Since our powerfully humble beginning in 2017, we’ve trained and nurtured an ecosystem of over 50 Black TGNCI* storytellers, archived over 190 hours of Black TGNCI* film/footage, held over 500 hours of sacred space for Black TGNCI* kin, co/produced 17 impact short films for and by Black TGNCI* creators, and a 19 part street style interview series called On Being Black and Trans In The South exploring three areas of violence most common to Black TGNCI* folks in the South; economic injustice, gender based violence, and racial violence. 

Our Origin

Comfrey Films was founded in Durham, NC
by Joie Lou Shakur who utilized their personal resources to fuel their vision that the lives and stories of Black Trans people become unforgettable.

We began with a simple mission: To train the next generation of Black Trans storytellers and filmmakers, leverage our brand to get Black Trans filmmakers paid to produce media projects in their communities, and pay Black Trans film fellows to work on internal media projects that further the stories of Black Trans people globally.

Scope of Work

Our scope of work includes serving our communities through partnering with trained healing justice practitioners and organizations to increase the healing capacity of Black Genderqueer storytellers and filmmakers. 

We’re utilizing the filmmaking process to bring access to healing justice services and opportunities for individual and collective healing to our Black genderqueer community. We are committed to a three pronged approach of land-based strategy, embodiment and bodily wisdom, and the power of individual storytelling as a landscape for growth and filmmaking. 

This looks like utilizing services such as individual and group talk therapy, reiki, yoga, horticultural healing, meditation, and somatic body work during pre-production, production, post-production, and distribution phases of our filmmaking process.

Meet the Comfrey Films Team


  • Founding Director

    Joie Lou Shakur (they/them) is a Black trans immigrant from Jamaica. They are currently a Southern culture worker, medicine maker, and filmmaker based in rural North Carolina. Joie Lou is the founder & executive director of

    Comfrey Films

    , a film fellowship program and production house focused on cultural organizing and narrative power through a Black feminist lens, led by and for Black trans and gender non-conforming people. They have over seven years of experience working in independent filmmaking both domestically and internationally. They speak Patois and English.


  • Director In-Residence 2025-2026,
    60 Seconds Remaining

    Durham artist, multimedia journalist and organizer, Julian Wilson, has been honing their skills as a professional image-maker for over a decade. His work examines what materializes behind closed doors and in the shadows–both personal and communal. Julian’s raw and frequently somber style is illuminated by their experience growing up in “the ghettos” of America. Since obtaining his Master's in Visual Communication from UNC Hussman School of Journalism and Media in 2023, Julian has primarily focused on organizing with and sharing stories of transgender people who are impacted by North Carolina's carceral system.


  • Development Director

    Wazi Maret (he/they) is passionate about the power of storytelling and Black trans imagination in film and music. They are the Development Director at Comfrey Films and an artist based in Brooklyn, NY. Wazi’s work and creative practice specializes in music, visual art, and storytelling–they are a producer, singer/songwriter, DJ, resource mobilizer, and coach for social movements. In 2018 they co-founded the Tender Bois Club, a music and creative production house, prior to journeying to Brooklyn, NY where they now reside. Through his music, Wazi attempts to channel authentic reflections and the essence of Black trans life while activating the resistance rhythms of house, club, and dance music in both his production and DJ’ing. Astrologically, Wazi is a Libra sun, Aquarius moon, Capricorn rising. He is a plant and dog dad that loves many things including muay thai, cooking at home, quiet time in nature and running races with his loved ones.


  • In-House Editor, Sound

    Theodore Calhoun (they/them) is a young QTPOC living in Tacoma's Hilltop neighborhood. They’re a UW Tacoma alum and received their BA in Ethnic, Gender, and Labor Studies with a Human Rights minor in 2019. They love movies, filmmaking, and storytelling, and they’re super excited to be a part of this work!