Director Melvonna Ballenger’s Rain (Nyesha) shows how awareness can lead to a more fulfilling life. In the film, a female typist goes from apathetic to empowered through the help of a man giving out political fliers on the street. Using John Coltrane’s song “After the Rain,” Ballenger’s narration of the film meditates on rainy days and their impact. The rain in this short film doesn’t signify defeat, but offers renewal and “a chance to recollect, a cool out.”

UCLA Student Film, Preserved by the UCLA Film and Television Archive. Depicts the endless round of waking up, driving to work on the freeway, working in an office, and driving home. The radio mentions the military draft. The drive on the freeway is interrupted by day dreams.