Experiencing Interruptions?

Race Anonymous

Can race be an addiction? Can a culture, countries and whole groups of people be hooked on the false "high" of racial identity? An alternate Universe where anything can happen, Race Anonymous is one part political treatise and one part trek through the strange, taboo twilight zone of race in North America. Kyle, an out of work construction worker, hones in on his "suspicious looking" co-workers, only to realize that they are not who he thinks they are. In his journey to recover from race- and other addictions- he realizes that he has a choice- about who he can be.

​While truth can be stranger than fiction, (see Donald Trump) Race Anonymous picks apart the tormented, funny, contradictory and hopeful subconscious of a strange species- human beings- who struggle to resist the delusion that human worth is only skin deep.

  • Melanee Murray-Hunt
    Writer
    The 'Hoodwink, The White Guy (Pilot)
  • Melanee Murray-Hunt
    Director
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Runtime:
    13 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    May 20, 2017
  • Production Budget:
    4,500 CNY
  • Country of Origin:
    Canada
  • Country of Filming:
    Canada
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Edmonton Short Film Festival
    Edmonton
    Canada
    October 18, 2017
    North American
    Best Drama
Director Biography - Melanee Murray-Hunt

Melanee Murray-Hunt has worked as an actor and writer for stage, film and television.Acting credits include Heartland, Judging Amy, 24, Young Drunk Punk, and 100 Deeds For Eddie McDowd and the upcoming Tribal series on APTN.

Her script, The Invincible Trayvon Martin, was shortlisted for the From From Our Dark Side competition, nominated for Telefilm's Talent To Watch program and secured her spot in the Women In The Director's Chair Career Accelerator Module as well as CineFAM's film incubator. Race Anonymous won for Best Drama at the Edmonton Short Film Festival.

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Director Statement

Race Anonymous is a look into the various, intertwining layers of race, religion and dependency. The film asserts a theory- race is an addiction. The addiction is a disguised one, chameleon like and camouflaged in "post-racial" aspirations. It gives a steady source of avoidant, narcissistic supply to some people and the fall out of crippling abuse to others. This addiction is unconscious, compulsive and like alcoholism, drug addiction or any other habit, is handed down from generation to generation. Also like any other addiction, the addiction to race will only fester -with continuous detriment to anyone and everyone it touches. That is unless this dependency is compassionately, but honestly addressed.

12 Step Programs are spiritually based. Thus the film also deals with our most primal images around race as it intersects with both religion and spirituality. What else is more deeply ingrained than images of Source, of spiritual genesis? Images of God and religious conversions were necessary to racial dominance and colonialism on the part of the West.

Race Anonymous finally takes seriously the voices and experiences around spirituality from the perspective of people of color whose cultures call upon deeply spiritual traditions and beliefs. Race Anonymous turns racial spiritual conditioning upside down. It also drives home the notion that spiritual elevation can be found in those considered the most lowly- a reflection of the most profound and impactful religious texts. The story also attempts to restore the "otherness" to the Christ figure- a man whose skin was most likely brown.

The story empathetically renders how "otherness" is projected outward by those who feel they must repress their own experiences of abuse. It is an investigation into how we give up our addictions and compulsions for wholeness, healing and love.