M. Asli Dukan facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
M. Asli Dukan
|
|
|---|---|
.jpg)
Dukan in April 2019
|
|
| Born | 1973 (age 51–52) Newark, New Jersey, U.S.
|
| Occupation | Filmmaker, visual artist |
| Years active | 1999–present |
| Known for | Genre of speculative fiction/afrofuturism |
M. Asli Dukan, born in 1973, is an American artist who makes films and other visual art. She lives in Philadelphia and creates stories that explore ideas of the future and Black culture. She is known for her work in speculative fiction and Afrofuturism.
Contents
Growing Up
M. Asli Dukan was born in Newark, New Jersey. She grew up in Harlem, New York. Her family and childhood experiences helped her become interested in Black culture and science fiction.
Her Education
M. Asli Dukan studied filmmaking and media. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in film production in 1997 from New Jersey City University. In 1999, she received a Master of Fine Arts degree from the City College of New York. The famous filmmaker Ayoka Chenzira was one of her teachers.
What She Does
Dukan teaches at the University of Pennsylvania. She has also taught at the University of the Arts and the City College of New York.
Dukan enjoys using "speculative fiction" (SF) in her work. This means she explores futuristic, fantastic, and imaginary stories. She uses these stories to think about how society can change and improve.
She has written, produced, and directed many short SF films. These films have been shown at film festivals across the country. Some of these include the Newark International Film Festival and the Blackstar Film Festival.
In 2000, Dukan started her own company called Mizan Media Productions. This company focuses on stories from the Afro-diasporic (people of African descent around the world). Through her company, she has made short speculative fiction films. She also creates videos for independent artists and art groups.
One of her special projects is "Resistance Time Portal." This is an art display that mixes different types of media. It uses augmented reality to tell a futuristic story about Black activism. This artwork was first shown in Philadelphia.
In 2018, Dukan helped judge the Glyph Comic Awards.
Her Films and Series
- Sleeping on a train in Motion (Short film) (1999)
- Orishas (Short film) (2001)
- Boot (Music video) (2006)
- Do You Mind (Music video) (2008)
- 73 (Short film) (2008)
- M.O.M.M (Short film) (2011)
- Resistance: the Battle of Philadelphia (Prologue) (Short film) (2017)
- Resistance: the Battle of Philadelphia (Web series) (2018)
- Memories from the Future (Short film) (2019)
- Invisible Universe (Expected) (2020)
Awards and Special Recognitions
- Urban Artist Initiative Grant, 2009
- Kitchen Table Giving Circle Grant, 2012
- Leeway Foundation – Art and Change Grant, 2014
- The City University of New York Fellowship, 2014
- Leeway Foundation – Art and Change Grant, 2016
- Black Public Media, NBPC 360 Fellow, 2016, Mentor: Arthur Jafa
- Leeway Foundation – Transformation Award, 2016
- Scribe/Philadelphia Independent Media Finishing Fund, 2018
- The Flaherty Seminar – Philadelphia Foundation Fellow, 2018
