The Moths & The Flame

A film by Kevin Contento

The Moths & The Flame offers a tender and poetic portrait of Black fatherhood in Pahokee, Florida, where the stereotype of the absent father is quietly and powerfully contradicted through everyday acts of care. Over the course of a year, filmmaker Kevin Contento follows a group of young men as they raise children, support their families, and navigate the rhythms of community life. Through patiently observed vignettes—set in kitchens, laundromats, neighbourhood gatherings, and birthday celebrations—the film reveals lives grounded in responsibility, affection, and solidarity. Interwoven with spiritual poetry, including passages from Farid ud-Din Attar’s Sufi parable The Moths and the Flame, the film transforms the landscape of Pahokee into a space of reflection, dignity, and possibility. Accompanied by the mystical compositions of legendary hip-hop producer 4th Disciple, The Moths & The Flame is an intimate and deeply optimistic meditation on family, devotion, and belonging.

Born in Plantation, Florida, in 1990, Colombian-American filmmaker Kevin Contento brings a profoundly personal perspective to the film. Having grown up alongside many of its subjects and recently become a father himself, Contento approaches the community with trust, familiarity, and care. His work blends documentary, narrative, and experimental techniques, drawing inspiration from both the lived realities of Florida and the spiritual teachings of Sufi literature. Premiering in the Berlinale Forum, The Moths & The Flame exemplifies Contento’s distinctive cinematic voice—one that finds beauty and revelation in the everyday while challenging dominant narratives through attentive, compassionate observation.

Director: Kevin Contento
Producers: Kevin Contento, Breven Warren
Principle Cast: Jean Voltaire, Malik Hall, Wiltavious Mckelton, Tavion Dent
Score, Sound Design: 4th Disciple