Black Literary Suite 2020: Black Writing in Reel Time (HBW Webinar, 11/11/2020)

The Black Literary Suite (BLS) is HBW's exhibit dedicated to introducing the community to lesser-known figures in literature and the arts. Accordingly, BLS is an opportunity for members of the HBW student staff to learn and refine their research skills.
BLS 2020: Black Writing in Reel Time celebrates countless works by Black authors find multiple lives through film adaptations which recontextualize the ways in which modern audiences engage with these narratives. Adaptations renew attention to works by Black authors and expand the discussion of a range of topics, including race, identity, coming of age, class conflict, and Black love. Black film, like Black writing, gives us history, past and present, real and reimagined.
This panel discussion from the Black Literary Suite exhibit includes several distinguished members of the Kansas Black film community:
Brooklyn-born, Long Island-bred, Stefon Bristol graduated from Morehouse College and
NYU's Tisch School of the Arts, just like his Oscar-winning mentor, Spike Lee. A
collaboration with Lee led to his feature film debut, SEE YOU YESTERDAY-which
screened at 35 film festivals. The film is a magnetic celebration of Caribbean culture
and everyday superheroes which continues to resonate with audiences globally today.
The film was named one of the "Best Non-Theatrical Releases" of 2019 by Online Film
Critics Society and garnered Bristol the nomination for the Best First Feature at the
2020 Independent Spirit Award, with a win for the Best First Screenplay, which he
shared with writing partner, Fredrica Bailey. Both thanked Lee in their acceptance speech. Bristol is set to direct the intense, sci-fi thriller "Breathe" with Thunder Road Films.
Danyelle Greene is a scholar-practitioner whose research and teaching interests include the study and production of African American cinema, documentary, and aesthetics. She received her Ph.D. in Film and Media Studies from the University of Kansas. Her studies focus especially on the politics of representation and re-presentation of blackness, gender, and religion in film, using filmmaking and written scholarship as complementary modes of critical inquiry and exploration. At the 2019 Gordon Parks Festival, Greene captivated audiences with her presentation "From the Czar of Hollywood to the Oscars: Black Filmmaking in Kansas," which examined a legacy beginning with Oscar Micheaux, and her dissertation "Spirit in Cinema," analyzes African American films between 2000 and 2020.
Josalynn Jennings was born in Washington D.C. and grew up about 10 minutes outside
of the city in Lanham, Maryland. At the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill she
majored in Communications with a concentration in Media Studies and Production and
minored in Information Systems. After spending over a decade at Disney/ABC Studios in
Casting Administration, she then moved up and over to Paramount TV, where she was responsible for creating a thriving Casting Administration department. The Paramount experience paved the way to a key position at Netflix in 2018. Currently, her position in Original Series Casting Administration allows her to use the composite of her experience as a Business and Legal Affairs executive with extensive knowledge of actor contracts, negotiations, production, casting, finance, and union agreements.
Junction City, Kansas native Kevin Willmott, best known for his Academy Award film,
BLACKKKLANSMAN, which he co-wrote with Spike Lee, is Professor of Film and Media
Studies at the University of Kansas. A two-time Sundance Festival winner, Willmott's
films have become legendary, including the ground-breaking CSA (CONFEDERATE
STATES OF AMERICA), THE BATTLE FOR BUNKER HILL, JAYHAWKERS, DESTINATION
PLANET NEGRO, and THE 24TH. Willmott entered a new stage of his career with the Spike Lee partnership, which has also produced the critically acclaimed film, CHI-RAQ and DA FIVE BLOODS for Netflix. He remains one of Kansas's most loyal citizens, displaying a humility that belies his remarkable career.
Malcolm Wright was born in the UK, and grew up in a transcultural environment,
heavily influenced by his mother, Julia, a journalist, and his grandfather, the famous
author Richard Wright. The grandson of one of the most celebrated African-American authors, Wright uses his international, literary, historical, and political perspectives to inspire and empower individuals and communities to get involved with creative solutions to the challenges we face. His studies in Marine Biology and Film at the University of Miami led to a highly successful industry career in visual effects. Between 1998 and 2018, he worked with 22 productions including THE LORD OF THE RINGS, AVATAR, and GAME OF THRONES. Ten years into his career, Wright founded Quiet Heart Film to incubate projects exploring environmental and social concerns.