Sisters in Cinema 2023 - 2024 Documentary Fellowship
In 2023 – 2024 Sisters in Cinema will grant over $330,000 to Black women filmmakers through a range of programs. They include the Sisters in Cinema Documentary Fellowship, the Sisters in Cinema Apprenticeship Program and Sisters in Cinema Productions.
Five Documentary Fellows, Moya Bailey, Latoya Flowers, Arlieta Hall, India Martin and Whitney Spencer will each receive a $10,000 grant for their documentary film projects, fiscal sponsorship and individually tailored mentorship, which focuses on both professional and project development.
Field Museum / Still Searching Panel Discussion
From the African continent and throughout the Diaspora, people of African heritage have experienced loved one’s going missing for centuries and we’re exploring historical and contemporary community responses. Join us in an effort to raise awareness about the ongoing occurrence of missing Black women and girls and understanding about how families and communities are coping with their losses.
The work of Chicago artist Damon Lamar Reed, creator of The Still Searching Series of brilliant portraits and murals of missing Black women and girls in Chicago and shared experiences of families with missing loved ones will be discussed along with the documentary, Still Searching, created by Field Museum Senior Multimedia Creative Latoya Flowers. The panelist will also include Alexander Flowers (Producer) and Shantinel Laws (mother of Jerrica Laws).
Still Searching was awarded the 2022 Chicago Digital Media Production Fund from Chicago Filmmakers.
Damon Lamar Reed and Latoya Flowers will be presenting a trailer at TEDxQuincy
In a powerful and moving piece for TEDxQuincy, Artist Damon Lamar Reed and filmmaker Latoya Charisse Flowers will present, “Still Searching: Chicago’s Missing Black Women and Girls.”
Their piece for TEDxQuincyStudio serves as a sizzle reel to the upcoming feature length documentary that follows Mr. Reed, a Chicago hip-hop artist and muralist, has been creating a vivid series of portraits titled “The Still Searching Project” of missing Black women and girls in the Chicagoland area for the past two decades. In the film, we’ll hear why he started painting these missing women and girls, his creative artistry and process behind each painting, and how he uses his artistic expression to keep their memories alive, in hopes of finding each missing victim. We’ll also hear about Ms. Flowers and her creative process for capturing the project and raising awareness around this important topic.
Latoya Flowers' latest film follows Chicago artist's efforts to honor missing Black women, girls
Filmmaker Latoya Flowers grew up in Auburn-Gresham and her vibrant work is ever inspired by her Chicago roots. Her latest film tells the story of an artist using his talent to honor Black women who go missing, with little effort to find them.
STILL SEARCHING was selected for the 2021 Hulu / Kartemquin Accelerator program
Still Searching was selected for the 2021 Hulu / Accelerator program. The Accelerator program offers two alumni of Kartemquin’s acclaimed Filmmaker Development Programs $20,000 each towards production, and mentorship through 2021 within the award-winning Kartemquin collaborative production model.
"Kartemquin is thrilled to continue the partnership with Hulu to support two more filmmakers this year, who are telling deeply personal stories that resonate on a much larger scale, the impact of climate change and gender-based violence." said K. Sujata, Interim Executive Director at Kartemquin Films.
"I am excited and thankful for my film being selected by the committee in the Kartemquin/Hulu Accelerator Program, said Still Searching director LaToya Flowers. “This moment is still surreal for me personally, since it brings my career full circle. In 2011, I started my career in documentaries interning at Kartemquin. Kartemquin's team facilitated my professional development and drive to make films with social/community impact through passionate well-executed storytelling. I am grateful and elated that because of my previous experience, I am now gaining continued mentorship and support with my lab fellow with KTQ/Hulu!"
‘Still Searching’ Documentary Tells Stories Of Chicago’s Missing Black Women And Girls Through Art
Damon Lamar Reed and filmmaker Latoya Flowers-Rudd hope their documentary will honor the missing women and their families.
“I already thought the project was going to be big when it was just going to be an art show, but when the documentary idea came, it was like, ‘OK, this is going to be epic. This is going to be life-changing,'” said Reed, who finished a blues mural in Bronzeville in July.
Local filmmaker Latoya Flowers-Rudd and her brother, a producer on the project, had followed Reed’s work for years. When Reed mentioned he was creating portraits of missing Black women and girls, they approached him with their idea for a documentary about his work, said Flowers-Rudd, who has made movies since she was a student at Hyde Park Academy.
The duo will film through the beginning of next year, featuring Reed’s work as well as interviews from politicians working on better protecting Black women. They hope to have the film completed by 2023.
Reed said his artwork could expand to include missing Indigenous women, as well.
“I just want to raise awareness,” Reed said. “Some people are oblivious and have no idea that this is happening, and some have forgotten. I want to keep these cases in people’s minds and honor these women and their families.”
Flowers-Rudd had heard news stories about missing Black women and girls in the city, but she noticed an uptick in attention in the cases in 2016.
“It seemed like you were hearing about someone disappearing every week,” Flowers-Rudd said.
Flowers’ film, Still Searching, centers on a remarkable endeavor from Chicago hip hop artist and muralist Damon Lamar Reed, who last year “started painting an eye-catching vivid series of portraits titled The Still Searching Project of missing Black women and girls in the Chicagoland area for the past two decades. Due to their lack of local, national, and global media coverage, [Reed] is utilizing his artistry as social justice bringing awareness to their cases and hope to their families that they will be found.”
‘Still Searching’ documentary chronicles stories of Chicago’s missing Black women and girls
'Still Searching' documentary chronicles stories of Chicago's missing Black women and girls
Latoya Flowers-Rudd and Damon Lamar Reed talk about the new documentary "Still Searching" and the importance of keeping cases of missing Black women and girls in the public's eye.
LIVE with WGN NEWS
Artist Damon Lamar Reed and Director Latoya Flowers-Rudd interviewed on WGN News discussing the missing women and girls in the Still Searching Project and the making of the documentary.
STILL I RISE FILMS 2021 Fellow
Still Searching was selected in the Still I Rise 2021 fellowship. The program will provide financial and mentorship support to complete winners’ 15- to 30-minute short films. Fellows will also participate in an online rough-cut lab with peer feedback and one-on-one mentorship with Mimi Chakarova, founder and creative director of Still I Rise Films, and Hélène Goupil, 2020-2021 SIR fellow and series producer; and a MasterClass on Distribution and Impact led by Liz Manashil, former manager at Sundance Institute’s Creative Distribution Initiative, and Kristen Fitzpatrick, managing director at Field of Vision and a former director at Women Make Movies.
The announcement of the recipients for its inaugural Still I Rise Films Fellowship was featured on DEADLINE. Visit Still I Rise Films to view a complete list of the 2021 fellows.
The Still I Rise Films Fellowship Program is made possible by Shannon and Mark Hart’s continuous support. In addition to collaborating with A Moment in Time Films, we offer financial support and mentorship to women artists who have shown great promise in the field of visual storytelling and documentary filmmaking.