Experiencing Interruptions?

WHITENESS.

Police shootings and race riots dominate headlines. Jaws drop in horror at the disparity between black and white deaths by COVID19. Wisconsin voters forced to choose between their lives and the ballot box. This past year has made apparent the horrific reality of a racialized United States and a lot of people feel defeated from the problem being so much bigger than they are. What individual actions can white people take to fight systemic racism? Acknowledge it's a problem. Admit ignorance and open up to listen empathetically. Let this film be an invitation to the conversations that need to be had.
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Talking about white privilege is only awkward when we don’t know what we’re talking about. It’s time to rethink how we understand racism, and give white people an active role in fighting it. We’ve spent far too much time asking BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) how it feels to be oppressed and not enough time realizing that there are two sides to that coin. This short film looks to unpack that other side, and try to understand how different people view and experience whiteness, the culprit of systemic racism.

Trailer link: https://youtu.be/HINoH80F9k4

  • Sara Jacques
    Director
  • Sara Jacques
    Writer
  • Sara Jacques
    Producer
  • Genna Zagoren
    Producer
  • Project Type:
    Documentary, Short, Student
  • Runtime:
    8 minutes 39 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    May 6, 2020
  • Production Budget:
    0 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    Yes
  • SPLICE Film Festival
    New York City
    United States
    June 18, 2020
    Festival Premiere
    TBD
  • Best Shorts Competition
    La Jolla, CA
    United States
  • First-Time Filmmaker Sessions
    Pinewood Studios
    United Kingdom
Director Biography - Sara Jacques

Sara Jacques is a recent graduate of Penn State University who lives in the New York metropolitan area. Her only film credit is "WHITENESS.," a short documentary film she made in her undergraduate capacity as a Public Humanities Fellow, and is currently working to distribute.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

The driving force to promote this film is to exploit my white privilege. I was waiting to share it until the audio was fixed and I got a chance to copyright the work, but with racial injustice as such a hot topic -- leaving people wondering how they, as individuals, can fight something that feels so out of their control -- it felt wrong to keep it to myself. "WHITENESS." was edited entirely over Zoom, and well-attended in its virtual screening premiere.

After the most recent lynchings of Black people in the U.S., it was shared on my personal social media channels and received enthusiastically by networks of networks. Whiteness as a strategic angle to fight for racial justice feels powerful, and emerging. "WHITENESS." has already proven to be a conversation starter and powerfully positions white people to recognize a role for themselves in the fight for social justice. Racism in the 21st century needs to be redefined to include privilege, and "WHITENESS." helps open that door.

I hope the film can help white people break the taboo of talking about race, and expand to help broaden our collective social imagination.