‘Naked Acts by Bridgett M. Davis’

Naked Acts (1996) by Bridgett M. Davis is a legend of Black American film. The film tells the story of actress Cicely (Jake-Ann Jones), who has just landed her first major role, but there’s a big problem: it includes a nude scene. Her mother was a Blaxploitation star, known for her sex appeal, while Cicely was the victim of a sexual assault, which left her with a strong aversion to the idea of undressing in public. Now, with the support of her boyfriend Joel (Ron Cephas Jones), she is trying to overcome her fear.

Naked Acts remains Davis’s only feature film to date. The film was digitally restored and remastered in 2023. Bridgett M. Davis is a writer, teacher, filmmaker, and curator. She is the writer, director, and producer of Naked Acts. The film has been screened at 25 festivals around the world and features in S. Torriano Berry’s anthology, The 50 Most Influential Black Films (2001)