Film Forum

Cece is a twenty-something Black woman, an aspiring actress, estranged from her mother (a former Blaxploitation icon). Body image has plagued Cece for most of her life; now, after losing 57 pounds, she gets her first role in a low-budget independent film…only to discover that it requires a nude scene. In negotiating the terms of her part, she explores the roots of her self-image, and returns home to confront her mother about their difficult past. Inspired by pioneering filmmaker Kathleen Collins (LOSING GROUND), Bridgett M. Davis sets her 1996 story in the milieu of Black arts and artists, and bravely explores the subjects of sexual abuse, body shame, and the intersections of art, love, and self-love. A key, underseen film of the Black independent cinema canon, NAKED ACTS features moving performances by Jake-Ann Jones, Ron Cephas Jones (This Is Us), and artist-activist Renee Cox.

NAKED ACTS has been digitally restored and remastered by Lightbox Film Center in collaboration with Milestone Films. This 2023 restoration is from the 16mm a/b rolls preserved at the Indiana University Black Film Center & Archive. Restoration and release with creative consultation by Maya Cade, creator of the Black Film Archive.

1996     87 MIN.     USA

Reviews

“A REAL DISCOVERY. An exploration of Black female sexuality and identity and the struggles to live a creative life, told through the story of an actor grappling with whether to perform a nude scene.”
– Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times

“FRESH, FUNNY, AND ORIGINAL”
– Variety

“Off-beat, razor-sharp comedy”
– The New York Times

“Smartly written and charmingly neurotic”
– New York Magazine