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Cristyn Steward

#ArtUnitesCbus Film & Photography Exhibition
Sterling Carter, Cristyn Steward, Donte Woods-Spikes, Kendel Boone, Jamie Ceasar, Teri Dashfield, Asia Glenn, Rashunda Holloway, John Landry, Ngabo Mutenda, Brittoney Roane, Benjamin Willis

February 4, 2021 - May 7, 2021

This film is not available to view online.

After watching her father die at the hands of the police, Desiree Reynolds joins the police force to be the change within the system.

Blue Rebellion takes place in the near future. Desiree Reynolds is a police officer at the St. Paul City Police Department. She has happily been on the force for 3 years. One evening, Reynolds and her new partner Greg Butkis pull over a Black man for a minor traffic violation. Butkis gets out of the car and follows procedure to write him a ticket. Reynolds stays in the car sitting impatiently in the passenger side of the car. In a brief moment Butkis pulls out his gun aimed at the driver. Reynolds jumps out of the car in what looks like an aid to the officer, but Reynolds shoots Butkis in the arm. She rushes to her partner's aid and calls for backup. Reynolds writes a ticket for failing to signal at an intersection and the Black man drives off. Reynolds calls in the shooting as an on-duty accident during a routine traffic stop. After work, Reynolds drives to what looks like an abandoned warehouse, a "Fight Club" vibe. Reynolds walks up to the door, says a password and is admitted. We see her pass women working out and sparring. We follow Desiree through the warehouse until she puts on a shirt that says "Castile”. “The Blue Rebellion” is an underground organization for women Police officers, who are fighting to weed out the bad cops on the force. Desiree will do whatever it takes to protect Black lives.

Cristyn A. Steward is the founder and CEO of the Columbus Black International Film Festival. Her films "Chocolate and Lace,” “Success It Sucks/Too Much Stress” and “Don’t Cover Your Tracks” have all screened at film festivals around the country. Steward was the recipient of the Spirit of Columbus Award in 2018 and ‘Create Columbus’ Visionary Award in 2019.

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