Two Film Festivals at Once

Color Book has been making waves since its release in 2024. The feature film follows Lucky (Will Catlett) and his son Mason (Jeremiah Daniels), who has Down syndrome, as they journey to an Atlanta Braves game. The storyline is simple, but the everyday ups and downs of life make the film robust and full of emotion.

This is Catlett’s first lead role. He is known for his roles in Black Lightning and Love is.

“I’ve been wanting to lead a film for a very long time, and so to have this type of film and to carry this film with the incredible Jeremiah is a dream come true,” said Catlett.

Color Book has been showing across the country, winning multiple awards, including Best Feature Film at the Boulder International Film Festival, New Direction Competition Winner at the Cleveland International Film Festival, and the ASC Award for Cinematography at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival.

Color Book is an Atlanta-based film that was shot solely in the city with a majority Atlanta cast, except for the two lead characters, Lucky and Mason. The film has finally made its way back to Atlanta, but this time on screen, at the opening night of the 2025 Atlanta Film Festival on April 24, 2025.

“That was one of the big things that we really want to focus on because yes, you can capture the architecture, you can capture the landscape, you can capture the entire visual demographic. But to me, it was about how do you capture the people because buildings don’t make Atlanta, it’s the people that do,” said writer and director David Fortune.

Color Book is also screening at the 2025 Milwaukee Film Festival on April 26, 2025.

“So what’s great about Color Book going to different film festivals is because it’s touching different communities. Every state [and] every city has their own pocket of individuals that represent the community that they’re from. And so for me, Color Book gets to go to LA, and that’s a whole different group of people. To Milwaukee, that’s a whole different group of people,” said Fortune. “And I love that it’s touching different communities and different demographics because that’s also important too to show like Blackness is in a way still universal.”

Down Syndrome Awareness

Color Book gives audiences a refreshing and new look at what it means to be a parent with a child who has Down syndrome. It also gives a voice to those with Down syndromeby casting someone who actually has it. Daniels, who plays 11-year-old Mason, has Down syndrome, but he has never let that hinder what he wants in life.

This is Daniel’s first acting role, and when asked about his experience, he gleefully responded.

“It’s not hard. It’s easy,” said Daniels.

Daniels’s mother, Joi Phillips-Daniels, expressed her joy in seeing her son shine.

“It is so surreal just seeing him out here and the representation of different abilities in this space. It’s amazing, and I’m so blessed and thankful,” said Phillips-Daniels.

Black Fatherhood on Screen

Color Book dives into what Black fatherhood can look like, which resonated with Kia Shine, who plays Rico, the best friend of Lucky. Shine has a son with autism, so playing in this film hit home for him.

“Films like this are important because it shows not only Black fatherhood but it shows special needs fatherhood. As a special needs father with a son with autism, I could definitely connect with the character and connect with the actual message behind this film,” said Shine.

Just like anything in life, Black fatherhood doesn’t have just one look, but it’s sometimes portrayed as one-sided in the media. Joseph Callender, who plays Marta Police, touched on how Color Book sheds a positive light on Black fatherhood.

“Still to this day, [there are] negative images of the alpha male Black man. I’m so tired of that with Hollywood and independent films and everything, so this relationship is very important. And I love the fact that this man is trying so hard just to take his son to a baseball game, and especially the fact that the son is a special needs child, that adds an extra factor to it,” said Callender. “To know that this man is that caring and they’re dealing with the loss of the mother, or the wife, in this picture is so very important. And I love the element of that instead of always showing us in a negative light.”

Check out our video interviews from the 2025 Atlanta Film Festival here.