camera roll with filmmaker amandine gay
on childhood as a transracial adoptee in rural france & creative work as activism
You might not be able to spot filmmaker Amandine Gay — when she’s working, she spends her days at her desk, and she’s often working. She is the creative force behind Speak Up, a documentary that highlights the stories of Black Francophone women, and A Story of One’s Own, an archival documentary about transracial and transnational adoption. She’s also written a book and is at work on another, she’s a frequent speaker on filmmaking, feminism, and adoption, and she has her own production company. But she might spot you when she’s taking a well-deserved break people-watching in Montreal’s cafés. We spoke to Amandine about developing an Afro-feminist aesthetic, sleeping in on the weekends, and getting a hysterectomy.
In Amandine’s own words, "My approach as an indie producer-director can be summarized as follows: to tell, document, and preserve the stories and contemporary realities of those who are usually absent from history — Black women, adoptees, or members of any other minority and invisible groups. I believe that unscripted formats are as powerful as scripted ones, especially if we choose to make them aesthetically daring and politically challenging.”
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