Nijla Mu’min is shining a powerful light on one of the most urgent issues facing Black women today with her new short film Water Angel. Now streaming on YouTube and Paramount+, the project stars Rachel Hilson (Duster) and Jacob Romero (Outer Banks) in a deeply personal story that brings the Black maternal health crisis into sharp focus.
The Story
Water Angel follows Jawny (Hilson) and Jamal (Romero), a young couple overjoyed about their first pregnancy. But when Jawny’s urgent cries for medical help go ignored, the consequences turn life-threatening. What begins as a moment of joy quickly unravels into tragedy, forcing Jawny to not only survive the system’s failure but to reclaim her power. Her decision to become a doula becomes an act of transformation — a refusal to be silenced or defined by harm.
A Film Rooted in Reality
Written and directed by Mu’min, Water Angel is both an emotional narrative and a social statement. The film doesn’t sensationalize or soften the reality of maternal healthcare inequities Black women face. Instead, it asks an urgent question: What does it take to be believed — and what happens when you’re not?
The Black maternal mortality rate in the U.S. continues to outpace that of other racial groups, with systemic medical bias and the dismissal of Black women’s pain cited as key factors. Mu’min, drawing from her poetry and lived experience, leans into this truth with a quiet but unflinching approach.
The Team Behind the Film
Water Angel is backed by the MTV Staying Alive Foundation, with executive producers Karlie Kloss and Phoebe Gates, who are also behind the broader Everybody’s Fight: An In Bloom Series — a collection of films amplifying reproductive freedom stories.
Alongside its streaming release, the film is supported by the Water Angel Social Impact Hub, which provides resources and calls to action for audiences moved by the story to engage in advocacy and education.
Why It Matters
As headlines continue to spotlight the Black maternal health crisis, Water Angel arrives as more than just a film — it’s a tool for awareness, reflection, and change. By tying lived experience to research and reality, the film connects the dots between systemic neglect and its devastating consequences, while also opening space for recognition and transformation.
Mu’min’s vision is clear: Water Angel isn’t designed to shout over the noise. Instead, it invites us to listen, feel, and reflect — and in doing so, it demands we confront the reality too often ignored.