OAFG21 Winner – Short Film, “You Go Girl!” To Screen At Sundance

The OAFG21 winning team on the set of “Ash Land”, from left to right – Adrian Alea, Shariffa Ali, & Courtney Williams.

“You Go Girl” – the fourth annual Outdoor Adventure Film Grant– “Oregon’s Outdoors Are For Everyone” winner (OAFG21) – will be screening at Sundance! Filmmakers,  Shariffa Ali, Kamilah Long, Courtney Williams, and Adrian Aleas’ short film tells the story of Audrey, a New York City comedian who can make a joke of any situation, faces a staggering challenge in the beautiful mountains of Oregon. Can this city woman overcome her fears and rise?  “You Go Girl!” screened at Sundance 2022, in the U.S. Live Action Short Films and is now screening on the Oregon Shakespeare Festival O site.  This program was included as part of a celebration for Sundance’s 40th anniversary. The 2022 short films will all screen in programs or preceding features in-person in Utah, the majority of them will screen online along with the 40th collection, and a small collection will screen in person at seven Satellite Screens venues around the country during the Festival’s second weekend. The Festival takes place from January 20-30, 2022.

“You Go Girl!” was created in partnership with producers Adrian Alea (ALIALEA Productions), Kamilah Long (The Black Whole, Inc.), and Courtney Williams, and was made possible, in part, by an “Outdoor Adventure Grant” from the Oregon Made Creative Foundation, Travel Oregon and Oregon Film, and the Oregon Shakespeare Festival.

This year’s festival slate comprises work from 26 countries, with 59 shorts selected from a record 10,374 submissions.

More about the Outdoor Adventure Film Grant – Oregon’s Outdoors Are For Everyone” (OAFG21)

Oregon’s open spaces and outdoor pursuits are for all Americans and visitors, yet there is a well-documented inequity in America that is deeply rooted in our shared cultural history, and as a whole, our outdoor spaces are not equally utilized for a multitude of historical, social and cultural reasons. The OAFG aims to help support and amplify stories and storytellers (both in front of and behind the camera) utilizing Oregon’s outdoor spaces as a backdrop. The OAFG21 specifically invited applications from experienced BIPOC filmmakers and on-camera subjects to create a short film pitch that is able to inform, inspire, capture and/or reveal a personal journey involving an outdoor pursuit that is set against the backdrop of Oregon’s majestic landscape.

This $20,000 Grant was provided by the Oregon Made Creative Foundation in conjunction with Travel Oregon.

The grant was awarded to a small team of independent filmmakers and a production company based in Southern Oregon: Shariffa Ali, Kamilah Long, and Adrian Alea, who describe themselves as, “the perfect amalgamation of specialized skills and lived experiences. We are a collective of theatre-makers, film producers, fundraisers, writers, designers, and community organizers who have just completed principal photography on our first collaboration, a short film entitled “Ash Land” which follows an African-American woman, living in the wilds of Oregon, who receives a visitor that forces her to reconcile her past and re-imagine her future.

Shariffa Chelimo Ali (Director + Co-writer) is an international creative leader committed to advancing radical change through the power of art and activism. She works across disciplines directing films, virtual reality experiences, and plays and moves her audiences to engage with timely issues touching upon Black, Afropolitan, and African-American identities. She is the current Artist-in-Residence at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. www.shariffa.com

Kamílah L. Long (Lead Producer, Actor) is an Oregon-based innovative leader and dynamic theatrical professional, her multifaceted theatre career includes roles as an actor, director, producer, educator, fundraiser, activist, and speaker. She started her career in theatre as a storyteller, which led her to join Actors Equity and becoming a professional actor before completing her undergraduate theatre degree from Alabama State University.

 

Adrian Alexander Alea (Creative Producer) is a Queer Cuban & Ecuadorian-American creative producer and director raising the social consciousness of humanity through storytelling and community building in non-profit, commercial, and trans-media enterprises. Adrian is fueled by producing intimate films that elevate underrepresented voices and evoke a sense of healing and catharsis. www.adrianalea.com

Congratulations again to the team of, “You Go Girl”!

#OregonMade  #Sundance 2022

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