Melissa Haizlip facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Melissa Haizlip
Haizlip at Howard University, Washington, D.C.
Born	Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
Occupation	Director Producer Writer
Years active	1986–present
Spouse(s)	Don Wildman
Parent(s)	Shirlee Taylor Haizlip, Harold C. Haizlip
Relatives	Ellis Haizlip (uncle)

Melissa Haizlip is an American film producer, director, and writer. She is best known for her amazing 2018 film, Mr. SOUL!. This film has won many awards.

Melissa Haizlip won an NAACP Image Award for her writing in Mr. SOUL!. This award was for the documentary category. In June 2022, the famous actor Morgan Freeman announced that Mr. SOUL! also won a Peabody Award for Best Documentary.

About Melissa Haizlip

Early Life and Education

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. She grew up in different places, including New York, St. Thomas (in the U.S. Virgin Islands), and Connecticut. Later, she went to Yale University.

Starting Her Career

Melissa Haizlip began her career in musical theater. She performed 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. This means she started making movies.

In 2009, Melissa Haizlip started her own company. It is called Shoes in the Bed Productions.

Notable Film Projects

In 2013, Melissa Haizlip produced a short film. It was called "You're Dead To Me." The film was about a mother dealing with the loss of her child. It won "Best Short" at the 2014 Imagen Awards. The film was shown at over 50 film festivals and won many other awards.

In 2019, Haizlip produced and directed another short film. It was called "Contact High: A Visual History of Hip-Hop." This film was made for an exhibit at the Annenberg Space for Photography. It was based on a photography book by Vikki Tobak.

In the summer of 2019, Melissa Haizlip helped create an event. It was called "Soul at the Center." This event celebrated the 60th anniversary of Lincoln Center. It honored her uncle, Ellis Haizlip. He had a Black Arts festival in 1972-1973 also called Soul at the Center. The event featured Grammy Award-winning singer Lalah Hathaway. She sang to honor 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 excellent writing in the film Mr. SOUL!.

Mr. SOUL! The Film

Melissa Haizlip wrote, produced, and directed the amazing film, Mr. SOUL!. The film first showed at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2018. It won the "Best Music Documentary" award at the International Documentary Association Awards that same year.

The film was shown at more than 50 film festivals. These included BFI London, Hot Docs, and the Pan African Film Festival. This happened from April 2018 through 2019.

On August 28, 2020, Mr. SOUL! was released in some movie theaters. It was also available in virtual cinemas. On November 16, 2020, the film won "Best First Documentary Feature" at the Critics Choice Awards.

The film was shown on public television on February 22, 2021. This was during Black History Month. The song at the end of the film, "Show Me Your Soul," was very popular. It was sung by Lalah Hathaway and Robert Glasper. This song was considered for an Academy Award for Best Original Song.

HBO Max started streaming the film on August 1, 2021. On June 6, 2022, actor Morgan Freeman announced that Mr. SOUL! won a Peabody Award for Best Documentary.

Personal Life

Melissa Haizlip's company, Shoes in the Bed Productions LLC, is in New York City. She lives in Croton-on-Hudson, New York, with her husband.