(in Post-Production)
Millicent Johnnie
Producer, Writer, Director
Tiffany Rhynard
Producer, Director of Photography
Synopsis
Ma Negresse is a narrative film project centered on the work of Grammy-nominated fiddler and singer Cedric Watson, co-directed and produced by award-winning choreographer Millicent Johnnie and filmmaker Tiffany Rhynard. Distinguished interdisciplinary artist and renowned dancer Anjali Austin is featured in the film. The goal of the project is to celebrate and archive the rich tradition of Zydeco music and dancing, and preserve the disappearing French Creole language featured in Watson’s music. The film was shot on location in Thomasville, Georgia, at the Mitchell Young Anderson Museum, a historic home built in 1831 and African American owned since 1887. The centerpiece of the film is Watson’s performance of the original French Creole song, Ma Negresse. Two original works: Live Oak, written and performed by Austin, and Ma Negresse written and performed by Millicent Johnnie support Watson’s music and serve as visual interpretation of the song.
Produced by Sisters Unite Productions under the 319 brand.
Millicent Johnnie and Tiffany Rhynard established 319 Productions, a newly formed film company creating content that place BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) communities and women at the center of their stories, an anomaly in the film industry. Johnnie is a two-time United States Artists nominee in Dance and Creative Capital Award winner with New Orleans based Mondo Bizarro. Rhynard’s award winning documentary, Forbidden: Undocumented and Queer in Rural America, received a 2018 Television Academy Honor for its airing on LogoTV in partnership by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).