Melissa Haizlip facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Melissa Haizlip
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Haizlip at Howard University
Washington, D.C. |
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| Born |
Boston, Massachusetts
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| Occupation | Director Producer Writer |
| Years active | 1986–present |
| Spouse(s) | Don Wildman |
Melissa Haizlip is an American film producer, director, and writer. She is well known for her award-winning film, Mr. SOUL!, which came out in 2018.
Melissa Haizlip won an NAACP Image Award for her excellent writing in the documentary Mr. SOUL!. On June 6, 2022, famous actor Morgan Freeman announced that her film Mr. SOUL! also won a Peabody Award for Best Documentary.
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About Melissa Haizlip
Melissa Haizlip was born in Boston, Massachusetts. Her parents, Dr. Harold C. Haizlip and Shirlee Taylor Haizlip, were studying at Harvard University at the time. Melissa grew up in different places, including New York, St. Thomas in the US Virgin Islands, and Connecticut. She later attended Yale University.
Early Career
Melissa started her career in musical theater, performing on Broadway in New York City. She also worked in film and television in Los Angeles. In 1999, she decided to move into film production, which means making movies.
In 2009, Melissa Haizlip started her own company called Shoes in the Bed Productions.
Producing Award-Winning Films
In 2013, she produced a short film called "You're Dead To Me." This film won Best Short at the 2014 Imagen Awards. It was shown at over 50 film festivals and won many awards.
In 2019, Melissa produced and directed a short documentary. It was called "Contact High: A Visual History of Hip-Hop." This film was made for an exhibit at the Annenberg Space for Photography.
In the summer of 2019, Melissa helped produce an event called "Soul at the Center." This event celebrated the 60th anniversary of Lincoln Center. It honored Ellis Haizlip's "Soul at the Center" Black Arts festival from 1972. The event featured Grammy Award-winning singer Lalah Hathaway. She paid tribute to her father, Donny Hathaway, who performed at the original 1972 event.
On March 22, 2021, Melissa Haizlip won an NAACP Image Award. This was for her outstanding writing in the film Mr. SOUL!.
Mr. SOUL! The Film
Melissa Haizlip wrote, produced, and directed the award-winning film, Mr. SOUL!. It first showed at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2018. The film won the 2018 Best Music Documentary at the International Documentary Association Awards.
Film Festivals and Release
Mr. SOUL! was shown at over 50 film festivals from April 2018 through 2019. These included BFI London, Hot Docs, Martha's Vineyard African American Film Festival, and Woodstock Film Festival.
On August 28, 2020, Melissa's film was released in some theaters and online. On November 16, 2020, Mr. SOUL! won Best First Documentary Feature at the Critics Choice Awards.
The film was shown on public television on Independent Lens on February 22, 2021. This was during Black History Month. The song at the end of the film, "Show Me Your Soul," was performed by Lalah Hathaway and Robert Glasper. This song was considered for an award at the 93rd Academy Awards.
HBO Max announced that they would show the film on their streaming service starting August 1, 2021.
On June 6, 2022, Academy Award-winning actor Morgan Freeman announced that Mr. SOUL! won the Peabody Award for Best Documentary.
Personal Life
Melissa Haizlip's company, Shoes in the Bed Productions LLC., is located in New York City. She lives in Croton-on-Hudson, New York, with her husband.
