Women Writers of Film & Television Project: Ori McKInney
Abstract (300 words maximum)
Cinema is one of the very few art forms that celebrates what it means to be human. Through storytelling, we're allowed to see ourselves represented and hear our stories told. However, for several years marginalized people, especially women of color, were not being represented, on screen nor off screen, and a lot of their stories were not being told. Representation doesn’t start on the screen but instead on the paper and in recent years women of color have taken their stories to the page. Kasi Lemmons was one of the most prominent African American screenwriters of the 1990s. She used her experience growing up in Louisiana to write and tell her stories. In this presentation I cover the works of Kasi Lemmons and the legacy of her very first feature film Eve's Bayou (1997) and its cultural impact. The film received major critical acclaim for its raw and truthful telling of an affluent Louisiana family. The coming of age tale set in the 19600's earned its spot in cinema history and culture as it is even featured on the Criterion Channel. Her achievements in directing have been compared to that of Ingmar Bergman's in the tone and style. Her achievements in her writing a southern gothic have been compared to Tennessee Williams, who also wrote southern gothic stories. She received numerous awards for her feature film debut including Best Feature Film at the 1998 Independent Awards. This presentation looks at Kasi Lemmons' legacy and her achievements in storytelling.
Academic department under which the project should be listed
RCHSS - English
Primary Investigator (PI) Name
Anna Weinstein
Women Writers of Film & Television Project: Ori McKInney
Cinema is one of the very few art forms that celebrates what it means to be human. Through storytelling, we're allowed to see ourselves represented and hear our stories told. However, for several years marginalized people, especially women of color, were not being represented, on screen nor off screen, and a lot of their stories were not being told. Representation doesn’t start on the screen but instead on the paper and in recent years women of color have taken their stories to the page. Kasi Lemmons was one of the most prominent African American screenwriters of the 1990s. She used her experience growing up in Louisiana to write and tell her stories. In this presentation I cover the works of Kasi Lemmons and the legacy of her very first feature film Eve's Bayou (1997) and its cultural impact. The film received major critical acclaim for its raw and truthful telling of an affluent Louisiana family. The coming of age tale set in the 19600's earned its spot in cinema history and culture as it is even featured on the Criterion Channel. Her achievements in directing have been compared to that of Ingmar Bergman's in the tone and style. Her achievements in her writing a southern gothic have been compared to Tennessee Williams, who also wrote southern gothic stories. She received numerous awards for her feature film debut including Best Feature Film at the 1998 Independent Awards. This presentation looks at Kasi Lemmons' legacy and her achievements in storytelling.