The Hometowner Narrative Shorts competition at Indie Memphis 2021 was one of the most competitive categories in the film festival’s 24-year history. One of the most impressive entries was “Chocolate Galaxy,” an Afrofuturist hip hop opera written by Parks David and Ryan Peel, and directed by Blake Heimbach.
David plays “intergalactic man of mystery” Fuzzy Slippers, who drops in to Sector 9, a spaceport built on the ruins of old Memphis, to attend the Galaxy Ball, the cosmos’ flyest party. There he meets his old friend Melanon (Peel) who plays in the band for space funkster Slick James (also David) and, most promisingly of all, a mysterious woman named The Goddess (Taylor Williams). The film is a tour de force of DIY production design and special effects; one of the most visually creative Memphis films in recent memory. It also helps that the songs by David and Peel are absolute bangers.
Now, the Sector 9 team that produced “Chocolate Galaxy” is rolling it out as a four-part serial, beginning today with part one, which introduces you to the setting and characters with sweet neo-soul grooves. They’ll be featuring new installments over the next month at the Chocolate Galaxy website, and it’s well worth your time to keep up with each new installment.
Strap in: We’re blasting off to Sector 9!
If you would like to see your music video featured on Music Video Monday, email cmccoy@memphisflyer.com.
