Amandla Stenberg released the movie that she wrote, filmed, and directed for her New York University application last week. Some liked it, some didn’t. What I would like to talk about is the fact that a young black queer girl made a movie about a young black queer girl and that that movie aided her into getting into college. Not only is this a great thing for the future of film, (there’s a serious lack of female and black directors and writers) but it also means a lot for the LGBQTA+ community.
The film titled Blue Girls Burn Fast stars Leeza Lester, Julia Rocha, Kelley Smith Wait, Duke Nicholson, and Kyleigh Booker. It deals with Andy, a fiery foster kid, as she journeys through the process of figuring out the hard stuff. We see her learn more about friendships and love, and even her somewhat dysfunctional family. The film itself does a nice job of portraying queer girl relationships and the pressures that being queer can have on someone who’s trying to find themselves. It’s important that these stories are told from people who understand them.
As far as the quality of the film (for all you other budding film students), it’s about what you’d expect from a seventeen year old hopeful filmmaker. She has a lot to learn but the point is that she’s helping to pave the way for other young kids of color who might want to pursue a possible career in the film industry, all the while letting them know that it’s okay to stay true to your own story.
