Black Carpet Speaker Series is a platform provided for free to the Black directors. The series is introduced by the Black Hollywood Education and Resource Center that is located in Los Angeles.
This platform will allow the filmmakers to share their professional journey, insight about the entertainment industry, and current project opportunities. Sandra Evers-Manly, president of Black Hollywood Education and Resource Center revealed the details of the event.
Evers-Manly explained that the beginning of the event will take place in the virtual format considering the ongoing pandemic. The virtual event will feature Kasi Lemmons and Gina Prince-Bythewood, while Evers-Manly will act as a coordinator.
Both the female directors had highly-anticipated movies released. While Lemmons' released Harriet that got nominated the star Cynthia Erivo for Oscar and Focus Features, Prince-Bythewood had a huge success with her latest helmed movie on Netflix, The Old Guard.
The virtual event is supposed to be kick off on July 31and since then Black Hollywood Education and Resource Center's another program will begin that will be called Reel Black Men Film Festival. This event will end on Aug. 8.
The president said that both the directors are more than just members of the organization. In fact, they are like family. “We are proud to have supported them and their films in the past and look forward to supporting them in the future. They are exceptional directors who have broken through barriers in Hollywood," said Evers-Manly.
Evers-Manly continued to praise the directors and said their talent is undeniable. In fact, they are known for lifting new talents in the industry. Evers-Manly called both the directors best representative. Prince-Bythewood said that S.E. Manly Short Film Showcase and African-American Film Marketplace has been important to her since she started her learning at UCLA Film School.
Prince-Bythewood disclosed that as a young filmmaker at that time, she wanted to deliver the audience, and thankfully Black Hollywood Education and Resource Center provided her a platform to showcase her work. She is pleased that the organization helped her to grow as a filmmaker and later help to share her experience with aspiring talents.
On the other hand, Lemmons said that Black female filmmakers getting a platform like this helps to blossom creativity. In earlier days of her career, the platform gave her the opportunity to come across other filmmakers such as Prince-Bythewood, who later turned out to be a friend for a lifetime.