Michelle Parkerson facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Michelle Parkerson
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Parkerson in 2014
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| Born | November 1, 1953 Washington D.C., U.S.
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| Occupation | Filmmaker and academic |
Michelle Parkerson, born on November 1, 1953, is an American filmmaker and a teacher. She works as an assistant professor at Temple University in Film and Media Arts. Since the 1980s, she has made independent films and videos. Her work often focuses on important social issues. These include topics about women's rights and political activism.
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Early Life and Beginnings
Michelle Parkerson was born and grew up in Washington, D.C. In the early 1980s, Parkerson often performed spoken word poetry. She did this with her friend, the poet and activist Essex Hemphill. They performed in coffeehouses and theaters in D.C. In 1983, they received a grant from the Washington Project for the Arts. This grant helped them create an "experimental dramatization" of their poetry. It was called Murder on Glass.
Filmmaking Career
Parkerson studied TV and film production in college. She graduated in 1974 with a B.A. in Communications from Temple University. Her short film Sojourn, made with cinematographer Jimi Lyons, won a Junior Academy Award. She also attended the American Film Institute (AFI) Workshop for Women Directors. She was part of the class from 1989-1991.
Parkerson runs her own film company called Eye of the Storm Productions. It is based in D.C.
Awards and Recognition
Michelle Parkerson has received many grants for her work. These include grants from the Independent Television Service and the Rockefeller Foundation. She won the Prix du Public (Audience Award) at the Créteil International Women's Film Festival. She also won the Audience and Best Biography Awards at the San Francisco International Film Festival. Her films are shared by companies like Women Make Movies.
She is currently an assistant professor in Film and Media Arts at Temple University.
Parkerson's Films
Film expert Gibson describes Parkerson as a "visionary risk taker." Gibson says Parkerson's films focus on identity. They highlight the lives of Black women as performers and social activists. Her films have greatly helped develop a style of Black documentary. This style aims to show a complete picture of African-American life.
Her short fiction film Odds and Ends is a science fiction story. It has themes of Afrofuturism.
Filmography
- Sojourn (1973, with Jimi Lyons)
- ..But Then She's Betty Carter (1980)
- I Remember Betty (1987)
- Urban Odyssey (1991)
- Storme: Lady of the Jewel Box (1991)
- Odds and Ends (1993)
- Gotta Make This Journey: Sweet Honey in the Rock (1983) (producer)
- A Litany for Survival: The Life and Work of Audre Lorde (1995, with Ada Gay Griffin)
Major Awards
- Nominated for Grand Jury prize at Sundance Film Festival in 1995 for A Litany for Survival: The Life and Work of Audre Lorde
See also
In Spanish: Michelle Parkerson para niños
