{"id":41635,"date":"2025-03-05T15:50:02","date_gmt":"2025-03-05T20:50:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/?post_type=bu-article&#038;p=41635"},"modified":"2025-03-05T15:56:47","modified_gmt":"2025-03-05T20:56:47","slug":"reel-diversity","status":"publish","type":"bu-article","link":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/articles\/reel-diversity\/","title":{"rendered":"Reel Diversity"},"content":{"rendered":"\t<div class=\"wp-block-editorial-leadin bu-blocks-block-editorial-leadin is-style-default has-media has-media-focus-center-middle\">\n\t\t<div class=\"container-lockup\">\n\n\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-block-leadin-media\">\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<img width=\"2000\" height=\"1125\" src=\"\/com\/files\/2025\/03\/com365-black-box-banner.jpg\" class=\"\" alt=\"Lynn and Lydia in theatre seats.\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/files\/2025\/03\/com365-black-box-banner.jpg 2000w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/files\/2025\/03\/com365-black-box-banner-636x358.jpg 636w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/files\/2025\/03\/com365-black-box-banner-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/files\/2025\/03\/com365-black-box-banner-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/files\/2025\/03\/com365-black-box-banner-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/files\/2025\/03\/com365-black-box-banner-1200x675.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/files\/2025\/03\/com365-black-box-banner-992x558.jpg 992w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/files\/2025\/03\/com365-black-box-banner-1500x844.jpg 1500w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/files\/2025\/03\/com365-black-box-banner-1920x1080.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/files\/2025\/03\/com365-black-box-banner-1984x1116.jpg 1984w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/files\/2025\/03\/com365-black-box-banner-1628x916.jpg 1628w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/files\/2025\/03\/com365-black-box-banner-1600x900.jpg 1600w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/files\/2025\/03\/com365-black-box-banner-1366x768.jpg 1366w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/files\/2025\/03\/com365-black-box-banner-1280x720.jpg 1280w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/files\/2025\/03\/com365-black-box-banner-854x480.jpg 854w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"wp-block-editorial-leadin-caption wp-prepress-component-caption\"><br>Lynn Asare-Bediako (left) and Lydia Evans founded BlackBox in 2023. Photo by Janice Checchio<\/p>\n\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"container-words-outer\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"container-words-inner\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h1 class=\"head\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tReel Diversity\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h1>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h4 class=\"deck\">BlackBox, a student-run film society and festival, creates opportunities for Black filmmakers at BU and beyond<\/h4>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-categories\">\n\t\t\t<ul>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/category\/com-365\/\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCOM\/365\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/category\/diversity\/\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tDiversity\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/category\/film-television\/\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tFilm &amp; TV\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/ul>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\n\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-date\">March 5, 2025<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-credits\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<ul data-credit-type=\"By\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/authors\/marc-chalufour\/\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tMarc Chalufour\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/ul>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-share js-bu-prepress-share-tools\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"icon-twitter\"><span>Twitter<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"icon-facebook\"><span>Facebook<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"icon-action\"><\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t<div style=\"display:none;\">\n\t\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-share-tools\">\n\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-share-tools-inner js-prepress-component-share-tools\">\n\t\t<h4>Share<\/h4>\n\t\t<p class=\"wp-prepress-component-share-tools-article-title\">Reel Diversity<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-share-tools-article-link\">\n\t\t\t<div>\n\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" value=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/articles\/reel-diversity\/\" readonly>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<label>\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Copy URL:<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<button class=\"js-prepress-component-share-tools\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<span>Copy<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/button>\n\t\t\t<\/label>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"has-drop-cap\">Lynn Asare-Bediako stood before an audience  of about 100 at Brookline&#8217;s Coolidge Corner theatre in September 2024 and proudly welcomed them to the second annual BlackBox film festival. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The event featured work by Black student film-makers from up and down the East Coast, from BU to the University of Florida, and Asare-Bediako, cofounder of the festival, offered a powerful introduction to their films. \u201cBlack voices are formidable, they\u2019re vital, they\u2019re beautiful, and, most of all, they\u2019re undeniable,\u201d she said. Referencing the many roadblocks that aspiring Black filmmakers face, she then paraphrased the rapper Kendrick Lamar: \u201cLife will put many red lights in front of you, but sometimes you must push on the gas and trust God\u2014and tonight, we\u2019re pushing on the gas.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The festival\u2019s 10 short films were funny, sad, touching and shocking. A claymation short ended with a surprising joke. A tense black-and-white drama presented a dark take on artificial intelligence. And the final film, about an uncomfortable parent\u2013teacher meeting, ended with a plot twist that left audience members gasping and cheering. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>BlackBox is a Black film society, established in 2023 by Asare-Bediako (\u201925) and Lydia Evans (\u201925), and the festival is their biggest event. The classmates wanted to create a space to share ideas, develop skills and network outside the classroom, where they haven\u2019t always been comfortable being their full selves. \u201cI really wanted to make a club with Black voices and Black stories at the forefront, both in front of and behind the camera,\u201d Asare-Bediako says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3>Building A Black Space<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>A film and television major, Asare-Bediako was accustomed to being one of the only people of color in class and on set. \u201cWhen I pitched ideas that pertained to my experience as a Black woman, there was always a lot of explaining that had to be done,\u201d she says. She attended COM\u2019s 2022 Black Media Symposium and heard alumni talk about student clubs they\u2019d participated in\u2014but there was no film club where Black experiences might be better understood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So she created one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Lack of diversity in film and television isn\u2019t a problem unique to COM, higher education\u2014or Hollywood. In the 96-year history of the Academy Awards, no Black filmmaker has won an Oscar for directing, cinematography or editing. Few have even received a nomination\u2014 in part because so few have filled those roles. A 2021 McKinsey &amp; Company study found that fewer than 6 percent of the producers, writers and directors of US films were Black. Compounding the situation, Black talent was often shut out of projects unless a Black person held a senior role. For example, less than 1 percent of projects without a Black director had a Black writer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Asare-Bediako shared her club idea with classmate Lydia Evans. \u201cMy first thought was that it was necessary,\u201d says Evans. \u201cMost of the stuff I\u2019ve worked on, there weren\u2019t many Black people. It can feel a bit isolating.