Noel Braham is bringing his debut feature Angel City to the Cannes Market this year through Braham Entertainment. The cast includes Bria Samoné Henderson, Tonya Pinkins, Chris Kattan, Stakiah Lynn Washington, Helen Madelyn Kim, Roxanne Beckford, Dwight Hicks, and Kim Estes.
Written, directed, produced by, and starring Braham, the film centers on a second-generation immigrant rideshare driver trying to pursue his dream of becoming an actor while facing mounting housing insecurity in Los Angeles.
Described as a dramatic odyssey with comedic undertones, Angel City follows a man who carefully maintains a polished social media image while privately struggling to survive in a city driven by perception and status. The film explores ambition, identity, and the unseen realities many artists face while chasing their dreams in Hollywood.
The project is adapted from Braham’s Emmy-nominated short film Watchtower, which earned nominations for Outstanding Special Class Film and Outstanding Special Class Directing. The story also pulls directly from Braham’s own experiences after moving to Los Angeles in 2013, when he says he spent time sleeping in hostels and living out of his car while trying to establish himself in the industry.
Braham, who also founded the Micheaux Film Festival, said the film aims to spotlight “the city beneath the city” — the version of Los Angeles many aspiring creatives experience but rarely see represented onscreen.
“Angel City is my attempt to make it visible,” Braham said in a statement. “The film is about chasing your dreams while paying a cost most people won’t talk about. It’s for anyone — artist or not — who refuses to give up on what they believe in.”