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Ken

@kenctures

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Visual Storyteller & Memory Preserver
——————
Somewhere tweaking some settings...
🎬 @restorefellows

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The Reel Black Film Festival was a great time! 😃

I'm grateful for the selection and for the effort that the programmers poured into this. Great people, good vibes the entire time. This is my first festival run and I must say I've been fortunate to connect with people that really value the work and the craft. It's been a freeing experience

Definitely unlocked a new core memory when I heard my name called for winning the jury award for the film to cap off the weekend 👍🏽

And yes, I snuck across the street to check out the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum @nlbmuseumkc

😏 taken in The Gem Theater by @kenctures

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8 months ago

The XL Film Festival is a few days away! Watch the official trailer for @eatorgchicago The Restore Fellowship Documentary—a spiritual reckoning, a blueprint for collective healing, and a visual love letter to the resilience of our people.

The Restore Fellowship Documentary will be screening at the XL Film Festival in Chicago followed by a Q&A featuring director and filmmaker @kenctures and EAT Founder and Executive Director @itsrichwallace

Date: August 15

Time: 11:30AM

Location: David Rubenstine Forum

Address: 1201 E 60th St, Chicago, IL 60637

Share the trailer with your people! Help us fill up the theater and support the efforts that went into making the @xlfilmfestival happen

Tickets and programming information can be found in the link in my bio ✊🏽

#XLFest25 taken in Cotonou, Benin by @kenctures

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a year ago

I truly believe that we really only remember the great teachers and the terrible ones. The ones that land in between are often a blip on the road of this thing we call life. Fortunately, I went to an elementary school that understood the importance of having Black Male teachers teach black students.

My social studies and history teacher (also basketball coach), Mr. Darryl Henderson planted the seeds for why our stories and history as black people in this country mattered. Storytime consisted of Eyes on the Prize episodes and Rosewood to name a few. The gems dropped and picked up at 11 and 12 years old stuck with not only me, but with generations of students for years to come. Those lessons instilled from those middle school classes were guiding principals for my young adult life and my not so young adult life now.

Teaching isn't easy, teachers are also often undervalued and underpaid... The older you get, the more you realize that the best teachers leave a lasting legacy by truly caring about their students and the communities they serve, they aren't in it for the money. That's why I had to push for this to happen while you're still here to smell the flowers 🌺 🌹

Looking forward to celebrating and honoring a great person for a job well done and an excellent career.

Your legacy deserves this 💪🏽

🗓️ September 11th, 2026
📍Mr Darryl Henderson Library Naming Ceremony - 1PM taken in Marya Yates Elementary School by @kenctures

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a month ago

"To know who you are is to know who you were." - @daeskigotbanned

During our festival feature talkback, director Ken Williams Jr. (@kenctures) talked with the inaugural Restore Fellows to reflect on their life changing journey from Chicago to Benin, West Africa.

Fellows Nicole (@brown_suga0216), Shabazza (@sewinmonster), Malcolm (@malcolmlondon), and Dae Dae shared how returning to ancestral land transformed their perspective on entrepreneurship, spiritual reclamation, and history. As Malcolm London shared during the panel, this documentary is far more than cinema. It is a revolutionary project dedicated to cultural preservation and resistance.

Fellows not in attendance:
@dr_quiqui78
OG No IG Greg

The Restore Fellowship Documentary has officially been nominated for a Midwest Emmy Award! @chi_natas

You can watch and support the film across multiple platforms:
• Currently streaming globally on @kwelitv
• Making its official television premiere on CAN TV on October 16

Watch the full talkback on YouTube, stream the documentary on kweliTV, and follow @restorefellows for updates and future Fellowship stories 🧘🏽‍♂️

📺: https://youtu.be/hl8F6-ldN6c
📽️: @tlntd.mp3 + @kyleameeks + @kenctures taken in ACX Harper Theater by @kenctures

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10 days ago

Birthday Motion

September 24th ⚖️

I appreciate all the BDay Wishes 😎 taken in Matteson, Illinois by @kenctures

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19 days ago

Friday was a beautiful moment to experience 👍🏽 Elementary School District 159 and Marya Yates Elementary honored the legacy for long time teacher, coach and a true pillar of the community, Mr Darryl Henderson. You deserve your flowers now and I'm grateful that I was in a position to influence this dedication. First time I actually wrote a speech but it wasn't difficult to express my gratitude and appreciation for how much you poured into all of your students.

An excerpt from my speech from the day...
"You grounded us from a perspective that we probably didn’t fully understand at the time, but now as adults it all makes perfect sense. The gems that you dropped when we were 10, 11 and 12 years old stuck with not only me, but with generations of students for years to come. Those lessons have been like guiding principals throughout my life. You prepared us for the world that we would soon be navigating through as teenagers and young adults.

I can honestly say that you are the primary reason why I chose to pour into this community as much as I do."

I started freestyling and lost my place a few times but the sentiment from many about your impact is consistent and profound.

Thank you to everyone that pulled up on a Friday afternoon to show love.

