Morris From America

Morris From America

Winner of the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award and a Special Jury Award for Individual Performance (Craig Robinson) at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival, Morris from America is a heartfelt coming-of-age story about identity, belonging, and the search for connection across cultures.

Written and directed by Chad Hartigan, the film follows 13-year-old Morris, an aspiring rapper from the United States adjusting to life in Heidelberg, Germany, where he lives with his single father, Curtis. Surrounded by a culture that feels alien and a language he’s still learning, Morris struggles to define himself while finding comfort and guidance in his father’s quiet strength. Their relationship—tender, funny, and filled with growing pains—becomes the emotional core of the film.

Balancing humor and poignancy, Hartigan crafts a story that feels both deeply personal and universally resonant. Morris from America explores themes of self-expression, adolescence, and race with sensitivity and warmth, portraying the challenges of growing up as an outsider while discovering one’s own voice.

Anchored by breakout performances from Markees Christmas as Morris and Craig Robinson in a rare dramatic turn, the film captures the awkwardness and beauty of youth through a lens of empathy and rhythm. Morris from America is ultimately a celebration of individuality—a story about learning to be yourself in a world that doesn’t always understand you.