KNWFilms
This site is a collection of visual art and documentations by Kayla Naomi Watkins. 
I am a Philly-based, Baltimore born filmmaker with a focus in media education and documentary production. I have been filming since 2009 covering issues that impact Black, brown, working class, and femme communities. 
Bumpa
(2026)

Directed by Kayla Naomi Watkins

Director of Photography Simone Holland

Producer Ja'rel Ivory

Edit by Aidan Un

Lighting Design by Carmel Berg, Cloud Askew

Interviews

Vera Adams
Quadrelle Harris
Nyla Murray
Queen Nzinga
Maria E. Rivera, MS, MA, BC-DMT, LCAT

Set BTS Photography
Kessai Watkins

Set BTS Videography
Theron Louis

Best Boy// Electric Moira “Mo” Mcconnell

B Cam/DIT// Lucy Soutter 

B cam Mo LaRena

Sound// Prudence Katz, Steve Sklarow

PA// Joshua Childs


Performers 

Nia, Mirror, Dom





What is Bumpa?
This short documentary explores the Afro-Caribbean dance, ‘whining’ alongside the practice of twerking to analyze respectability politics, pressures to accommodate whiteness, and gendered criticism of sexual expression within the Black diaspora. Using archival footage of West African dance, expert opinion from working dancers, and the active participation of partygoers in a dance experiment, this film paints the picture of the defiance, autonomy, and ancestral veneration intrinsic to these traditional movement styles.
Where can I see Bumpa?
Bumpa (USA, 2026) is being sent out to festivals across the country and across the world. 

Bumpa screened as a Work in Progress at Scribe Video Center, 8/22/25 and the IPMF Presents: Archives of Resistance, Films for Mobilizing at Calvary Center 9/25/26 to sold out screenings. 
Tickets were available at  https://scribe.org/bumpa
Contact Email Address
My work:
I produce documentaries and webseries with public media, PBS Origins, PBS Food, and WHYY. I edit, color correct, gather archival, and research intriguing for stories about food, dance, and heroic movements.