Alumni Spotlight: Angelique Webster’s (’18) short doc RESPECT AND LOVE

/in , , /by

Angelique Webster’s thesis short doc RESPECT AND LOVE is on fire! In addition to past screenings we highlighted last fall, here is a round up of upcoming film festival showings, with no doubt more on the way! (Keep on eye out on RESPECT AND LOVE’s official facebook page to keep apprised of all of the details.)

March 2019 Events:

Women in Media Film Festival– Newark, New Jersey

Rapid Lion Film Festival– Johannesburg, South Africa

POW ( Portland Oregon Women’s) Film Festival– Portland, Oregon

Universe Multicultural Film Festival -Rancho Palos Verdes, CA

2019 New England Graduate Media Symposium– Boston, MA

April 2019 (and beyond) Events:

American Doc Film Festival–  April 2019 Palm Springs, CA

Langston Hughes Film Festival– April 2019 Seattle Washington

Creatively Speaking Double Exposure Film Series– Maysles Documentary Center June 2019  Harlem, NY

It has been said that Gloria was the first African-American woman to sue the Catholic Church. RESPECT AND LOVE is a short experimental documentary, in which the filmmaker sits down with her mother 30 years later to gain insight on how those experiences have shaped her mother’s life.

 

 

We recently caught up with Angelique and asked her a few questions, here is what she had to say:

RESPECT AND LOVE is a deeply personal story for you and your family, in what ways did the concept change or evolve from the start of the project through its completion?

I think the major change to my film was adding my voice. My plan was to use my mother’s interview to tell the story. As I was going through the footage I realize that strong transitions were missing. Along with the need for smooth transitions, I decided to juxtapose my thoughts along side of my mother’s. The two storylines made the film fuller and much more three dimensional.

What is the most valuable piece of advise, feedback, or inspiration you received here at VCFA as an MFA in Film student?

The most valuable feedback I received while at VCFA was to go out on a limb and try something different. I never imagined that I would write a script, but I did. I was nervous and not very confident… but had really great support and feedback. It actually felt good to write. With the next film I am working on, I have started with writing. The writing allows me to see themes and ideas that may be useful with making a stronger piece.

Where do you see yourself and your work in the next 3 years?

In the next 3 years I see myself teaching, making films, and creating a community space for inter-generational filmmaking projects.

Angelique Webster is a filmmaker and educator. She  is a graduate from Lincoln University and received her MFA from Vermont College of Fine Arts in April 2018. Since 2003, Angelique has worked with community members to use media as a tool to share their stories and promote the importance of media literacy. She recently finished her first short film RESPECT AND LOVE. She lives in Worcester, MA with her wife Isabel and 3 year old daughter Vivian.

 

 

 Sports Shoes | Nike Shoes

VCFA at Sundance Film Festival 2019!

/in /by

VCFA had fantastic representation at the Sundance Film Festival this year! In addition to pleasure-goers, like our own Annie Howell, several alumni and students were there to speak and show support for their projects.

Ian Cheney (’18), Jason Rosenfield (’18) and VCFA faculty member Annie Howell

 

Recent VCFA graduate Jason Rosenfield was at the festival in support of the new Amazon docuseries LORENA which he worked on as Supervising Editor. LORENA will be available to stream on Amazon February 15th, 2019.

Lorena Bobbitt became a household name in 1993, when accounts of a mutilation dominated headlines: she cut off her husband’s penis, and the country collectively gasped. Twenty-five years later, Joshua Rofé excavates the scandalized case through a modern cultural lens. Each episode of this four-part docuseries, executive produced by Jordan Peele, builds upon the last, exposing the issues surrounding the couple and their criminal trials—Lorena’s then-husband, John Wayne Bobbit, for marital sexual assault, and Lorena for malicious wounding. In unearthing the long-term abuse that precipitated the infamous night, Rofé dives into a wider discussion about the lack of support for domestic-violence victims, the power and fragility of the word penis, John’s increasingly unpredictable life post-recovery, and how the public’s insatiable appetite for the Bobbitts’ story paved the way for the 24-hour news cycle. Rofé’s re-examination restores depth to a woman reduced to parodies and caricatures and prompts us to reconsider our preconceptions.

 

Alumnus Ian Cheney (’18) was at the festival as one of five inaugural Science Sandbox Nonfiction Project fellows to participate in a panel discussion titled “Exploring Boundaries” which focused on the intersection between science and storytelling. Cheney was selected as a recipient of the Science Sandbox Nonfiction grant in November 2018 for his film THE MOST UNKNOWN which he directed and produced.

Ian Cheney (’18) center, enjoying a meal with Lena and Werner Herzog, and Greg Boustead (co-producer THE MOST UNKNOWN).

Through imagination and exploration and a deep sense of wonder, scientists and artists aim to reveal deeper truths about our world—in different and sometimes surprisingly similar ways. Join us, our project fellows, and other special guests as we celebrate the inaugural year of the Science Sandbox Nonfiction Project and engage in a conversation between legendary filmmaker Werner Herzog and renowned astrophysicist and novelist Janna Levin about experimental science storytelling.

 

Current VCFA student Damon Davis also attended the festival, as did recent VCFA residency special guests Ramona Diaz and Nancy Schreiber. We hear Mike Day was also spotted out in the crowd!

 

Susan Kelechi Watson (THIS IS US), Annie Howell, and Anna Margaret Hollyman (SISTER AIMEE). Kelechi Watson and Hollyman starred in Howell’s 2012 film (co-directed with Lisa Robinson), SMALL, BEAUTIFULLY MOVING PARTS. Hollyman also starred in Howell and Robinson’s 2016 film CLAIRE IN MOTION.

 latest Nike Sneakers | New Balance 991 Footwear