Ananse Creative Youth Enterprises, LLC.

Its a tough world for a black filmmaker. To go Hollywood, you basically need to be “postracial”, meaning you let go of your culture and heritage to be part of one homogenous group of people…”The American”. If you choose to forgo this route, just know that it will be much more difficult to find funding and supporters for your projects. Especially since its hard to get black moviegoers to watch black independent films. This is a very general statement, I know. It does not count the individual person that does enjoy indies, but as a whole, our support for nontraditional sources of art and media are lacking. And we have some great work out there! The idea behind Ananse Productions and Distributions is to get minorities interested in indie films by providing them with an experience they can’t get from the Hollywood majors. Films that speak to them and their experiences, atmospheres that are intimate and inviting, and the opportunity to help other filmmakers around the country get their work seen. I would hope to get a theater in every major city across the country. Hollywood has shown us that our stories aren’t a priority anymore. Let’s show them we can do it on our own!

There is just something about a good story. It can move you, inspire you, and influence you. Written, auditory, visual…it can take any medium and any style and still provoke thought.  I chose storytelling as my profession because it has been my passion since I was young. I wrote short stories and shared them with all my friends. In eighth and ninth grade, I would print copies of my stories and hand them out to classmates. In college I started an online magazine called Vayn, where I published stories and poems of my friends as well as myself.  But one class in undergrad put me on a path no one expected. Shooting and Lighting. I discovered film, and i immediately felt at home in it. Creating a moving, visual representation of my stories made absolute sense. I immediately innundated myself with film, learning as much about the craft as I could, while creating short documentaries with my little pro-sumer camcorder.  After I graduated college (Drexel University c/o 2008), moved to DC. I rented a room for a month, stayed with a family friend for another month and a half, and tried my hardest to find a job. I was constantly going on interviews, applied at temp agencies, etc. On the verge of being homeless and jobless, I left and went back to my mother’s house. I was in complete despair. My grandmother implored me to come to California. I applied to graduate school and got in, and the rest is history! I really dug deep in filmmaking in California. I learned the basics of the art, developing a story, utilizing the old and new technology to help convey it. I loved having my hands in every part of filmmaking, from screenwriting to producing to directing to cinematography to acting to editing! EVERYTHING! This was truly my calling. This blog will be about the films I create as well as the inspiration behind them. I want this to be an interactive space where people can view the films and comment, share their own experiences and feelings about what they have just viewed. Pass the link on to your friends!!