Fresh off the festival circuit, Feathers, a new short by Sundance Institute Film Fellow A.V. Rockwell, is already attracting early Oscars buzz, and with reason. The movie tackles the rarely-seen-on-screen adverse psychological effects of racism often experienced by black youth in America.

Focused on the story of Eliezer (Shavez Frost), a new student at The Edward R. Mill School for Boys, who grapples with memories of witnessing the shooting death of his father by police officers, Feathers features first-time child actors in affecting performances.

It is the question of “Does life matter?” that forms Feathers’ premise, with the young protagonist grappling with the question, “How must it feel to grow up in the world, under the constant implication that your life does not matter?”

Such questions are also themes of Rockwell’s oeuvre, which she continually revisits and elaborates on. Feathers is both rough and tough, but always important.