LEILA JARMAN
LEILA JARMAN
Born in Brazil, Leila is an award-winning director, editor, and visual artist. A process-based artist across various mediums, Leila’s approach is interdisciplinary, integrating unconventional visuals and narratives to subvert social and cultural binaries. Much of her work is informed by her multicultural upbringing and identity (Iranian-Brazilian-American).
Her work has been exhibited in film festivals, galleries, and museums worldwide, including the TATE Britain, LACMA, MOCA, and Ars Electronica. Her films have been in countless film festivals and premiered and been featured on outlets such as MUBI, Vice, The Creator’s Project, Paper Magazine, THUMP!, Afropunk, Paste Magazine, VH1, MTV, Autre Magazine, Hyperallergic, and The Guardian. Leila has been commissioned to work on projects for brands such as Nike, Converse, and Paradise among others.
In 2015 she became the resident filmmaker and Creative Director of Women's Voices Now (WVN), a global non-profit advocating for women’s and girls’ rights through social impact film. During her time at WVN, she created, Girls’ Voices Now, a summer youth program that amplifies the voices of young women from underrepresented communities in Los Angeles by teaching them documentary filmmaking. In 2021, the films that were created during her time at WVN were awarded a Daytime Emmy for Children's Programming and Animation.
THIS IS MARAWA, 2020
This experimental mini doc is all about Marawa! Marawa is another International girl, her father is Somali, her mother Australian and as a child she lived between Australia, Papa New Guinea and the Middle East. Marawa now lives in Los Angeles, making her an American girl. We live for the multi-hyphenate American girls.
The imagery goes through the gamut of an Americana aesthetic, the 50’s, 70’s and 80’s with a hint of west coast modernism mixed with an acid trip. Leila really captures the energy of the multi faceted and passionate Marawa through the various aesthetic choices and manipulation of footage.
AYANNA DOZIER
SOFTER, 2020
Softer examines the demands of "softening" that are requested of Black women's bodies in society---from job prospects to romantic ones---be that in their voice, their manners, and, critically, their hair. The experimental short plays upon the grooming rituals of softening that are terrifyingly rough through a recreation of a permanent wave machine produced perm (popular in the 1930s-1950s). The short mediates on the historical ways in which Black women have tried to answer this demand on softness through respectable appearance and behavior.
CHRISTELLE DE CASTRO
JUST SAY, 2021
"Just Say" is a music video directed & produced by de Castro for her best friends, twin musicians, Coco & Breezy. It is a dance-centered film particularly honoring the genre of house. It is a window into Christelle's world, one that is eclectic, soulful, and celebrates the spectrum. This film was self funded by Christelle & the artists and made possible with the contribution of friends, both in front of the camera and behind the lens.
CHRISTINE YUAN
HOYEON AS THE INTERNATIONAL WOMAN OF MYSTERY, 2022
KASEY ELISE WALKER
HOOP DREAMS, 2021
The short film explores the vibrant colors of South LA through the eyes of Savannah Walker, an 8 year-old, African American girl who idolizes her mother’s resilient strength and mystical, golden hoop earrings. Walker's fear of speaking publicly in poetry class leads her to steal her mother's hoops with a belief that they'll help her overcome anything. Ultimately, her mother’s golden hoops transport her into a world beyond her greatest imagination.
KILO KISH
DEATH FANTASY — this song serves as the American Gurl album “manifesto”
It’s asking who we are beyond definitions, and beyond who we appear to be to ourselves, and others. I’ve struggled with this for a long time as I haven’t always fit neatly in any space so this song is actually a declaration of freedom in many ways.
KITTY CA$H
KITTY’S WORLD: GETTING TO THE MONEY, 2021
“Getting To The Money” by Kitty Ca$h invites viewers into the artist's mental landscape; through the 3D character, Kitty has an open discourse on achieving the American Dream through financial literacy and hip hop culture. This episode features live action guests featuring Aleali May, Amber Khan, ModernBlkGirl, and Beverly Beal.
SARAH NICOLE FRANÇOIS
iGURL, 2022
Serving as a commentary on the everchanging “IG Baddie Aesthetic” sublimated in our cultural landscape. The tide for what is deemed attractive is shifting quicker and quicker and the expectation to keep up becomes heavy as technology progresses and social media influence spreads. Simultaneously, the access to change on how we look is instant as a fast food order. For those who relent to the demands of the tides, what are the consequences of these heavy expectations? How is this affecting our collective psyche as we get closer and closer to the Uncanny Valley?
Sarah’s work on first look is provocative and sometimes unsettling. The questions she presents through her work are as relevant as they come. Who is the real Sarah? This is the essence of her work, merging digital spaces with reality.