Private Project

Unlike Any Other

"Unlike Any Other" explores themes of culture appropriation, pride, loss, identity, and evolution. This film confronts twisted fascination with Black culture while also highlighting the uniqueness singular to Black culture. Ultimately, this film is a celebration of Blackness, Black womanhood, and Black resiliency.

  • LaShea Johnson
    Director
  • LaShea Johnson
    Writer
  • LaShea Johnson
    Producer
  • LaShea Johnson
    Key Cast
  • Project Type:
    Experimental, Short, Student
  • Runtime:
    14 minutes 53 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    April 10, 2021
  • Production Budget:
    3,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    France, Italy, Spain, United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    Yes - Emerson College
  • Oniros Film Awards
    New York,NY
    United States
    WINNER: Best Original Story
  • IndieX Film Fest
    Los Angeles, CA
    United States
    WINNER: Best Student Experimental Short
  • Global Film Festival Awards
    Los Angeles, CA
    United States
    WINNER: Best Student Film; Best Experimental Short
  • Independent Shorts Awards
    Los Angeles, CA
    United States
    HONORABLE MENTION: Best Experimental Short
  • San Francisco Indie Festival
    San Francisco, CA
    United States
    SEMI FINALIST: Best Women Empowerment Short
  • San Diego Black Film Festival
    San Diego, CA
    United States
    Official Selection
  • Indie Short Fest
    Los Angeles, CA
    United States
    Official Selection
  • DC Black Film Festival
    Washington, DC
    United States
    Official Selection
  • Soul West Fest
    Phoenix, AZ
    United States
    Official Selection
  • The Film Collective. Short Film Festival
    Philadelphia, PA
    United States
    Official Selection
  • Toronto Women Film Festival
    Toronto, ON
    Canada
    Official Selection
  • Orlando Urban Film Festival
    Orlando, FL
    United States
    HONORABLE MENTION
Director Biography - LaShea Johnson

Black by popular demand, LaShea Johnson is an award-winning filmmaker, writer, and theatre artist whose professional work explores postcolonialism and combats injustices. With an MFA in Film and Media Art from Emerson College and a BFA in Acting from Towson University, her work focuses on social, racial, and political issues that plague the United States. Her art assembles a collection of stories from underrepresented groups fused with her own experience that often echo injustices on a global scale. An active seeker of the truth, her work consistently exposes and challenges society’s norms, political propaganda, and governmental intentions. For the last several years, she has dedicated her life to being a voice and advocate for overlooked and often-forgotten communities. To learn more, visit www.lasheajohnson.com

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

I am a creator of art because I believe art is the best form of self-expression. I continue to witness firsthand the injustices in our society and how we, as people, treat each other. I am a writer, director, actor, producer and Blacktivist whose work calls for action. My art demands for undivided attention. And ultimately, my art strives to get the audience to question their actions, their beliefs, and their role in all the debauchery.

The content of the art I create can be challenging to digest, perhaps because my art is a direct representation of myself. I seek the truth, and I question what is taught to us that is labelled as “history.” My exploration of work focuses on those missing gaps in history. My art mixes narrative storytelling with experimental filmmaking techniques centered around characters that are seekers. Whether they are seeking justice of some kind, connection, or love, they are almost always on a tempestuous journey filled with twists, turns and surprises.

My art shifts between genres such as drama, horror, sci-fi and romance. However, what remains consistent is the concept of Blackness at its core and how that is defined. My work exposes the racial and social injustices that exist in society. Through my art, I challenge society’s definition of equality, normalcy, and beauty. I spend my time traveling the world, collecting stories from underrepresented groups. Then, I fuse those stories shared with me and combine them with my own experience as a Black woman in America. The similarities discovered between my experience and the experiences of other marginalized groups are staggering and, thus, fuels my fire to press on with the mission of exposing inaccuracy and educating the masses.