Jenevesque Media’s Atelier headlined an engaging short films showcase at the Newark Museum of Art

By Lawrence Krayn

Adorned in vividity and photo backdrops, the Newark Museum of Art was abuzz with anticipation on July 22 for the New Jersey Filmmaker’s Showcase. Part of The 52nd annual Newark Black Film Festival, the showcase was a collection of shorts: Brandon Tyler’s Operation: Is Jersey the New Hollywood?, Roger S. Omeus Jr.’s Talks with Myself Season 6, Episode 6, and Anya Dillard’s Atelier: The Story of Brownmill Company. Fashion being the headline, throngs of classily dressed observers crowded a trendy entrance hall, necessitating overflow seating. I’ve made a habit of frequenting arts events, including film festivals, but had yet to experience one making a statement of culture so poignantly.

This year’s festival spanned July 8 to August 5 and ran the gamut from Spike Lee’s 1988 School Daze to Ryan Coogler’s recent smash Sinners (featuring Newark native Michael B. Jordan, of course). The shorts showcase anchored at the midway point. For those not aware, the Museum is a true center of gravity. One could not mingle in the main hall that evening without feeling a part of social relevance, and from my vantage point, the energy radiating from Downtown Newark transcended far beyond.

It is fitting that our lead film started by telling the seldom recognized origin story of movie making. Fueled by the innovations of Thomas Edison, the commercial film industry has its origins in North Jersey. Brandon Tyler’s self-aware brand of comedy was a fun way to approach that history and what lies ahead. Weaving expert insight, street interviews, and construction footage together by way of a vintage hard boiled detective flick, the film garnered some genuine laughs while offering an earnest picture of New Jersey’s industry renaissance. The cast, with a lighthearted comedic touch that—perhaps surprisingly—worked seamlessly with the subject matter, exploring Lionsgate’s plans for a nearly 300,000 square foot studio in the South Ward’s Dayton neighborhood, Netflix’s construction of a $1 billion East Coast production hub on the site of what used to be Fort Monmouth, and Paramount Global’s 1888 Studios on the Bayonne waterfront. The central theme of the piece was clear – opportunities in New Jersey abound, it is how and what the impact will be on the ground in our communities that remains to be seen.

New Jersey in macro was magnified to its most intimate in Omeus’s Talks with Myself. Filmed in sitcom format, the episode spans Newark and Jersey City, tossing the audience right into the throes of spicy social conflict. The sexy themes and sharp-tongued dialogue made for riveting and funny television, and there was real tension in the plot, especially when exploring the vindictive toxicity of a would-be home-wrecking college student and lovers toeing dangerous lines as they navigated conflicts of trust and values. In traditional sitcom form, you need not have been familiar with all the characters in order to jump right in to the micro-plot present in the episode, and the actor who plays Curtis, whom I could identify only as “The artist formerly known as Vince,” really jumped off the screen, able to convey true stress and nuance as he navigated social pressures and value judgements from multiple angles. The series has been successful online, and it is an example of the sheer breadth of stories to be told in greater Newark.

Then, the lights came on.

To be fair, I wasn’t ready for the level of fashion when I’d walked in, a few levels up from your typical “wayward artist” festival fare, so could I be blamed for being taken by surprise when, strutting down both aisles came a parade of posh models sporting Brown Mill fashions to cheers from the decked-out crowd? As they posed and showed out on stage in casual high-fashion, I finally realized what I was witnessing. This was more than a simple film premier, it was something beyond that, and something new entirely. Just like their famous block parties, Brown Mill had turned something we think we’ve seen before into a unique cultural phenomenon. As the camera flashes gave way to lights dimming, viewers were treated to a cinematographically sharp exploration of the origins of a blossoming business.

Using real footage and interviews, Dillard’s “Atelier” artfully explores the origins of Brown Mill, springing from the unrelenting creative engine of Justis Pitt-Goodson, partnered with longtime friends and fellow creatives Taha Shimou and Kwaku Agyemang. From humble beginnings as students at Piscataway High School, the film showcases the groups’ grind from home-based, hands-on manufacturing and event tables to a storefront on Halsey Street and breakthrough success. An important aspect of the film was how it emphasized progress and activism without straying from the personal moorings of its subjects. This is not always an easy balance but was achieved masterfully here, in the same way that the fashions of the company convey similar themes. The film was as much centered on place as it was time and the diaspora, which I view as generationally relevant and in line with the Newark and New Jersey themed spirit of the evening.

The directors and key figures including Pitt-Goodson were on hand for a panel Q&A following the screenings. Dillard’s discussion of her activist background informed how I think she’ll continue to approach a blossoming film career. Participants discussed the importance, not only of expression through film, but of showcases and opportunities like Newark’s Black Film Festival to help make visions a reality and to reach emerging viewers and artists.

Millenial and Gen Z artists are coming of age, and their eclectic, entrepreneurial manifestations are leading toward new frontiers not only in the works themselves, but in the ways we consume them. The Newark Museum of Art and the Black Film Festival certainly have their fingers on the pulse.

Lawrence Krayn Jr. is a Newark resident and lifelong New Jerseyian. He graduated from Rutgers University-Newark with a B.A. degree in Political Science, and received his J.D. at Rutgers Law School-Newark. A practicing attorney by day, Larry spends his spare time being creative. A photographer who has been featured in various galleries and founded “Xquisite Grit,” he has been a musician for many years under the moniker “IL Lusciato,” and hosts a weekly podcast on current events.

Featured images: Lawrence Krayn, Instagram: Xquisite_Grit