Sterling Hampton IV is stepping into narrative filmmaking with Inauguration Day, a coming-of-age dramedy set on the day Barack Obama was sworn in as the first Black president of the United States.
The film follows a group of Black high school students attending a predominantly white institution, navigating their own sense of identity and belonging as the country around them celebrates what many saw as a historic turning point.
“It’s inspired by my own high school experience on that exact day,” Hampton says. “It was a moment of collective celebration, but also confusion. Everyone around me was cheering for what felt like the beginning of a new America — but as a young Black student in a mostly white space, I couldn’t shake the question of where we actually fit into that promise.”
The film features Jermaine Harris (Disney’s Saturdays), Tim Johnson Jr. (Everybody Still Hates Chris), Israel Johnson (Bunk’d), Sabrina Lassegue (Get The Girl), Victoria Ogbonna (All the Men’s Hangers), and Tevin Johnson (NBA 2K).
The story unfolds over a single school day, where the significance of Obama’s inauguration collides with the students’ personal realities. Hampton describes it as “a film about progress, perspective, and what it means to be visible in spaces that don’t always see you.”
Written by Sabrina Lassegue from a story by Hampton, Inauguration Day is produced by Nina Childs, Lassegue, and Hampton under his banner Clash of the Artistic Minds. Tim Johnson Jr. and Israel Johnson also serve as associate producers.
“We often talk about progress in headlines,” he adds, “but not about how it lands on the hearts of those still figuring out where they belong within it. That’s what this film is about — the interior lives of Black youth in spaces that celebrate their potential while overlooking their presence.”
Hampton is known for his work across documentary and commercial spaces, having directed campaigns for Mercedes-AMG x will.i.am, Xupermask, and Honeywell, along with the viral short documentary East L.A..
Now, he’s turning the lens inward. “With Inauguration Day, I wanted to tell a story that captures both the hope and the complexity of that moment — the tension between what we were told had changed and what, for so many of us, still hadn’t.”
Inauguration Day is currently filming in Los Angeles, with a festival release expected in 2026. Additional cast and production announcements will follow.