in the meantime...

i have been working very quietly these days on my experimental film project ‘Be Alarmed The Black American Epic’. aside from posting a ton of still from test shots that i recruited some of my friend to model for and a few random videos, im finally ready to give some insight on what exactly this project is all about.

Within Be Alarmed I am exploring the themes of race, class, gender, sexuality, violence, religion, mental illness, materialism, and age as it relates to the contemporary African-American community. The main character transitions between a Black man and woman lead character known as the Hero{ine}. My story focuses on Hero{ine} as they-the character is played by both a woman and man- navigate some of the key elements involved within an epic themed film in the Urban Philadelphia, PA. I am using a range of red, white, and blue LED lights, fireworks, and HD Video & 16mm film projection. The series is comprised of ‘scenes’ cut into trailers that are a visual meditation on these themes. This series is the beginning of an exploration in film genre and marketing techniques. The trailer structure of the series is something I am using in order to challenge the idea of what is shown within a film trailer format in opposition to what is actually left out to encourage the viewer to desire and participate in the creation of the final film. I am taking the idea of showing only the trailer of the larger work in order to encourage the viewer to ‘fill in the blanks’ in regards to the larger narrative of the idea behind the work. The presentation of the project will be a series of screenings and exhibitions of the film trailers and detailed film press kits.

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I had the chance to see Pariah last Saturday for the New Director/New Films fest at the Lincoln Center. I had the chance to see the short film a few years ago and actually sit on a panel that funded the film over the years. So it was such a pleasure to be able to finally see the feature length version of the film.

THE BAR HAS BEEN RAISED.

In regards to Black independent filmmaking this film may have the chance to go down in history as one of the few features that actually stayed true to a high quality of writing and production value. It is a LOVELY film. A strong story that many can relate to. Not just Black lesbians. The characters that Dee Reese wrote are deeply complex and her direction gave the film such a tight and natural feel that is hard to come by these days. Kim Wayans has her first dramatic role in this film and she is absolutely amazing-i was shocked at how good she was! The cast in general contains many unknown but truly talented actors and actresses that will be sure to have a bright future i hope!

such a job well done! Please catch a screening if you can on the fest circuit. The filmmakers spoke of a late fall release, but in the meantime please spread the word! This film is SUCH a good look for Black cinema and has the chance to really reach an audience that may not even know of its existence. So we as a community must do our part and help get the word out!

www.pariahthefilm.com