photos by Quintin Lundy
“Cut and Print that sucka’, is how you know we’ve got the take when I’m directing,” said Director Neema Barnette as she recalled her long career as a trailblazing director in television for over thirty years.
On August 9, the audience in the DGA’s Los Angeles theater gathered for an evening full of stories in Barnette’s honor as the African American Steering Committee (AASC) hosted special evening to celebrate her extensive body of compelling socially and politically charged work, that defies the narrow stereotypes of African Americans.
An active DGA member since 1984, Barnette broke into television directing on the anthology series NBC Special Treat with the episode “One More Hurdle.” She has directed over 75 hours of television including 10 movies for television as well as the theatrically released features, Civil Brand, Woman Thou Art Loosed on the 7th Day and Spirit Lost. She was nominated for the 1992 DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Dramatic Shows - Daytime for her CBS Schoolbreak Special episode “Different Worlds: A Story of Interracial Love.”
The festivities began with a welcome from DGA President Lesli Linka Glatter who spoke about both her longtime friendship with Barnette and the ongoing work of the AASC. “You are going to hear so many wonderful things about Neema Barnette tonight,” said Glatter. “And the one throughline you will hear from everyone is how her career has had such an incredible impact – inspiring the many Directors who followed in her footsteps…myself included. Neema’s impact goes well beyond her impressive body of work. Her unwavering commitment to diversity and nurturing new talent are a huge and important part of her enduring legacy.”
AASC Co-Chairs Pete Chatmon, Eric Dean Seaton and Paul Lindsay and Alternate Co-Chair Crystle Roberson Dorsey saluted Barnette and spoke about the Committee’s rich history and its mission to address the specific needs of the African American members of the Guild.
Barnette’s career was illustrated through a retrospective reel, helmed by AASC Events Subcommittee Co-Chair Abdul Malik Abbott. The reel followed her journey from the young theater Director who made history by becoming the first African American woman to direct a sitcom and then made history again by becoming the first African American to receive a three-picture directing deal from a major studio. The video featured an interview with Barnette conducted by Director Dianah Wynter.
Notable industry guest speakers who have worked with Barnette shared personal anecdotes and professional insights all centering on how influential Barnette’s work has been to them. Directors Dubois Ashong and Ayoka Chenzira, Producers Sandra Evers-Manly and Kimberly Ogletree, Actress Loretta Devine, Editor David Beatty, Production Designer Cecil Gentry and Script Supervisor Dawn Gilliam all highlighted how Barnette has been inspirational to their careers. Former President of AFI Jean Firstenberg spoke about the impact Neema has had on the profession and how she has nurtured talent in this industry.
Adding to the celebration of Barnette’s significance, Alternate Co-Chair Roberson Dorsey unveiled a series of heartfelt video tributes from Barnette’s colleagues and collaborators unable to attend the event including industry talents such as Directors Malcolm D. Lee, Ava DuVernay, Seith Mann and Mara Brock Akil, with Cinematographer Johnny Simmons and Actors Simone Missick, Gabrielle Union, Blair Underwood and Will Catlett.
In a conversation moderated by Director Julie Dash, Barnette began by noting the recent loss of Actor/Director Malcolm Jamal Warner. The dialogue quickly turned to an examination of the craft after a screening of a clip from the series Love Is_ and how she directed the scene to capture its sensitivities while also spotlighting the expansive talent of the actors who brought those characters to life.
Speaking about winning her first film festival award Barnette recalled how after her film, Civil Brand made it into Sundance she was able to have it picked up by a studio for distribution because they would not touch it before that.
Barnette’s parting advice to those who would follow in her footsteps was, “the journey is not easy, and you can’t go through what I went through without a tribe behind you like my husband, Jean, Cecil, Lesli. The fact that I’ve lived long enough to see so many women of color directing is a blessing.”
See video from this event in the gallery below.
About the Committee:
The African American Steering Committee (AASC) was born of a desire to address the specific needs of the African-American members of the Directors Guild. One of the primary goals of the Committee is to establish a productive line of communication between African-American members and the creative community. The Committee meets monthly to plan events throughout the year celebrating the achievements of African-Americans, as well as forums with industry executives to proactively address what can be done to hire more African-Americans.
