STOP KILLING US

Directed by Kiana Woodson / Written by Terri Abney / 2020/ 6 1/2 min

STOP KILLING US, birthed from the myriad of emotions experienced watching the countless black lives murdered during the pandemic by police, shows how one day for a couple begins with love and ends in loss. It poses the questions: How many more? Will we be next?

STOP KILLING US was birthed from the myriad of emotions experienced watching the countless black lives murdered during the pandemic by police. Eight minutes and forty-six seconds felt like an eternity as the world painfully watched George Floyd call out for his mama, utter the words “I can’t breathe” and take his last breath. George Floyd unfortunately who the country witnessed the images of his death circulate media platforms was not alone; there was Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Aubrey, Rayshard Brooks, Jonathan Price and the list goes on. Couple all of this while grieving loss during a pandemic that has impacted hundreds of thousands of lives, unemployment rates at a world record high, suicide rates skyrocketing, we add countless black names to the list of hashtags killed by police and systematic racism when the world is in duress. We pose the question: How many more? Will we be next?

Terri Abney’s roots are in theatre in film. BLACK MENTAL HEALTH MATTERS TOO was Terri's directorial/producer debut and she’s excited to follow up with STOP KILLING US.

The pandemic has provided Terri the necessary pause to tap into other creative passions and ventures; writing and directing being her key focus. Raised by her grandmother (a cinephile), Terri spent numerous hours bonding with her watching television. This birthed an infinite love within her for storytelling. She loves Black culture and is excited to narrate the Black experience from "our" perspective in a compassionate; yet, raw and honest way. Terri is committed to telling stories that highlight the Black experience, pay homage to our ancestors, have women of color at the forefront, and bring awareness to issues in the black/LGBTQIA communities.

A native of Washington, D.C., she studied acting at the prestigious Duke Ellington School of the Arts and Clark Atlanta University. Her professional acting roots are in stage work, having worked in theater on the East Coast. Ms. Abney’s film debut came with her starring in Ryan Richmond’s feature Money Matters, playing the title role of Monique “Money” Matters, alongside Aunjunue Ellis. She re-teamed with the director on his telefilm Lyfe’s Journey and, most recently, the feature Chasing Waterfalls.

Abney has also worked alongside Ruth Negga’s sister in the Oscar- nominated film, LOVING, and can be seen on-screen in John Hillcoat’s TRIPLE 9 and Peter Billingsley’s TERM LIFE. Terri recently starred alongside Gary Carr and Ian McShane in Dan Pritzker’s Film “Bolden” set in 1906, based on the Jazz Musician Buddy Bolden. Between gigs, Terri continues to train as an artist and student of life.