Eighteen-year-old Gabrielle Gorman is a filmmaker on the rise. In 2015 Gorman was named Student Honoree at the My Hero Awards in Los Angeles. The My Hero organization celebrates notable individuals who use media, art, and technology to enrich the lives of those around them.

Earlier this year, Gorman was also selected to win a YoungArts award, becoming one of only 7 U.S. filmmakers to receive such an honor.

Gorman’s short film Dear America tackles body image, race, colorism, and sexism — often faced by young women like her. Gorman employs haunting visuals to represent the various burdens that are often placed on black youth, and young black women in particular. Gorman hopes that the film will inspire other young people like her.

I created this film to continue the discussion of what it means to be a Black American today as well as the many different labels that are placed on us. This was probably the hardest film I’ve ever completed in terms of trying to make the message as clear as possible. I said things in this film that I had never even told my twin sister and to share my story so openly makes me feel… free. I hope that what you take away from this film is the knowledge that you are beautiful and worth it and so is everyone else. I hope that after watching this film you can reflect on the labels you might me putting on other people as well as the labels that imprison you.