🎥: @tlntd.mp3

If you couldn't make it, you can watch the entire ceremony by scanning the QR CODE on the last slide 👍🏽 taken in Marya Yates Elementary School by @kenctures

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a month ago

When you know what you're capable of some things are just inevitable. Less than a year ago I took a picture on the step and repeat at the hotel I was staying at in LA that was one of the sites for the 77th Emmy Awards.

The caption I put down at the time was, "Only a matter of time" (last slide). Didn't think twice about it, didn't strategize around it, just snapped the pic and chalked it up as another checkpoint in my life. Since moving into entrepreneurship full time in August 2025, I've put my head down and put in work. Not convenient or safe/token work, not work to make some shareholders happy, work that ultimately fulfills me. Work that's purposeful that I'm proud of.

Now it's September 2026 and I picked my head up from the work for a second and looked up to an @chi_natas Emmy Nomination for The Restore Fellowship Documentary 😮‍💨 @restorefellows
@eatorgchicago

This moment was extremely special for me because the work is speaking for itself, there's no machine behind this, there's no huge crew behind this... Just family. Loved sharing this experience with my Wife, @itsrichwallace and @johnniefresh... 🖤 taken in Chicago, Illinois by @kenctures

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a month ago

A journey rooted in healing. A story recognized by the academy. 🏆

We are incredibly honored to announce that The Restore Fellowship Documentary has been nominated for a Midwest Emmy® Award in Category #401: Outstanding Achievement of Documentary - Cultural 🥂

This film is more than a cinematic project; it is a movement. It follows courageous, system-impacted individuals from Chicago as they reclaim their ancestral heritage in Benin, West Africa...bridging modern reparations with deep, necessary psychological healing.

Infinite gratitude to the FELLOWS and team and who made this possible 👏🏽

Cohort 2024 Fellows:
@sewinmonster
@brown_suga0216
@dr_quiqui78
@OG Greg
@daeskigotbanned
@malcolmlondon

🎬 Directed, Edited, Shot, & Produced by Ken Williams Jr (owner of @kenctures)
🎯 Producer & Executive Producer Richard Wallace @itsrichwallace (@eatorgchicago)

Thank you to the @nataschicago chapter for this recognition, and to every festival that supported us on this journey from day one, since it's World Premiere home @Xlfilmfestival last August

📺 Stream the documentary now on @kwelitv to see the journey.

Scan the last slide for more 🤜🏽🤛🏽 taken in Chicago, Illinois by @kenctures

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a month ago

The 74th Annual Shurn Family Reunion in Louisville Kentucky 🏇🏾

Since going to these as a kid, they never get old. I remember how much I used to look forward to going when I was younger. Now my kids really picked up the tradition and anticipate going every year.

Great job to the Louisville Chapter (my cousin Jared) and the family for another successful reunion 👍🏽 taken in Louisville, Kentucky by @kenctures

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2 months ago

@malcolmlondon asked a great question during a recent talkback that I was a part of for @makemeaningarchives
with @blackfilmclubcltv

"What heirlooms do you want to leave behind for the next generation?"

This was my answer in the moment. I'm often thinking about the impact I'm having throughout my interactions. Not only with the work I take on, but also with how I show up for my family.

I'm still thinking about what I'll leave behind

Making Meaning: Fine Lines is close to being done! Can't wait for others to experience the film soon.

📍 taken in Chicago, Illinois by @kenctures

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2 months ago

Expression Dump with Thoughts: Part 3

Motion...that's been the motto for me this summer. Staying active physically, gaining momentum professionally and always seeking ways to progress things forward in my community while remaining present with my family. My Great Uncle made 90 at the end of June! My moms made another trip around the Sun 🌞 I shot a small wedding with their lil man making an unscripted appearance in the recording 🤣💍🖤 (no I'm not actively taking on weddings ATM 🙅🏽‍♂️)

When people ask me how it's going?...I tend to respond by simply saying, "No complaints" 🙌🏽 I truly mean that👌🏽

Each day that passes I realize how my kids are becoming more independent from mom and dad. Can't help but think about the moment when I look up and they aren't calling out for mom or dad unlimited times a day because they're off on their own, living their own lives. That alone makes me lean into them even more at their ages because I know how valuable these moments and memories will be for all of us to look back on when the time comes 🥹 by @kenctures

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3 months ago

After months of collaboration, we’re ready to share the first look.

We’ve been quietly building something special.

Take a first look at the trailer for Fine Lines, a new short film by Black Film Club Collective, directed by BFCC founders Troy Martin and Chinyere Achebe, with cinematography and editing by Ken Williams.

Born out of our Making Meaning project, Fine Lines continues an exploration of storytelling, place, and collective memory through film.

Rooted in memory, community, and the living archive of Chicago’s West Side, the film reflects the stories and histories that shape the neighborhood.

Stay tuned for more updates as we approach the film’s debut.

And if you’re in town, we’ll see you at the exhibition tomorrow. 🎞️

RSVP at the link in our bio 🔗

@blackfilmclubcltv
@kenctures
@makemeaningarchives
@raiseyourchi
@ten_aces
@bykenncook by @kenctures

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4 months ago