In our seminar 1 class, we read a book called Brown Girls by Daphne Palasi Andreades which is about the experiences of young girls of color living in Queens. Learning about the book really touched me and made me feel seen. There aren’t many stories about the place I grew up (Queens) and especially stories with people of color as the main characters. This inspired me to make a short film. The film is about a writer named Sienna who is struggling to connect with the original idea for her book about the life of a girl in London, and is running out of time because her manuscript is due by the end of the month. As storytellers, we sometimes look to other places for inspiration, or places we consider more exciting. This is fantastic, however, taking a step back and appreciating the nuance and beauty of the place you grew up can help you create a unique and heartwarming story. This is what Daphne Palasi Andreades did with Brown Girls and I wanted to capture and applaud the singularity of her decision.
Here is the link to the film:
