Celebrating Women Filmmakers of Color

Last night after work I went to the closing ceremony of the African American Women In Cinema Film Festival. I wish I could have seen some of the films this year, but my work schedule didn't allow it.

AAWIC's founder, Terra Reneé, had a vision of showcasing women filmmakers of color, and has done an amazing job of it despite lots of setbacks. This year, Wal-Mart got on board as a sponsor with their Voices of Color Film Series. There were also lots of other high profile sponsors which really made a difference in the whole look and feel of the event. The changes were glaringly apparent from even last year.

Being honored this year were a few well-known actresses including Nia Long, Daphne Maxwell Reid, S. Epatha Merkerson, and Elise Neal. It was cool to see how appreciative and moved they were to be acknowledged in this way. The fact is, no matter how "known" they are, or how long they've been at it, women of color in the entertainment industry continue to struggle for decent roles and never quite get their just due. Good, bad, or otherwise, it's just great to have a venue where these deserving women can be recognized and applauded.

Although AAWIC still has a lot of growing to do, it's been amazing to see the development of this organization over the last five years since I originally became involved. I started out as a volunteer for two years, dropped out of sight for two, then hooked up with them again last year. This is their ninth year doing this and was their biggest ever. Although I wasn't able to really be involved much this year, I'm glad to be back on board with them and really look forward to celebrating their 10th anniversary with them next year.