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>They asked Tunji Akinsehinwa, an associate professor of the practice of production in film and TV and cinematography, to serve as a faculty advisor. They created an Instagram account and, in spring 2023, began holding events. They host film screenings and organize cinematography, sound and writing workshops for Black students. They held their first film festival, for Boston-area students, in 2023 and opened up the second one to the entire East Coast in 2024. They\u2019ve also established events that they hope will improve diverse representation across COM\u2019s film and television department. Akinsehinwa leads a series of workshops on how to properly light dark skin tones, and BlackBox organizes an annual people of color casting session, timed with the start of film projects for the college\u2019s advanced production courses. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The efforts are already paying off, the founders say. They\u2019ve noticed more people of color in classes and on-screen. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-style-yellow-background-left\"><p>You can see the difference in student films, before and after. It\u2019s cool that we have more space here now that BlackBox is a club.<\/p><cite>Lydia Evans<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<h3>The Producers<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>In spring 2024, BlackBox launched a club-supported film project. \u201cThe idea was that all of the heads would be Black people\u2014Black director, Black producers, Black cinematographer,\u201d says Evans. The club put out a call for pitches and chose an idea from club member Chanel Holguin. BlackBox financed the film, and members of the executive board filled the crew. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWhen you\u2019re a film major and you\u2019re around people who have a lot more experience, it can be really scary to even want to join those places or to take certain classes,\u201d says Evans. That, she adds, creates \u201can endless loop where, if you don\u2019t have experience, people don\u2019t want you on their crew, but then you can\u2019t get experience.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Holguin (\u201927) had joined BlackBox her first semester at COM and appreciated the community it provided. But she had never written a script or directed a film. \u201cYou\u2019re putting yourself out there. It\u2019s a very vulnerable process,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Her film, <em>Estranged<\/em>, tells the story of a middle-aged woman celebrating her daughter\u2019s birthday while struggling with memories of a sister who had died at the same age. It\u2019s based on the experiences of someone Holguin knows. Balancing her vision for the personal story with feedback from others was a new challenge, but the club made it possible, she says. \u201cHaving solid people there I knew I could trust is what really allowed this to flourish. I\u2019m forever grateful to Lynn and Lydia because they put trust in me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Holguin finished editing <em>Estranged<\/em> in October 2024 and premiered it in December. As she works her way toward COM\u2019s upper-level production classes, she has a newfound confidence. \u201cIt\u2019s everything to me. I know that I can do it. I know that I\u2019m capable of it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Evans, who served as an executive director on the film alongside Asare-Bediako, agrees. \u201cBlackBox and the projects I\u2019ve worked on have made me feel more confident in myself as a filmmaker and have taught me that you don\u2019t have to be accepted for your experience to be valid,\u201d she says. \u201cI feel less of a need to make myself smaller or to fit in. I feel I can just exist.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3>Ready For The Next Generation<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>After the applause died down and the theater lights came up at the Coolidge Corner Theatre in September 2024, Akinsehinwa thanked the audience. \u201cFestivals like this [give] Black filmmakers the chance to showcase their work, their identity, and share their experience of the world,\u201d he said. Then he pivoted to a row of eight Black women in the front of the theater\u2014the club\u2019s executive board. \u201c[We\u2019re here] because of the remarkable young women who got together almost two years ago to create something that would provide a better understanding of the lived experience of Black filmmakers,\u201d he said, prompting more cheers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Asare-Bediako and Evans say the two film festivals have been the highlight of the past two years. They\u2019ve enjoyed seeing the reactions of the filmmakers who, in many cases, are sharing their work publicly for the first time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-style-yellow-background-right\"><p>When it comes to student films, you don\u2019t always get to have a big audience. To have that for Black filmmakers was a really great experience.<\/p><cite>Lynn Asare-Bediako<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p> Akinsehinwa has pushed his students to think big about the club and festival\u2014to grow them while also making them sustainable. Holguin has already agreed to step up as the next club president. The college has been consistently supportive of BlackBox. \u201cEverything we\u2019ve asked for, we\u2019ve gotten,\u201d Asare-Bediako says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"is-style-end-of-article\">Although she won\u2019t be around to meet them, Asare-Bediako has a message for the next generation of COM students: \u201cIf you\u2019re Black and interested in filmmaking or in cinema, there is a space for you.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Lynn Asare-Bediako stood before an audience of about 100 at Brookline&#8217;s Coolidge Corner theatre in September 2024 and proudly welcomed&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24086,"featured_media":41658,"template":"","meta":{"bu_prepress_billboard":"","_bu_prepress_primary_term":"","_bu_prepress_primary_term_manual":""},"categories":[1481,1483,9],"tags":[1783],"bu-publication":[],"discipline-type":[1427],"bu_edition":[],"media_type":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-article\/41635"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-article"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/bu-article"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24086"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-article\/41635\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":41661,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-article\/41635\/revisions\/41661"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/41658"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=41635"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=41635"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=41635"},{"taxonomy":"bu-publication","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-publication?post=41635"},{"taxonomy":"discipline-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/discipline-type?post=41635"},{"taxonomy":"bu_edition","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu_edition?post=41635"},{"taxonomy":"media_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media_type?post=41635"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}