🎬✨ DAILY FESTIVAL TALKS AT EIGHTY EIGHTS ✨🎬
Join us every day during Charlotte Film Festival for intimate, insightful convos at Eighty Eights — your favorite coffee, cocktail, and jazz bar 🍸☕🗣
📍 Just steps from IPH Cinema
🎤 Daily @ 4 PM: Film-focused talks
🕔 5PM: Stick around for casual hangs, drinks & ideas
Join us for a panel discussion exploring the intersection of culture and cinema, featuring Maleek Loyd, Tyla Barnes, and A.J. Riggins. These artists and cultural thinkers will celebrate storytelling that reflects the diversity, complexity, and creativity of our communities. Through engaging conversation, the panel will highlight how film shapes cultural narratives, sparks dialogue, and fosters empathy, offering fresh perspectives on identity, history, and social experience. This uplifting discussion invites participants to reflect, connect, and discover the power of cinema to illuminate the human experience.
Meet the Panelists:
Maleek Loyd is a filmmaker and co-owner of Loyd Visuals, a video production agency based out of Charlotte, NC. Originally from Greensboro, NC, he spent his youth doing all things creative, from music production, to dancing, to building out music videos in Windows Movie Maker. Maleek officially started his filmmaking journey in high school, where he took a digital media class that jump-started his interest in the field. He competed in SkillsUSA competitions throughout high school and won silver in the Digital Cinema national competition at the age of 15. Maleek went on to study Electronic Media and Broadcasting at Appalachian State University and was able to start a video production company with his two older brothers during his sophomore year. He fell in love with the process of capturing stories and the life around him. Maleek now operates as the Head of Production at Loyd Visuals, managing the creative process and crews for commercial and documentary film projects. He's worked for brands such as Honeywell, NFL, ESPN, L.A. RAMS, Airbnb, and more.
Tyla Barnes is a multi-hyphenate creative and storyteller hailing from the heart of the South. Rooted in a deep belief in the transformative power of storytelling, she uses filmmaking, writing, and creative direction to spotlight the lived experiences of underserved communities. Tyla's work bridges culture and consciousness, weaving intimate narratives that challenge, uplift, and ignite dialogue. She has directed projects with industry leaders like the NAACP, Beats by Dre, and Apple, bringing her cinematic vision and cultural insight to projects that push boundaries and prioritize authenticity. Whether behind the camera or on the page, Tyla is committed to building worlds where marginalized voices are not just heard—but centered. Her mission remains clear: to explore truth, expand empathy, and celebrate the beauty of diversity through visual storytelling.
A.J. Riggins is an award-winning filmmaker and producer from North Carolina, passionate about exploring the untold stories of the American South. His short films have been showcased at various film festivals and supported by arts organizations throughout the South. A.J. 's documentary, BEAUTIFUL COFFEE, won the 2022 PRWeek Corporate-Branded Film of the Year. His collection of projects, THE WORLD OF TOINE, explores the complexity of Southern family dynamics and provides the foundation for his feature screenplay, LOOK AT TOINE.
A.J. is a 2024 screenwriter fellow of the Antigravity Academy Screenwriters Camp and Incubator. A.J. holds an MFA from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, School of Filmmaking.
Moderated by de’Angelo Dia, Director of Education & Community Engagement (IPH).
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