Guerilla Film Group, the independent production company led by Chris M. Rutledge, has released the official trailer for Love & Death: A Reckoning in Harlem, a seven-minute proof of concept for a planned Black film noir series. Filmed entirely in Atlanta, the project follows Charlie Goolsworth, a 1950s Harlem gangster and jazz club owner confronting a spiritual reckoning for his crimes. The film stars Julian Green and Lina Gatineau-Elder.
Rutledge described the project as a direct response to film noir’s historical exclusion of Black characters beyond background roles like cooks and doormen, saying he set out to take one of his favorite cinematic styles and build a story with African American leads set during that same classic period of American film. That framing positions Love & Death as part of a broader push by Black filmmakers to reclaim genre conventions, visual language and atmosphere historically coded white, and reimagine them with Black protagonists at the center rather than at the margins.
The film features original music composed by Grammy winner Keyon Harrold, with cinematography by Alvin McBean. Producer Olivia Frasco, who worked on the proof of concept, will continue assisting with development of a full pilot. The crew’s broader credits span major productions including Stranger Things, Lovecraft Country, The Color Purple, The Piano Lesson, Guardians of the Galaxy, Captain America: Brave New World, Will Trent, and M3GAN.
Love & Death has already picked up recognition ahead of its festival run, winning a grant from The Puffin Foundation in January 2025 that helped fund production, and Best Noir Screenplay at the New York International Film Awards in January 2026. Festival submissions opened August 31, 2026, with screening announcements expected throughout the season.
Guerilla Film Group, founded by Rutledge in 2018, has previously released Trombone Jones on Apple TV and Date Nights on Amazon Prime Video and Tubi.
With a grant, an award, and a proof of concept already in hand before the festival circuit has even gotten underway, Love & Death enters its next phase with real momentum behind the push to turn a seven-minute short into a full series.