The woman I have had the pleasure of researching is named Neema
Barnette. Some of you may have heard of her, but majority of us have not
and I am no exception. I stumbled upon Ms. Neema Barnette researching
black female directors and screenwriters in Hollywood; as you can
imagine, the list was only a handful. Ms. Neema
Barnette stuck out to me. While researching her, I realized she directed many
of my favorite African American centered shows I grew up watching like The
Cosby Show and A Different World (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neema_Barnette).
In 1990, Ms. Neema Barnette founded the Harlem Girl Productions Corporation (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neema_Barnette).
In understanding, Maggie Humm's Author/Auteur: Feminist Literary Theory and Feminist Film, a great quote comes to mind, "No concept of gendered media representation can function without a concept of authorship" (92). Humm's also discusses the imprint that directors have on their films (94). I believe Neema Barnette embodies her films. As I am now developing a more practical grasp of the auteur theory, this and with the help of google.com, is what I came up with ... Auteur theory is when the director becomes the author of the film and is more responsible for its content then the screenwriter.
In a recent interview with All Hip Hop.Com, Neema Barnette shares her journey with us as a director and her transition from TV to films. She stated as a filmmaker, she has become a storyteller and wants to do things a certain way (http://allhiphop.com/2012/04/16/neema-barnette-harlemite-speaks-on-being-the-first-black-female-with-a-major-studio-deal/).She continues by saying, "I got into film because I feel its one of the strongest social and political tools we have," and because it was a 'mind molding' art she says.
In understanding, Maggie Humm's Author/Auteur: Feminist Literary Theory and Feminist Film, a great quote comes to mind, "No concept of gendered media representation can function without a concept of authorship" (92). Humm's also discusses the imprint that directors have on their films (94). I believe Neema Barnette embodies her films. As I am now developing a more practical grasp of the auteur theory, this and with the help of google.com, is what I came up with ... Auteur theory is when the director becomes the author of the film and is more responsible for its content then the screenwriter.
In a recent interview with All Hip Hop.Com, Neema Barnette shares her journey with us as a director and her transition from TV to films. She stated as a filmmaker, she has become a storyteller and wants to do things a certain way (http://allhiphop.com/2012/04/16/neema-barnette-harlemite-speaks-on-being-the-first-black-female-with-a-major-studio-deal/).She continues by saying, "I got into film because I feel its one of the strongest social and political tools we have," and because it was a 'mind molding' art she says.
As the interview progresses, she shares her experience in Hollywood, as the first African American director to get a major studio deal. She explains that although her works were well written, it never lifted off of the ground because 'they' were not interested in the type of stories she wanted to tell. She talks about her frustrations within Hollywood and learning to understand the beast as well as the necessary compromises one has to make to get funding. She was not willing to compromise... For the rest of her interview, I encourage you to click here----> Neema Barnette: Harlemite Speaks On Being the First Black Female With a Major Studio Deal
I decided to explore Neema Barnette's film, Civil Brand (2002) written by Joyce Lewis and Preston A. Whitmore II. This movie is about a group of female inmates fighting back against their abusers and taking over Whitehead Correctional Institute, where they are incarcerated (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civil_Brand).
One of the major themes in this film is the exposure of our prison system as a form of profit, exploitation and sexual abuse within women correctional facilities. This movie was entirely moving. I watched this movie at 2 am last night with my boyfriend and his first comment was, I seen this movie, "it was not too good". Yet after watching the film together and him hearing my rants about certain scenes in the movie from my feminist standpoint... we both were blown away. For me, this film was entirely believable, the harsh treatments towards the female inmates,(this is not to exclude harsh treatments that male inmates face), the greed and corruption from the warden, the rape against the female inmates.. just to name a few.
Neema Barnette identifies her role as auteur in this film by pushing forward with the film while receiving hardships in getting this film approved because of the negative social implications of the US prison systems (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civil_Brand). Yet, she said she used that as motivation. Neema also had several difficulties in producing this film from location, to a decreased budget to a restricting shooting schedule. Not to mention, Lion Gate gave her only one week to edit the final version (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civil_Brand). Despite that, Civil Brand received 4 awards and one nomination. The reviews and critiques were just as unwelcoming as the production blocks despite the rave reviews it received from film festivals and viewer audiences like you (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civil_Brand).
Lastly, in my opinion, Neema Barnette is an icon, she has been in the industry since the early 80s. Her latest work, Woman Thou Art Loosed: On the 7th day is in theaters now. Although Civil Brand received negative views, I believe it was a story that needed to be told regardless of who wanted to hear it!
Works Cited
"Civil Brand." <http://wikipedia.org>
Humm, Maggie "Author/Autor: Feminist Literary Theory and Feminist Film."
Perry, Clayton "Neema Barnette: Harlemite Speaks On Being the First Black Female With a Major Studio Deal." 16 April 2012. 25 April 2012. <http://allhiphop.com>
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