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"James Baldwin's Black Lives Blues Are Mine"

Natasha Phicil is the Columbia College student producer. She's a proud, young Haitian-American. This student-produced 5-minute trailer & music video to Stan West's "James Baldwin's Black Lives Blues Are Mine" is ripped from today's & yesterday's headlines. In style & content it's both experimental & traditional. Its jazzy dialogue against a blues soundtrack, paints a poetic musical picture. On one hand, West explains his first & only meeting with the famous Black gay writer who is known for his piercing essays. Baldwin wrote a lot about police brutality. Tampa-based author-journalist West who holds an MFA in Creative Writing from University of New Orleans, wrote news stories about police misconduct. His Chicago Defender cover story features West's Black-Mexican-Italian-trans-rabbi cousin's views on this issue & others. Both writers intersect their writings with their gay & straight relatives. This is their story.

  • Laurie Little
    Director
    "The Light of Truth: Richard Hunt's Monument to Ida B. Wells"
  • Natasha Phicil
    Writer
    Enero Ray ("The Light of Truth: Richard Hunt's Monument to Ida B. Wells")
  • Rana Sagel
    Producer
    "The Light of Truth: Richard Hunt's Monument to Ida B. Wells"
  • Stan West
    Key Cast
    "author-journalist (& token guy in an awesome all-female crew)"
    "The Light of Truth: Richard Hunt's Monument to Ida B. Wells"
  • Raymond Anthony Thomas
    Book cover art
  • Natasha Phicil
    Student Producer
    "The Light of Truth: Richard Hunt's Monument to Ida B. Wells"
  • Enero Ray
    Editor
    "The Light of Truth: Richard Hunt's Monument to Ida B. Wells"
  • Project Type:
    Documentary, Experimental, Music Video, Short, Student, Web / New Media
  • Runtime:
    5 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    February 1, 2022
  • Production Budget:
    5,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    Yes - Columbia College Chicago
Director Biography - Laurie Little

Laurie Little is an award-winning director/producer/writer/colorist from Montreal, Canada now connected with Columbia College Chicago.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

Natasha Phicil is the Columbia College student producer. She's a proud, young Haitian-American. This student-produced 5-minute trailer & music video to Stan West's "James Baldwin's Black Lives Blues Are Mine" is ripped from today's & yesterday's headlines. In style & content it's both experimental & traditional. Its jazzy dialogue against a blues soundtrack, paints a poetic musical picture. On one hand, Tampa-based West who holds an MFA in Creative Writing from University of New Orleans, explains his first & only meeting with the famous Black gay writer who is known for his piercing essays. Baldwin wrote a lot about police brutality. Author-journalist West wrote news stories about police misconduct. His Chicago Defender cover story features West's Black-Mexican-Italian-trans-rabbi cousin's views on this issue & others. Both writers intersect their writings with the gay & straight relatives. This is their story.