A compassionate, convivial, and deeply humane improvised comedy from Moselle (The Wolfpack, Skate Kitchen) and co-director Harden, inspired by the latter’s own experiences, The Black Sea stars Harden—also providing original music under the name Dear Derek—as Khalid, a charismatic barista from Brownsville, Brooklyn, who drops everything back home to meet up with a woman in Bulgaria… then finds himself stranded without a return fare or a passport, the one and only Black man in the seaside resort town of Sozopol. Likened to a “cinematic freestyle” by its directors, The Black Sea is a film of unexpected connections, happy accidents, and wistful romanticism, with Harden joined by Letters from Antarctica’s Irmena Chichikova as the local travel agent who becomes Khalid’s lifeline and a motley cast of non-professional locals giving performances packed with unpolished charm. – Metrograph Pictures

“Harden’s magnetic personality draws you in from his first moment onscreen.” – Katherine McNevins, The Austin Chronicle

“A cinematic slam poem.” – Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire