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Singin’ and Swingin’ at the Shero Film Festival
By Carla Robinson
As founder of
In God’s Hands Multimedia LLC, the company behind the Reel
Alternative Film Salon and the Reel Writers Workshop, Sheryl Ellison discovered that a
little purpose went a long way when IGH presented its first film festival at the Brooklyn
Heights Cinema in March. Billed as The Original Action Shero Film Festival and held in
honor of Women’s History Month, the event was a tribute to the queen of the action
genre, Pam Grier. The festival capped off three of its four nights with Grier’s
films, providing a nice retrospective of the actress’s career. Viewing films like
Friday Foster and Sheba Baby was simply good - sometimes clean - fun.
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© 2001 RLP Ventures
Sheryl Ellison |
Grier’s movies provided a nice
backdrop for celebrating the work of Black women in film. Each night, shorts that were
either directed or produced by women or that had women at the center of their narratives
were shown. On the closing night, five filmmakers won prizes for their work. But what
helped to make the festival exciting was that Ellison and her team never once forgot to
entertain the audience. They held filmmaker Q&As and gave away door prizes every night
and even kicked off the first night with a live comedienne. There were also parties to
celebrate the festival’s opening and closing (held in Brooklyn at Radius Group and
Butta’ Cup Lounge, respectively) where attendees were treated to live music, food,
and a relaxed atmosphere where they could discuss the roles and inroads of women in film.
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For Ellison, the outcome of the festival was well worth
the stress that inevitably accompanies such an undertaking. “Prayers were answered
and I had fun,” she said, “despite the craziness associated with putting
together a four-day event. Because of the contributions of others, the result became more
than I envisioned.”
Ellison regards the group of people who assisted her as
“small yet mighty,” an integral part of helping her realize her dream of
garnering greater exposure and recognition for filmmakers of color. It’s a big dream,
one that some may find daunting, but Ellison sees it as a way to make a difference.
“I love starting from a blank sheet of paper and creating something real,” she
said.
Many people are glad she forged ahead with her vision, including one festival attendee,
who noted, “This is a tremendous opportunity for filmmakers to get their work in
front of people who can really appreciate it. And for audiences to get to vibe with them
and give them the constructive feedback they need to realize their artistic
potential.”
And the winning filmmakers, who received a range of prizes from Kodak film to candles from
Brooklyn’s own Ashanti Origins, must be pretty pleased with the fruit of
Ellison’s labor, too. They are:
* Pierre Bonnett, director of Ka Ku Mei - First Place
* Nicole Franklin, director of Double Dutch Divas - First Runner-up
* Stacey Holman, director of Girl Talk - Second Runner-up
* Audrea Topps-Harjo, producer of Epoch of Lotus - Honorable Mention
* Erma Elzy-Jones, director of Room 302 - Honorable Mention
M
July 2001
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