by Amberly Alene Ellis
After the Cuban revolution of 1959, cinema became a major component in the socio-political revolution of the Cuban consciousness. Some filmmakers experienced a rise to fame, while the names of other filmmakers are almost forgotten in the public memory. Two years ago, I embarked on research to begin filming
Nuestra Cuba (Our Cuba), a documentary that follows the untold stories of the Institute of Cuban Cinematographic Art and Industry’s (ICAIC) first women and Afro-Cuban filmmakers: Sara Gomez and Gloria Rolando.
Identity and conformity in America. These are the challenges the lead character Natalia Diaz must face in the upcoming film
Ori Inu: In Search of Self. According to the sibling filmmakers — Director/Writer Chelsea Odufu and Director/Producer Emann Odufu — “Ori Inu: In Search of Self is a coming of age story about a young immigrant woman who must choose between conforming her identity and spirituality to the cultural norms of America or revisiting her roots in the Afro-Brazilian religion called Candomble.”
Paulina Bugembe and Gabrielle Shepard are filmmakers who are joining forces to direct and produce The Homecoming. The film is the story of Andy, a Black woman who is faced with the struggles that come with having a brother (Jackson) who is in and out of prison. “Andy wants nothing more than her family to come together and be her ideal version of happy,” said the filmmakers on their
GoFundMe page. “When the family refuses to get on board for Jackson's coming home party from prison, she decides to make it happen on her own while dragging her family kicking and screaming along the way.”
by Aleshea Harris
“People could not heal if they did not know the truth,” declares Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu early in filmmaker
Lydia Hicks’ new documentary-in-progress,
Rediscovering the Scientist. Indeed, healing by way of seeking truth is the major driving force of this absorbing new film, which critically examines erasure of people of color in science history and highlights multicultural contributions to the field.
Trigger warning: disturbing images and fictionalized depictions of brutality, violence, and death
Jacqueline Olive is a documentary filmmaker living in Florida. Her most recent project is the feature film,
Always in Season, which aims to explore the history of violence and terrorism that Blacks faced through lynching, as well as ongoing efforts to reconcile and seek justice for the heinous race-based murders of Black people for over a century.
Bree Newsome continues to amaze us. The courageous activist who
took down the Confederate Flag in South Carolina is also an award winning artist and creative. Before becoming one of our heroes, she created a short film titled "WAKE."
In an interview for
AOL’s MAKERS series, Ava DuVernay shared her thoughts on the lack of women in film and how her identity as a black woman filmmaker.
Elle Johnson and Dime Davis are creating a film to tell stories of a disease that has affected their loved ones.
SUGAR PIE, HONEY BUNCH is the story of Charlie and Mimi, an unconventional mother-daughter duo who are dealing with Alzheimer’s Disease. Did you know 1 in 9 older Americans has Alzheimer’s disease? And that almost two-thirds are women? And odds are, half of those women
are African American? Johnson and Davis thought about their mothers, aunts and grandmothers in development of the film. On their Indiegogo campaign page, they write, “Beyond monetary contributions, spreading the word about SPHB goes a long way. Sparking a conversation about mental health in the black community is just as important. The topic has been taboo for far too long.”
Interview by Alexis Jackson
We recently had the privilege of previewing the award wining short film, Only Light, written by Thembi Banks and directed by Evita Castine of
USC's School of Cinematic Arts. This film explores the dehumanizing world of International Human Sex Trafficking in the United States and the Congo. It blends elements of fantasy and magical realism while telling the story of the second-largest criminal industry in the world. Only Light is emotional and moving, allowing viewers to connect to a very difficult subject.
