SEE MY NEW FILM “DOUEN”

My parents, especially my father, used to tell me and my brothers about the various folklore of Trinidad and Tobago. Douen was one of the stories that stuck because the thought alone was horrifying. My mom would put a blanket over her head and act like a ghost.

I am excited to write and direct my second horror film “Douen“, based on the folklore!

“Douen” is a horror film short that follows a woman that comes face-to-face with the collision of her dreams and reality, as she and her sister are haunted by the ghostly creatures. In the end, the storyteller teaches her grandchildren a lesson. Don’t respond if they call your name.

GET YOUR TICKETS!
“Douen” was created for Women of Color Filmmakers (WOCF) Fall Film Lab. See it on November 19, 2021, at 5:30pm PST (8:30pm EST) at WOCF Anniversary Gala. 

Purchase Virtual Tickets – $10

New Film Awards

I Am More Than My Hair was selected in Toronto Black Film Festival 2022. The festival takes place February 9 – 14, 2022.

I Am More Than My Hair was also selected in Women Of The Lens Film Festival 2021. The festival has been reschedule to March 2022.

NEW PROJECT – “ANNEXATION”

I am doing it!

I wrote and directed my first horror film. Talk about an exciting and nerve wrecking process.

Although the pandemic has been challenging, it has brought many blessings. Had we not been restricted from in-person meetings and events, I probably would not have known about Women of Color Filmmakers (WOCF), the Summer Film Lab or the other WOC creative groups I have joined since then.

Landi Maduro, WOCF Director, created the Summer Film Lab as a platform for women of color filmmakers to have a means of expanding our creativity. All genres are accepted and must have a maximum runtime of 15 minutes.

My film, ANNEXATION (Horror/Sci-Fi) follows the survival of a lone woman and her baby daughter as civilization has come to a halt. Or so she thinks. “You Are Not Alone”.

This was my first-time directing actors. We are an all-female crew. July 31, 2021, is the screening date of all films. I will keep you posted as we get closer to the date. In the meantime, please consider supporting this new project by making a small contribution. 

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See A Replay of The Virtual Events

Due to COVID-19 restrictions, my events for I AM MORE THAN MY HAIR exhibition had to remain virtual. Thankfully, the events were recorded. If you were not able to attend, you can now see my exhibition Reception and Panel Discussion: Making Art Accessible on YouTube.

I also held a virtual film screening of I AM MORE THAN MY HAIR on Eventive. It sold out quickly. Unfortunately, I am not able to share the film publicly yet (as I am working on securing distribution). However, you can see the Q&A, which is also on YouTube. Several women from the film joined the Q&A hosted by fellow filmmaker Day Al-Mohamed.

For #GivingTuesdayNow, Your Donation Can Support Two Causes

#GivingTuesdayNow is a new global day of giving and unity that will take place on May 5, 2020 – in addition to the regularly scheduled Dec 1, 2020 #GivingTuesday – as an emergency response to the unprecedented need caused by COVID-19.

Due to COVID-19 the promising family foundation grants, totaling $15,000, have been relocated to organizations in need of emergency supplies. Although I understand the necessity for realistically reallocating the grant funds I also understand the importance of coming together as a community and supporting small businesses.

That said, today is the official public launch of my iFundWomen crowdfunding campaign. Your donation can support two causes:

1. The final cut of my film, exhibition, and screening presentations.
2. Making it accessible for people with visual and hearing disabilities. I’ve made it mandatory that the venues requesting my art for exhibition, include accessibility as a part of the program.

Here’s a how you can offer your support: 

1. Support my campaign on iFundWomen – Your monetary contribution allows me the opportunity to complete the final cut of my film, and make it accessible for audiences with visual and hearing disabilities, with closed captioning and audio description. Here’s the link – https://ifundwomen.com/projects/i-am-more-my-hair-short-film

2. Prefer a tax-deduction? Donate via my fiscal sponsor, Docs In Progress.

3. Not able to make a monetary contribution? Not a problem! Please share my campaign with YOUR community. Need words of inspiration? Feel free to use the wording below when you share.

Director, Alyscia Cunningham, is raising funds for the final cut of her documentary film “I Am More Than My Hair” and making it accessible for viewers with visual and hearing disabilities. Please consider supporting this independent filmmaker on IFundWomen, a startup funding platform for women business owners – https://ifundwomen.com/projects/i-am-more-my-hair-short-film  #GivingTuesdayNow #SupportWomen #SupportWomenInFilm #SupportWomenArtists #WomenFilmmakers #Accessibility #FemaleDirector #SupportIndieFilm #IndieFilmmaker #IndieFemaleFilmmaker #Support #donate #Crowdfunding #iFundWomen #IAmMoreThanMyHair #AlysciaCunningham

4. Interested in hosting a private screening… social distancing style? Let’s make it happen — ONLINE! I only ask that your guests commit to making a monetary contribution via iFundWomen or Docs In Progress. Contact me for more info on how to set up a online screening.

Thank you for your continued support!

I Have A Rough-Cut!

Well, I thought I had a rough-cut before, but I had to go back to the drawing board. To make a long story short, my previous rough-cut wasn’t received very well SO… I am grateful to connect with another Film Editor… A WOMAN! A female Motion Graphics Editor is also on my team. Talk about excited!!!

That’s exactly what I originally envisioned! If not an all female film crew, at the least, I wanted to collaborate with other women.

Thanks to my small but amazingly mighty team, Editor Daniela Ettrich and Motion Graphics Artist Tiffany Lewis.

Last Saturday, February 23rd, I held a private screening of the rough-cut version of my documentary I Am More Than My Hair. I invited other filmmakers with the request that they provide me with feedback for my fine-cut (the final version of my film). Thanks to the support of filmmakers from Creative Edge Collaborative, Brown Girls Doc Mafia and Women In Film and Video DC (WIFV), the feedback received was a tremendous help.

Much thanks to Melissa J. Houghton, Executive Director of WIFV, for taking the time to advise me on the hows and where to hold a screening, during my desperate attempt to figure it out. My local public library worked out just fine. Who would have known?

My next cut will be the fine-cut. Wooohooo! That’s after the next few edited cuts. It’s a process but we’re headed in the right direction.

“Think like a queen. A queen is not afraid to fail. Failure is another stepping stone to greatness.” ~Oprah Winfrey

I am forever grateful for these talented filmmakers!

If you’d like to support the next stage of my film, feel free to make a tax-deductible donation via my Fiscal Sponsor, Docs In Progress. I appreciate your support!