Raleigh Library Presents: “In Focus: Community Film Screening”
See this amazing showcase, connecting the Raleigh community with film, resources, and dialogue that foster literacy, empowerment, and creativity. Viewing a film screening block, a talkback with the filmmakers, and time to connect over food and conversation.
Register for your spot here!
Presenting Work From:
Marsena Sellers
“My real life, growing up and out of the projects in Memphis Tennessee all while having a huge imagination has greatly shaped my views. My goal is that when people view this film they feel hope and love for the seen, unseen, known, and unknown.“
Artist’s Inpiration:
“Growing up studying and ultimately majoring in African and African American Studies significantly shaped my worldview. So basically, all of the books that I have read pertaining to black people, black history, and black life have undoubtedly shaped how I see everything.“
Books:
The Other Wes Moore – Wes Moore
Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome – Dr. Joy DeGruy
Artists: Beyonce, Michael Jackson, Nina Simone, Tina Turner, James Brown, Solange
Films: Tales From The Hood, Black Is King, The Lemonade Visuals
Visual Artists/Musicians that shape my tone and rhythm: Beyonce, Michael Jackson, Solange
Filmmakers: Jordan Peele and Ryan Coogler
Film Stills:
Aisha Raison
“I would love for a young girl that wants to touch a camera is inspired to pick one up for the first time. I would love for a child who loves to write be inspired to put pen to paper, expressing themselves with no apology. When I started making films, it came in time. I was still in the grieving stage, missing my father, my best friend, and my mentor. Filming and writing saved my life. I was able to express myself, put things in position in order to have people understand who I was and who they were. Filming can be a selfish thing, but in truth, it’s the only way that you can scream to the world who you are – not as a narcissist, an attention getter, or as some small kid who wants their way. If anything, as a weirdo as we all are. It says a lot when you’re able to form a life on screen for everyone to sit for 15 minutes and pay attention to you. It says even more when there’s a message in the mess.“
Artist’s Inspiration:
For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow is Enuf – Ntozake Shange
“Ntozake Shange is another source of inspiration. When I was pregnant with my son, I ran across her book called for colored girls, and I was in love with the concept of a choreopoem. When I created Girls Like Me, I had the hardest time trying to figure out what the script would be. It took a really good friend to cuss me out and remind me that I was a writer long before I thought about becoming a filmmaker, so I used some of the poetry that I had written early that year and found a way to weave around it in the film to put out the perfect message.“
“Anything by Gordon Parks, whether it be film, music, his writing, or his biography!“
“Melvin Van Peebles has always been my inspiration when it came to film. I always suggest for people to see Sweet Sweetback’s Badassssssss Song, then see Mario Van Peebles’ movie Badassssss to understand how one movie shaped the existence of Black Cinema, Blaxploitation, music (Earth, Wind, And Fire), and production. When making my films, I always looked to him in reference for writing and filming. Melvin Van Peebles also wrote a brilliant book called rated x which is also a documentary on Black Cinema and Blaxploitation.“
“I’ve always been a jazz person, so John Coltrane had a way of moving rhythms not to appease, but to send a message, even when there were no words. Naima, A Love Supreme (the entire album!), and Olé Coltrane have always been a big part of my inspiration, but while making my accidental documentary, I listened to Alabama, which gave much inspiration not only for myself, but for those that were feeling the effects of what was happening in Alabama during the Civil Rights Movement. It was more than just music… It was the cries, the sounds of marching people, the anger – all played through music.”
Songs in the Key of Life, Stevie Wonder
Quiet Fire, Roberta Flack
Zaire Love
Zaire Love [azairelovejunt] is an award-winning filmmaker, music maker, writer, and educator whose mission is to honor, amplify, and immortalize the stories and voices of the Black South, focusing most of her work in Memphis, TN, and Mississippi. She directs the Southern Foodways Alliance film program and serves as the Co-Executive Director, Creative at Scalawag Magazine. She is writing new narrative scripts and exploring new documentary ideas with her agency and studio, Creative Cornbread.
Artist’s Inspiration:
Behind the Lens: Inspiration Section:
- Maya Angelou
- Toni Morrison
- Zora Neale Hurston
- Nina Simone
- Jazz by Toni Morrison [book]
- I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou [book]
- Holy Bible [book]
- Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston [book]
- The Sound of Music [film]
- Power by Kanye West + My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
Jazz – Toni Morrison
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings – Maya Angelou
Their Eyes Were Watching God – Zora Neale Hurston
Zaire’s TED Talk