The Blog Returns

Okay, folks, so I have returned after being away from this blog for some time. My apologies. Since my last entry I have managed to complete my feature screenplay, an urban hip hop drama. Presently, I am developing it and am seeking financing. Keep your fingers crossed for me. Hopefully, you will all be seeing it in a theatre near you. Until then, I'd like to continue filling you all in on the trip to Cuba. Even in hindsight, it was great. Not just the images we captured, but the people we met, and the experiences we cherish.


What was amazing was how much the Cubans adore movies, and will stand around for hours watching crews work on the streets of Havana. Their fasciantion with movies is like everyone else's around the world.


While Nicole and I gawked like everyone else, I overheard Cubans pointing out famous actors captured somewhere in these pics. If you recognize anyone gimme a holla and let me know, because I sure didn't recognize anyone. Cultural media icons certainly don't translate if Cuban movies can not be screened in the United States. Yet another reason to end the embargo. A star is a star is a star, right?





The other two things I realized while standing around watching, are that production crews do the same technical things when it comes to shooting. It doesn't matter what kind of camera is employed. When there's too much sun and glare, you still need a scrim to screen out the sun. The other thing I noticed is that people of African decent are still under-represented behind the camera. Here in the U.S. and there in Cuba it is a rare thing to see an African woman like myself directing, even though we're out there trying to break through the glass ceiling. In Cuba, Gloria Rolando is an amazing AfroCubana director who has created stunning work, yet she still struggles to direct. I read an amazing interview with her in which she says how essential it is for society to ensure that people of color and women create their movies because we challenge the status quo; yet often we are not given the opportunities and must scrape together our own chump change to make what we envision. I can totally relate. Still, we perservere because we love filmmaking and have many stories to tell. My one wish is that audiences grow conscious of needing to support people of color filmmakers. It's not enough to see movies with people of color actors. Change must come behind the camera.