Being a woman of color and a filmmaker in Austin can sometimes feel like an oxymoron, especially in a city where so much of the industry is white and male-dominated. It is often left to women themselves to create spaces that will be accepting of their work and expression.
As I stood in line, thumbing through the latest copy of the Chronicle to bide my time before the film, "BRAND: A Second Coming," I thought about the first time I had actually heard the name, “Russell Brand.” I was just shy of 14, glued to the television for the 2008 MTV Video Music Awards. I waited anxiously for a favorite celebrity to pop out from behind backstage, but was surprised to watch a man in tight, black clothes waltz out into the arena.
The 87th Academy Awards were controversial because of the predominantly white nominee roster, so any win by a person of color was unexpected — including Alejandro Iñárritu’s win for Best Director and Best Picture for his film “Birdman."
Story and photos by Sylvia Medina
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Art on 5th, Austin’s largest contemporary gallery (the only commercial gallery ever voted “Best in Austin” by the Austin Chronicle), opened in 1998...
