Pompano Beach Presents Virtual Film Event about Natural Hair Discrimination

The world is tuning into the socially important films the Pompano Beach Cultural Affairs Department is presenting through their program Montage-A Virtual Film Series. This month, Pick tackles the discrimination experienced by Black women when they opt to wear their hair naturally. The film follows the emotional journey of Alliyah, who chose to wear her natural Afro on class photo day. Pick is directed by award-winning filmmaker Alicia K. Harris, who will be joining acclaimed writer/producer/filmmaker Cathleen Dean for the talkback after the screening. Experience this virtual interactive event on July 30 at 7pm. The event is free, but registration is required to receive the link to participate. Eventbrite link
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/montage-a-film-series-tickets-112313835706. To learn more visit www.pompanobeacharts.org

"Through the brilliant storytelling of Alicia K. Harris, viewers will gain deeper insights about this painful form of discrimination and open up a dialogue of how to celebrate each person's natural beauty," said Phyllis Korab, Cultural Affairs Director. "Thanks to Montage being virtual, we can share Alicia's message with so many people and create a powerful platform for positive change."

Pick, which won Best Short Film at the Miami Film Festival tackles the discrimination experienced by Black women when they opt to wear their hair naturally. The film captures the fraught journey of a young Black girl as she wears her afro to school on picture day. Facing unexpected consequences, including contemplative and concerned looks from adults, racist comments from her educators, and micro-aggressions from her fellow students, Pick illuminates a struggle for emancipation in a world that enforces the regulation of Black bodies.

"I hope to share a glimpse of what Black women experience, so that people will empathize with us and be more careful with their words, especially when it comes to the impressionable hearts and minds of children and youth. I hope people will remember that love is all we are," stated Harris in a recent interview with She Does the City."

The Toronto-based filmmaker Alicia K. Harris graduated from Ryerson University's School of Image Arts in 2016, where her thesis film, Love Stinks, won Best Director and Best Production. Her films have been broadcast nationally on CBC, TVO, Bell Fibe TV, and at numerous festivals, including the TIFF Next Wave, Urbanworld, and Miami Film Festival, where her most recent short, Pick, won Best Short Film. The film gained international recognition through a $20K Kickstarter campaign which was supported by over 300 people from all over the world. Pick won Best Live Action Short at the 2020 Canadian Screen Award, the Canadian equivalent of the Academy Awards. Alicia is dedicated to sharing the unique stories of Black women and the underrepresented and is passionate about making stories that will have a lasting impact on youth. She is currently working on part two of her trilogy of short films about Black hair, titled On a Sunday at Eleven.

To post a comment, you must register and login.