Project Detail

Coded Black

Decrepit playground
Overseer's work table
Shadow in a Slave Cabin

Synopsis

A bold, narrative-driven experience that immerses players in the hidden and haunting histories of anti-Blackness in the US and UK.
This is an experience designed to be difficult – mentally and emotionally. Drawing from primary sources, historical records and scholarly analysis, CODED BLACK offers a journey through past atrocities and moments of triumph.
Explore two distinct, atmospheric scenes – a plantation and a modern 20th-century city – each filled with real historical documents and audio visual storytelling. With a structure that surfaces different content in each run, CODED BLACK is a narrative crafted for both personal reflection and educational engagement.
The game deals with the historical topic of slavery and racism, and therefore includes descriptions of violent acts, images of devices used for the chastisement of enslaved people, and archival imagery depicting victims of lynching. (Note, there is a museum version available with the lynching images disabled).
Official Selection International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA) 2025 - Digital Storytelling Competition
Official Selection CPH:DOX 2026

Details

Year
2025
Type of project
Game
Running time
120 min
Director
Maisha Wester
Producer
Nick Bax
Editor
Mary Going
Screenwriter
Maisha Wester; Desiree Reynolds
Production Designer
Abby Hambleton
Composer
Brandon Tanner
Principal cast
Karen David; Bel Odawa
Other Lead Creative(s)
Lucas Bax

Production Status

Production Company

Human Studio

Nick Bax
27 Gilbert Street
Park Hill
Sheffield
S2 5QY

Page updates

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