TOO MUCH LIKE RIGHT
The experimental short film titled Too Much Like Right is a visual collage that weaves together archival footage and sound, family interviews and poetry, aiming to both demystify and illuminate the movement for reparations in San Francisco. Through the lens of personal and historical narratives, and the inclusion of figures such as Elouise Westbrook and Ruth Williams, as well as Ward’s great uncle and slain community activist Adam Rogers, the work unveils the multigenerational impact of systemic injustices faced by Black families in the city and the pivotal role of Black women within the civil rights and current reparations movements, as well as throughout San Francisco's Black history and culture.
-
Auttrianna WardDirector
-
Chris HayesVideo Editor
-
Allen Kwabena FrimpongExecutive Producers
-
Auttrianna WardExecutive Producers
-
Malik SeneferuProducer
-
Project Type:Documentary, Experimental, Short
-
Genres:Experimental, Art Film, Documentary, Advocacy, History, Black History
-
Runtime:9 minutes 10 seconds
-
Completion Date:September 17, 2024
-
Production Budget:8,000 USD
-
Country of Origin:United States, United States
-
Country of Filming:United States, United States
-
Language:English
-
Shooting Format:Archival, Digital
-
Aspect Ratio:16:9
-
Film Color:Black & White and Color
-
First-time Filmmaker:Yes
-
Student Project:No
Auttrianna Ward is an independent curator, director, publisher, cultural producer and founder of the creative agency Auttrianna Projects. A multigenerational San Francisco native, Ward has spent the last 15 years between New York, Baltimore, London, Brazil, and Los Angeles. She seeks to use her positionality as a Black American to decenter American narratives and uplift the work of Black, Asian and indigenous artists throughout the world. Auttrianna’s writing has been featured by the MoMA, Studio Museum Magazine, Saint Heron, Elephant Magazine and Sugarcane Magazine. Her work has been featured in Frieze Magazine, Sugarcane Magazine, Artnet, Miami Herald, Vogue Mexico, Rolling Stone Africa, Forbes, Cultured Magazine, New Art Examiner, LA Times and more.
Auttrianna holds an MFA in curatorial practice from Maryland Institute College of Art and a BA in History from Manhattanville College. Her programming, curatorial, publishing and production work focuses on the exploration of global Black experiences, the overlooked legacies of colonial violence and the transformative potential of art.
In 2019, Ward founded the Mare Residency program which was hosted in 3 locations over 4 years providing support to artists: Jerrell Gibbs, Raelis Vasquez, Taina Cruz, Jazmine Hayes and biarritzzz. Most recently, she co-curated Invisible Luggage at the Historic Hampton House Museum of Culture & Art. Recent awards include the Critical Minded Grant for Critics of Color, Leslie King Hammond Graduate Fellowship, MICA Intercultural Development Grant, MICA/MFA Graduate Merit Scholarship, and the MICA Graduate Research Development Grant. Ward serves as the creative director of Auttrianna Projects, overseeing its wide array of programs and services.
Director’s Statement:
The process of making Too Much Like Right has allowed me to work with my family to heal old wounds while expressing the broader need for reparations. This is a story that many Black natives know intimately, but it is not part of the story told about San Francisco, either nationally or globally.
When James Baldwin visited San Francisco in 1968, he described Hunters Point as “the San Francisco America pretends doesn’t exist.” That sentiment still resonates. Black San Franciscans have been marginalized in the city’s narrative, yet their contributions are integral to its identity. This film seeks to honor and reclaim those stories. In my poem for the project, Ode to Langston, I declare, “I, too, sing San Francisco, I am the darker sister…” This is both a personal declaration and a demand for recognition of the city’s Black history.
This film is also deeply personal. In 2008, I lost my cousin, who was like a father figure to me, to gun violence in San Francisco. Later that same year, my Aunt Kim passed away. This work is dedicated to them and all the forgotten Black legacies of San Francisco. Too Much Like Right asks critical questions: What did the city gain by divesting from Black communities? What did it save financially and emotionally by outsourcing chemical and radioactive contamination to neighborhoods like Bayview–Hunters Point? How can this harm be repaired?
Reparative futures begin with acknowledgment and justice. This film is part of a larger project, The Remedy is Solidarity, a global multimedia anthology that seeks to create spaces for collective healing. This project has not only strengthened my connection to my family and the city but has also expanded community conversations around reparations.
Additional Information:
This film is the start of something larger. The real-life impact of this project is for Black people to see themselves reflected, with dignity, in a narrative that values their contributions and their futures.