Episode 38 - Jacquil Constant - “That’s How I Knew”
Photo Credit: Jerome Thomas
[Image Description: Jacquil is pictured from the chest up. He wears a beige Kangol cap and a yellow and white patterned shirt over a white t-shirt. He smiles. His head is turned slightly to the side.]
In this episode, I speak with a friend, filmmaker, and professor, Jacquil Constant. During our conversation, we chat about our time working on Bridging the Divide: Tom Bradley and the Politics of Race, BADWest, and his documentary short, Haiti is a Nation of Artists. We also talk about his Haitian heritage and the festival he founded which is now in its seventh year, the Haiti International Film Festival - how he started it and how it has grown even during the past few pandemic years. Starting a film festival from scratch is no small feat and Jacquil is truly a man with a vision, that’s why this episode’s song is Nipsey Hussell’s “That’s How I Knew.” Our conversation was recorded in January 2022.
Episode 15 - Lillian Benson, A.C.E. - “Wanting Memories”
Photo Credit: William Stetz
[Image Description: Lillian is pictured from the torso up. She wears a dark brown button down shirt, red lipstick, hoop earrings, and a beaded necklace with a metal amulet. She sits in an empty theater with red chairs. She smiles at the camera.]
In the final episode of 2020, I speak with the director and editor, Lillian Benson. In our conversation, we talk about when she met the Civil Rights icon, Congressman John Lewis at the Academy Awards, the film she edited about his life, Get in the Way: The Journey of John Lewis, her documentary editing career, and her transition to the narrative world. Lillian’s commitment to integrity in her work and the telling Black stories is rooted in her keen sense of responsibility - a responsibility of truth-telling and of the reclamation buried and denied of histories. Because in all her work, she strives to help all of us remember who we truly are, this episode’s song is Ysaye M Barnwell’s “Wanting Memories.”
Episode 8 - Fallon Young - “Walking to New Orleans”
(Image Description: Fallon Young stands slightly to the side and smiles at the camera. She has red hair and wears a black dress that has a black and gold design, and a gold necklace.)
In this episode, I speak with Fallon Young, Executive Director of the New Orleans Film Society about the plans for the New Orleans Film Festival and other programs in the time of COVID-19, “regional” documentary filmmakers, the George Floyd Uprising, and the specific, anti-racism remedies that are being put into place. Since the motto of the Crescent City is, “Laissez les bon temps rouler,” and there is no better place to be, just let the late, great Fats Domino take you there with the classic song, “I’m Walking to New Orleans.”