstract policy debates, SOSNOB reveals how legislation shapes everyday lives — determining whether young people feel seen, protected, and empowered to imagine a future in the South.
The documentary captures a generation refusing erasure. From community meetings and advocacy training to moments of vulnerability, joy, and chosen family, these fellows embody a new wave of Southern leadership rooted in resilience, coalition-building, and radical hope. South of Safe, North of Brave asks a timely question: What does democracy look like when the people most affected by injustice are also the ones bold enough to reimagine it?
Our Directors
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Tim'm T. West (he/they) is a writer, cultural critic, educator, and social justice leader whose work has helped shape national conversations about Black masculinity, queer identity, hip hop culture, and the transformative power of storytelling. For more than two decades, he has worked at the intersection of art, scholarship, and activism, using narrative as a tool to challenge assumptions, build community, and imagine more expansive possibilities for belonging.
A founding force behind the Black Alphabet Film Festival, one of the country's early platforms dedicated to Black LGBTQ cinema and independent film, West has long championed stories that complicate mainstream narratives about race, gender, sexuality, and culture. His scholarship and creative work have explored everything from hip hop aesthetics and performance to representations of Black queer life and the politics of masculinity. His writings have appeared in anthologies and academic collections examining hip hop, popular culture, and contemporary social movements.
West has been featured in several influential documentaries, including Hip Hop: Beyond Beats and Rhymes (PBS Independent Lens), Pick Up the Mic: The (R)evolution of Homo Hop, Bring Your "A" Game, and Graffiti Verité 7, contributing insight on identity, representation, and cultural change. Through these projects, he has helped audiences understand the ways media, music, and storytelling shape our understanding of ourselves and one another.
Today, West serves as Executive Director of the Rustin Institute for Leadership Development, where he cultivates the next generation of leaders through civic engagement, political education, and intergenerational mentorship. Whether on screen, on stage, in the classroom, or in community, his work remains rooted in a simple belief: stories have the power not only to reflect the world as it is, but to help create the world as it could be.
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Ashley James (AJ) is a filmmaker, visual storyteller, and the founder of Mental Health Cypher, a platform centered around storytelling, mental health, and community healing. Originally from Jackson, Georgia, her work is heavily inspired by Southern culture, identity, and the emotional realities of growing up in spaces where people often feel unseen or unheard.
Through documentary filmmaking, interview-based storytelling, and creative media, Ashley creates spaces where people feel safe enough to tell the truth about their experiences. Her work focuses on emotional honesty, resilience, identity, and community connection, using film as a way to start conversations, challenge stigma, and preserve stories that are often overlooked. Her creative approach is rooted in vulnerability, authenticity, and the belief that storytelling can be both healing and transformative.
In addition to her film work, Ashley serves as a SPARK Influencer for the National Center for Civil and Human Rights, is a member of the Bayard Rustin Society, and participated in SPARK’s FYRE: Rights! Camera! ACTION! program exploring storytelling, media, and reproductive justice. Her work has also been featured at Southern Fried Queer Pride and in the Colors of Courage Art Exhibit in Atlantic Highlands, New Jersey, reflecting her broader passion for storytelling through both film and visual art.
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JOHN SETTLES is a black queer director and producer from Decatur, GA. Since 2022, he has worked as Producer, Assistant Director, and Script Writer for various music videos, documentaries, and short films by local indie artists and production companies.
His latest project, the short narrative film “fear not.”, was funded by the Gilead COMPASS Initiative in 2023 and was released in April 2024. The film united HIV advocacy with the faith community together through film and conversation and reached local communities and organizations including but not limited to, the CounterNarrative Project, Positive Impact Health Centers, NAESM, Southern AIDS Coalition, and more. His work has also been highlighted in the Black Wall Street Times, the Portia Show, VoyageATL, and the Atlanta Voice. His expertise has also taken him around the world, traveling from Atlanta to DC to produce a live showing of Dear Black Gay Men Podcast, to New York and London to produce content for Rice Creative.
His directing skills were further enhanced from the tutelage of the Dreamers Program by WriterBoy Films, the My Home, My Voice Fellowship by Southern AIDS Coalition, and the Black Queer Creative Summit by GLAAD.
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Maximilian Lloyd (he/him) is a Chicago-born filmmaker and video editor currently based in Atlanta, Georgia. Since 2022, he has directed short films, music videos, documentaries, and video essays that explore art, identity, and community. His work has screened at events including ATL Film Party (2024) and AVC Fest (2024). He is currently developing new narrative and documentary projects that continue his mission of exploring art, identity and community, while actively collaborating with local actors, artists, poets, and musicians across Atlanta.
On Friday August 21, 2026, John Settles, Ashley James, and Clarence Sanders were guest
panelists at the SOS Conference in Atlanta, GA. Interviewed by Nayasia Coleman of
Southern AIDS Coalition, they presented South of Safe, North of Brave to an audience of 70
attendees representing public health, policy, and community impact from across the nation.
They discussed what South of Safe, North of Brave is, debuted the visual trailer, how
attendees could support the project’s development and involved the audience to consider
the reasons behind why they fight for their respective causes. After a successful
presentation, audience members asked questions about what’s next for the project, further
ways they could, and even donated a total of $1,000 towards the development fund. John,
Ashley, and Clarence, are exceedingly proud of what they accomplished at the conference
and are excited to share what’s next with South of Safe, North of Brave.
