Hear from this pioneer in African American independent cinema –who besides directing on Queen Sugar, Dynasty and Oprah’s new show Delilah – is a professor at Spelman College, and founded its Documentary Filmmaking program. Join us as Dr. Ayoka Chenzira speaks with producer Ann Bennett about her work and career path.

Ayoka Chenzira, PhD, is an award-winning filmmaker whose work includes writing, producing and directing for features, documentaries, animation, experimental films and interactive transmedia project.  She is one of the first African American women to write, produce, and direct a 35mm feature film, Alma's Rainbow, and is noted as the first African American woman animator with her films Zajota & the Boogie Spirit and Hair Piece: A Film for Nappyheaded People, which was inducted into the National Film Registry at the Library of Congress. HERadventure, pushed the boundaries of filmmaking with its film/gameplay format and led to her TEDxAtlanta talk on diversity in sci/fi fantasy films. Most recently, Chenzira has been directing television for shows such as Queen Sugar, Greenleaf, Trinkets, Dynasty, and the new Oprah show, Delilah. Her recent awards include an Emmy nomination for Queen Sugar and the Cultural Innovator Award from Black Women Animate and the Cartoon Network for her body of work as an animator. Her films are currently being restored and archived at the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences.

On the faculty at Spelman College, Chenzira is Chair of the President's ARTS@Spelman Initiative, Division Chair for the Arts, and creator and inaugural Program Director for Documentary Filmmaking. She is a member of the Directors Guild of America.

Ann Bennett, who will talk with Dr. Chenzira, is an Emmy-nominated documentary filmmaker and multimedia producer. She produced the NAACP Image Award-winning documentary, Through A Lens Darkly: Black Photographers and the Emergence of a People, as well as the multi-platform community engagement initiative, Digital Diaspora Family Reunion (DDFR), and her credits include numerous award winning PBS and independent films. In addition to her production skills, Bennett is known for her work as a researcher, writer and educator.

Join us for this virtual workshop as Ann Bennett and Dr. Chenzira talk about Chenzira's pathway to filmmaking, shares some film clips and her thoughts on the field for BIPOC filmmakers today. When you RSVP, you will receive a zoom link to the talk.

RSVP TO: https://bit.ly/3nxJdXF

A presentation of Third World Newsreel and the Documentary Forum at CCNY.