A Tribute to Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor
Anchored by a commanding, powerhouse performance from Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, Liz Here Now is a devastatingly poignant and deeply moving exploration of the unsung labor of Black womanhood and caretaking. Taylor stars as Liz, a devoted live-in caregiver in segregated 1960s America who jeopardizes her own safety to protect the children of a prominent white family from severe domestic dysfunction and violence. As the mother’s escalating physical and verbal abuse pushes the home to a breaking point, Liz steps in to confront the father, only to watch his polite veneer dissolve into hostility and leave her facing fierce retaliation for intervening.
Written and directed by Sterling Macer Jr., the film champions the enduring dynamic of Black women who have continually put themselves on the line across generations—from historical domestic labor to modern caretaking within white households.
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Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor will receive the Festival’s Tour de Force Award at a World Premiere Special Presentation of Sterling Macer, Jr.’s Liz Here Now, where she mesmerizes with a commanding, powerhouse performance as a devoted caregiver shielding two white children from domestic dysfunction in the 1960s.
