Mahalia Melts in the Rain

Mahalia Melts in the Rain is a Canadian short drama film, directed by Émilie Mannering and Carmine Pierre-Dufour and released in 2018. The film stars Kaiyonni Banton-Renner as Mahalia, a Black Canadian girl who feels self-conscious about her kinky hair setting her apart from her ballet school classmates, leading her mother Anika (Sagine Sémajuste) to take her to a hair salon to get it straightened. The film premiered at the 2018 Vancouver International Film Festival. At the 7th Canadian Screen Awards in 2019, it was shortlisted for Best Live Action Short Drama. It won the 2020 edition of CBC Television's annual Short Film Face-Off competition.