Indianapolis Recorder, Indianapolis, Marion County, 12 October 2001 — Page 2

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THE INDIANAPOLIS RECORDER

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 12,2001

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2 young women tell what drives them in the world of filmmaking

By ANAR£ V. HOLMES Recorder Editor Indianapolis native Ayanna Maharry and her business partner Michele Turner have launched Beautiful Flowers Productions. The two are currently in the process of developing the film, ‘Tough Like Wearing Dreadlocks.” Maharry and Turner recently talked with The Recorder about their upcoming project and what motivated them to get into the entertainment business. Q: Describe the current project you are working on. AM: The film is called “Tough Like Wearing Dreadlocks,” and it’s not about hair. I believe the title of a film is just as important as the film itself. Filmmakers should not just slap a title on their films, but should really examine what they want their films to say, then express that through the title. “Tough Like Wearing Dreadlocks” is about how two college students, Angela and Chad, find each other and fall in love. Angela is an afro-donning junior at Howard University, and Chad is a frat guy from Harvard. The story.is set in modem times. It’s absolutely wonderful! No one has ever seen this story before, but once we finish it, they will want to. Q: Comment on what stage you are at on the current project? AM: The money stage — of course. It is somewhat frustrating, because all we need is the money. We already have our game plan mapped out, the production talent is in place. We believe it’s just a matter of time though. MT: The oerpetual stage ... the most difficult stage ... the longest stage ... financing. Which will be even more challenging in the current climate. Trying to locate nontraditional financing in the wake of the current events. But we will find it. Q: How did you get involved in the filmmaking business? AM: I began as an actress, director, writer and producer. When I was very young, growing up in Indianapolis, I used to write and direct plays. At Thanksgiving and Christmas time when my entire family was gathered at my grandparents’ house, my brother, my cousins and I would gather props, rearrange furniture, rehearse and perform these plays for our parents and grandparents.

And of course, we would charge them for admittance. I went on to graduate from the American University in Washington, D.C., with a degree in film production. I got hired on the film “Contact,” starring Jodie Foster and directed by Robert Zemeckis, when they were doing location work in D.C. I was supposed to be on just for their D.C. stint, but Allen Taylor (production accountant) and Lori Nakamura (payroll accountant) asked me if I wanted to stay on with them and go back to Los Angeles. Heck yeah! I had been wanting to go to Los Angeles and pursue my fi Immaking career. I know that was the work of God! When I got to L.A. I made a conscious decision to create roles and opportunities. MT: I began as a performer/ actress wanting to perform in front of the camera. Then I found out just how few good roles there were out there, and how limiting the industry makes access to the good roles for Black actresses, When I started working in theater, it was a similar situation. I found that in order to have an opportunity to perform, 1 had to produce my own productions. So I did. When I decided to pursue film again, producing was already in my blood, so that’s how I’ve continued. Also, one of my strengths is in casting. I enjoy the business of the business, I enjoy pulling together the elements involved in producing a film. Q: What inspires you as an artist? AM: The ability to express another perspective than what people are used to seeing in film; the opportunity to give people another vantage point on the world and human relations. It’s also somewhat selfish in that I thoroughly enjoy filmmaking. I get excited about creating new characters and bringing life to them through film. MT: To tell a story, and to have that story change people’s lives. Sometimes it’s in subtle ways, other times it’s in epic proportions. But either way it’s tremendously fulfilling. As an artist I want to challenge people’s way of thinking. I did a play where a woman in the audience, who was a stroke victim, hadn’t spoken with her daughter in several months. On the way home, the mother spoke with her daughter for the first time in several months about the play. Film reaches many more people, so there are

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Ayanna Maharry more opportunities for moments like this. Q: Name three challenges you have faced in pursuing your dreams and how you have overcome those challenges? AM: Rejection—I have learned perseverance through the countless rejections I’ve received in my filmmaking pursuits. This perseverance has “toughened” my skin; I don’t take rejection as a personal affront anymore, but rather as a part of this process. I try to learn from everything, and I keep it all in perspective. Nay-sayers — Most people will tell you that you can’t do something before they’ll tell you that you can. This causes a lot of frustration, self-doubt, and low selfconfidence, three things you can’t survive with in this industry. I’ve surrounded myself with people like Michele and my other friends who dream as big as 1 do. Lack of financial resources — This is big for all independent filmmakers. It’s the Holy Grail. Every filmmaker who is producing a film is essentially on their own path to locate the finances to complete her film. Period. The joumey to find money for our film has forced us to be really creative! MT: I had physical challenges — overcoming cancer. But after I overcame cancer, I never worked so much in her life. Getting cut out of a major film in which I had a significant role was another challenge. It made me even more hungry to succeed, though. I didn’t want to be in a position of powerlessness again. It brought me to a state of wanting to make films and not just be in them. I would say

Michele Turner being a Christian artist in an industry, that is totally in the world is anotherchallenge. It’s difficult try4 ing to remain faithful when you see people “advancing” who aren’t acting with integrity. A positive voice is not always as loud as the voice of negativity out here. It’s also hard having to deal directly with people with no integrity i — people who say they’re going to do things they know they have no intention of doing. Q: What types of films/stories do you want to produce? AM: I really believe in stories that deal with human relationships. Not just “chick flicks,” although . there’s nothing wrong with them, but men have human relationships too. I love exploring how and why people relate to each other the way we do. The story is really important to me, and the characters. I believe you can have a really gobd film in just about any genre if the story is good and the characters are compelling. MT: I want to produce really strong Christian stories. Stories about relationships and faith and deliverance. Uplifting. I like ac-tion-adventure, too. Especially in today’s climate, we have to talk about relationships. I’d like to make strong women character driven * films — women as three-dimen-sional characters, not just girU^ friends and trophies. Q: Professionally, what fill * makers do you respect and mire. Why? AM: I respect and admire Opr%| Winfrey for making “Beloved/'''** was a beautiful story about See FILM, Page A3 :>:*

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