In the Reagan era of 1983, a group of famous pro basketball players stroll through sunny Santa Barbara. Amidst the warm rays of the sun and the indulgence of ice cream, tensions arise among teammates, fueled by their divergent perspectives on progress for black people in America.

Meanwhile flawed decisions made by local police officers set in motion events that will thrust the men into a scenario where they will face lethal consequences. This short film, “Sweet Santa Barbara Brown,” explores the collision of race, celebrity, and life-or-death choices against the backdrop of a picturesque beach town.

Producer/writer Solomon Hughes is an actor known most recently for playing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.on two seasons of HBO’s Winning Time.