blackSTORY films has launched a kickstarter campaign to raise post-production funds for its new webseries "Conversating While Black," a 10-episode scripted narrative that creators Rahwa Asmerom and Essence Ward describe as "a series featuring conversations between thoughtful, curious black folk discussing matters like Beyonce-branded feminism, the fact that 1.5 million black men have GONE missing, the scarcity model governing the arts, and folks' widespread perception of haters."
Filmed in Red Hook, Brooklyn, the series stars MaameYaa Boafo (An African City), Andrea Lewis (Black Actress), Skyler James, Damien Norfleet, and DeShawn White. Following the production of their short film "Didn't I Ask For Tea?" which premiered at the 2015 Pan African Film Festival and screened at the Brooklyn Museum, Asmerom and Ward wanted to follow up with an accessible online showcase to demonstrate comedic dialogue and critical perspectives on culture and society. "Doing most anything while black calls for caution and comedy," said Ward. "These characters love black culture and have a steady stream of questions, observations, and jokes about the way we live now."
The choice to use the word "conversating" in the title was intentional, said the creators, and one they understand may draw criticism. "Conversating is a word and, despite the resistance, one that will become more widely accepted as all new words do" said Asmerom. "The term spoke to this show perfectly as it encapsulates a series of conversations that are alternative and unconventional."
blackSTORY films was founded by Asmerom, a longtime journalist, and Ward, a fiction writer, in 2014. Their first project, a short film titled "Didn't I Ask For Tea?" starring Trae Harris, is currently on the film festival circuit.
Kickstarter: http://kck.st/1IeSm7H
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