Columbia College Hollywood Alumna's Documentary Selected As Finalist For CILECT Prize 2019

A film by Columbia College Hollywood alumna Aneesah Dowd has been selected as an Equity, Diversity & Inclusion Finalist for a 2019 Centre International de Liaison des Ecoles de Cinéma et de Télévision prize.

Dowd's documentary, "Choices," represents the category for the North American region. The film explores the experiences of three gay black men, their challenges within society and the black community. They discuss family, friendship, adversity, masculinity, homophobia and religion.

"My goal in film school was to make films about the black community," said Dowd, who graduated in 2018 with a bachelor's in Cinema and Television. "I wanted to use the privilege of being a black director to tell black stories, to do something strong and bold and honest. There is not enough dialog around homophobia and hypermasculinity in the black community."

The making of "Choices" began when Dowd took Columbia College Hollywood's Production Workshop 1 class, which is the first course in a three-quarter series of the Senior Thesis program. Each student is tasked with producing, developing, writing, directing, shooting, and editing a short film.

Dowd knew what she wanted her film to become, but she ran into challenges finding crew members, and some possible subjects decided they weren't ready for the spotlight or any conflict that could come with it. But Dowd found support from a small group of classmates, who have since become lifelong friends, and mentorship from then-faculty member Dave Martin, who is now chair of CCH's cinema program. Dowd says the experience helped her grow, and it taught her that you don't need many people to make a good movie. You just need dedication and vision.

Dowd feels strongly about the power of documentary film to deliver stories that are raw and real. She likes being on set when no one knows exactly what's going to happen or what a subject will say. She asks tough questions in pursuit of tough answers.

"Sometimes you get gold," she said. "You get something amazing because someone opens up. Having the privilege of being in the room when people are telling the stories they need to tell - my heart is there."

"Choices" also helped Dowd to make decisions about her own life.

"When I was making the film, people would ask me why I cared about homophobia. I'd say this is an issue, I want to talk about it, and there's not enough dialogue. But I wasn't being honest with myself about why I wanted to do it. I saw my family and friends being hurt by homophobia, but it didn't directly affect me. I have a boyfriend, so people assume I'm straight, and people will say homophobic things around straight people. I recently came out as bisexual during Pride, and it was a really empowering moment for me.

"Now people understand why I made 'Choices,' and I'm glad I had the privilege to make it. I saw people I loved and a community I loved not being as open minded as I know they are. We are smart and bright and talented. I wanted to make a film that says, hey, the black community is amazing and loving and kind, but this is an issue. I didn't want to go the easy route. I just did what I had to do."

Dowd said the number one lesson she learned throughout the filmmaking process for "Choices" is to never give up. If she had quit or changed gears to an easier project when her film became challenging, she wouldn't have the experiences, the friends, or the CILECT finalist documentary that she is so incredibly proud of today.

Already in pre-production, Dowd's next film will be a documentary that explores another social stigma: mental health from the perspectives of black women. She hopes it will spark more dialogue about mental health throughout many different generations. Learn more and stay up-to-date with Dowd and her work on her Facebook page and Instagram page.

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