Hand Made Films: Stories told by black women
Hand Made Films is a series of short films directed by African American women.
Leader
Michael Oatman
Location
various places Cleveland, OH 44123
About the project
HAND MADE FILMS operates from a singular ethos: one cannot be a filmmaker unless they make films. One of our guiding principles is Make it Happen. This organization identifies, educates, and supports new African American female film directors. Oftentimes the artist identified will be venturing upon their first ever cinematic experience. Our emphasis is upon the immediate production of art. This creation will be supported by education and the close eye of fellow artists in film.
HAND MADE FILMS GOALS:
- Train Filmmakers
- Create Film
- Create a Platform for emerging artists
The Steps
HAND MADE FILMS has identified 6 film projects we would like to produce by the end of 2021.
Each film project required us to identify and obtain: an African American female director; an experienced Director of Photography, as well as a training photographer; an experienced Sound Engineer; Actors; and a Show Runner.
Once the funding is secured and in place, HAND MADE FILMS will secure and confirm all the above. Set locations and rehearsal spaces will be identified and film shooting dates will be confirmed.
At the completion of shooting and editing of each film project, HAND MADE FILMS has committed to providing each African American female film director with a Jury comprised of professionals within the film industry, as well as further training for their next film project.
HAND MADE FILMS will seek to submit these projects to various local and known Film Festivals and to identify ones to pitch to various streaming sources.
Why we‘re doing it
HAND MADE FILMS is dedicated to filling a very noticeable void of African American female participation in the director’s space in the film industry. Although African American females very much serve as the backbone to many parts of the film world, they oftentimes are vacant at the very highest levels. HAND MADE FILMS seeks to remedy this creative injustice. When one scratches the surface, it becomes evidently clear that black women are storytellers, weavers of imagination, and designers of dreamscapes unimagined. HAND MADE FILMS seeks to be just a small voice in this wilderness to enable these strong, intelligent black women in telling their stories as writers, directors, and other creators. The end point of HAND MADE FILMS is to have its participants walk away with a cadre of completed films that have been juried by notable professionals in the film making industry. It is also the mission of HAND MADE FILMS to team these soon to be artists with vetted film professionals, train them and to help cultivate their voices.
The cost of not succeeding is this untenable situation of which lack of diversity becomes a persistent and unacceptable status quo that must be broken. HAND MADE FILMS seeks to be just one link in the chain leading us towards a more equitable film making community in which African American female voices take their place amongst the other voices that live in that community.