Drapetomania is an upcoming anthology thriller examining the psychological, spiritual, and social realities of Black adulthood through stories where ordinary experiences take an unsettling turn.
The title Drapetomania reclaims a historical term once used as a false diagnosis for enslaved Black people who sought freedom. The series transforms that history into a contemporary question: “What happens when becoming free comes with a cost?”
Each episode stands on its own while exploring the complicated realities of being Black and becoming an adult. Exploring topics, such as, relationships and breakups to career pivots, family pressure, faith, identity, ambition, mental health, and the expectations placed on a generation trying to define itself.
Rather than limiting Black storytelling to trauma or comedy, Drapetomania uses the thriller genre to explore the surreal, psychological, and sometimes frightening realities hiding beneath everyday life.
The series is rooted in a simple feeling familiar to many young adults:
“Is this really happening to me?”
Created by filmmaker Jackie Shawn, Drapetomania is designed as a space where Black characters can exist beyond familiar genre expectations. “The Black experience can often feel invalidated in society and with this series we offer that shoulder of validation to rest your head on,” says Shawn. “Drapetomania allows us to take experiences that may feel normal to us and ask what they would look like if we pushed them just one step further.”
The project is currently being developed as an anthology series with opportunities for emerging Black writers, actors, and filmmakers to contribute to its expanding creative world.
ABOUT DRAPETOMANIA
Drapetomania is an anthology thriller exploring the trapped conversations surrounding freedom, identity, and survival in Black adulthood. Each episode asks what happens when the freedom we pursue requires us to confront something we weren’t prepared to lose.
Genre: Anthology Thriller / Psychological Thriller
Format: Web Series / Anthology
Created by: Jackie Shawn
Current Stage: Development
For press inquiries, interviews, collaborations, or project information:
Jackie Shawn
queensworldmedia@gmail.com
@drapetomaniaseries @queens.worldmedia
PROJECT BOILERPLATE
Drapetomania is an anthology thriller exploring the psychological, spiritual, and social realities of Black adulthood. Inspired by the historical term once used to pathologize enslaved Black people seeking freedom, the series reclaims the word to examine what freedom, identity, and self-definition look like for a new generation.