Ride or Die

Sept 19, 2026
4 PM

Location
International Village

Watch Online in BC
Sept 20, 12 AM - Sept 27, 11:59 PM

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Canadian premiere

Director

Josalynn Smith

Country

United States

Year

2025

Runtime

85 min

Languages

English

A road-trip romance takes a sinister turn in Josalynn Smith’s thrilling debut feature. In the summer after college, Paula, a young Black woman constrained by parental expecations, falls hard for Sloane, her rebellious high school crush. Their spontaneous escape to California becomes a visceral journey as Paula questions how well she knows her dream girl.

Sophisticated, seductive, and subversive, Ride or Die offers a compelling exploration of white fragility within interracial queer relationships, challenging audiences to examine the complexities of love and accountability.

DIRECTOR BIO
Josalynn Smith

Writer/director Josalynn Smith is a graduate of Columbia University’s Film MFA program. Smith’s been recognized by Sundance, SFFILM, and the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. Smith’s feature directorial debut, Ride or Die, was produced by Jamie Foxx and premiered at Tribeca 2025. Currently, they are a 2026 Fellow in the Queer Art Mentorship Program.

CREDITS
Producer
Matthew Keene Smith, Josalynn Smith, Datari Turner, Jamie Foxx
Executive Producer
Shonna Foster
Writer
Josalynn Smith, Alicia Louzoun-Heisler
Cast
Briana Middleton, Stella Everett, Guinevere Turner, Cody Kostro, Amin El Gamal, Ella Jay Basco, Seth Gilliam, Eisa Davis
SHORT

Crashing waves, shrieking cicadas, warm skin. A toxic power dynamic forms between two young lovers when Zoe crosses an intimate boundary on Keira’s family vacation. Heightened diegetic sound forms an unnerving backdrop in this artful SXSW award-winning short.