Play Date

“Play Date” was inspired by the recent remake of “Roots”, in particular the scene in which the young slave girl Kizzy is playing with the plantation owner’s daughter Missy and her white friend Abigail. Although Abigail is only 7 years old she exhibits a nasty racist mindset, even calling Kizzy the ‘N-word’. This scene made me think about how parents can pass on their prejudice to their children at quite a young age. For “Play Date” I wanted to explore how a similar interaction could happen in today’s modern society, where many people choose to believe that racism does not exist. Inspired by the “Roots” scene, I created a soft, idyllic look with my cinematographer and colorist to lure the audience into a false sense of security.

Writing young child actors into my scene was a risky, but ultimately rewarding decision. Surprisingly, one of the biggest challenges was finding a black child actress between 4 -6 years old in the state of Massachusetts. But eventually with the help of local casting and modeling agencies, I was able to find these two talented girls. Luckily they connected right away with each other and with the actress playing Abiola’s mother. In the end, the shoot basically turned into a real play date. Creating a welcoming, fun environment was essential for getting natural performances out of them. Their ability to memorize lines at the age of 5 and 6 amazed me!

Finally, I could not have created this scene without my wonderful group of cast and crew members from the New England independent film community. I worked with many of these people on my short film “Pearl Rain”, including the cinematographer and lead actress. I also hired the same post-production studio to handle color correction and sound mixing. From the simple premise of a child visiting her friend’s home, I have aimed to create a film that sparks discussions on parenting in a racially diverse yet divided country.