The March we started with is not the March we ended up with.
For starters, after meeting Mr. Freddie Bell at the Black Public Media event last month, I was invited to the one and only People's Station, KMOJ 89.9, to talk about Djini Productions and the work we are doing. It was my first time on a radio show. I was really looking forward to being in studio, but unfortunately it was also around the time that concerns for the COVID-19 virus was growing, so to be safe we were able to conduct the interview over the phone. One of the goals I have joked about is becoming The Tyler Perry In the North (yes...for those who get it, that was a Game of Thrones reference) - because I truly believe in the untapped but not forgotten talent of Minnesota. We may have passed the Golden Age of "Jingle All the Way", "Joe Somebody" and "Fargo". We've been able to host more productions like "Dear White People", and have provided amazing talent like Prince (may he RIP), Kimberly Elyse, and Winona Ryder. Knowing that talent can be found anywhere, why not harness it here? To listen to the clip from the radio show, follow the link below.
By now a lot of us have been staying safe and self-quarantining. With the self-distancing rules, a lot of the festivals have also been affected. Some have decided to go virtual, while others are hopefully postponed until later in the year. We are happy to have found out that Happily Married After was officially selected for two film festivals; the Highway 61 Film Festival, and the MLC Awards where Jacelyn P. Johnson won the Jury Award for her memorable comedic flavor performance. We're very excited about other future film festival prospects.
Photo by: Deborah Girdwood
Finally, it was an honor to be invited by Film Fatales for a Walker Art Center hosted event, where we presented an excerpt from from Happily Married After. The Film Fatales organization put together an event featuring up and coming women directors. There were some healthy conversations centered around what more we can do for women filmmakers, and we got a chance to share our work with the people who were able to attend.
With all the self-distancing rules imposed, I am definitely trying to take the time to be more introspective. Luckily, earlier in the month I was able to meet with a few trusted sources to review my script in progress. Since it looks like we will have at least another month indoors, I hope to use this time to continue to work through the film script, and hopefully take the time to expand on this EPIC tv show I am cooking up. So stay tuned!