I Wanted To See More Films That Told Stories Like Mine, So I Created Sidewalks
The paper I wrote for my Africana Feminisms class is titled “Black Women Filmmakers: On The Frontiers of Film and Television, On Screen and Off — In the Face of White Masculinist Film”. The title is quite self-explanatory — in the paper I explain the ways in which the film/television industry and artform have been dominated by white masculinity, and the ways in which Black Feminist theory and practice, catalyzed by the work of Black women filmmakers, has brought about revolutionary and innovative practice and content.
In my paper I illuminated the pathways of Black women filmmakers, so with this short Medium article I’ll provide a reflection on my own experience as a filmmaker myself.
“If there’s a book that you want to read, but it hasn’t been written yet, then you must write it.”
Last year, I began writing the characters, dialogue, and story for what became Sidewalks, the first film I’ve written, produced, directed and starred in. I assembled a cast and crew of some of the most talented and dedicated peers I’ve known, and we all embarked on the journey of telling this story.
Until I watched my own movie, I had never seen a piece that provided an adequate, accurate, and non-ableist portrayal of a Black woman dealing with mental health issues. Or one that showed a painstakingly and refreshingly honest depiction of dealing with sexism and colorism from the perspective of darker-skinned Black girls. I had never seen a short film that so plainly represented dating/romance/intimacy/friendship/relationships for people like me. Until Sidewalks.
The aforementioned Toni Morrison quote has inspired me for most of my life. I have been in numerous creative spaces as an actor, writer, director, and in many other capacities where I felt grossly misrepresented and underrepresented in the creative/production processes & content. I took it upon myself numerous times to create these spaces and content for myself.
I don’t want to give away too many spoilers, but below are some shots that I feel represent many important moments and imagery that is meaningful to me in this piece.
This still truly just brings me joy. #BlackGirlFriendshipLove
Something I was very cognizant of throughout my process was, in addition to the emotional and interpersonal dynamics of the content I had created and wanted to come to life with my cast and crew, was the aesthetics/art of representing my actors onscreen. I thought a lot about this in terms of lighting, angles, and framing. Working with my self and other darker-skinned actors and aiming to show us in all of our beauty was important to me. Production crews often light darker-skinned actors in the same way they light lighter-skinned actors, which can result in images that shy away from what I see to be more aesthetically beautiful, raw, real images.
In continuing the spirit of the analysis in my paper, in addition to critiquing what I see lacking in film and television, I’d like to acknowledge some of the work that did inspire me and help me feel represented. It’s very affirming to see relationships involving Black people & love (in all of their challenges, multitudes, and complexities) being represented on screen.
See below:
When I first saw still below of Bev and Calvin still below on a big screen, I noticed how dark/black the screen became, and my heart filled with such affirmation and joy. (shout out to my collaborators for helping create all of these images!)
