There’s a reason we call her the Queen!
Queen Latifah is partnering with BET to debut the fourth season of her ‘The Queen Collective’ series – a series of short films told by women and non-binary filmmakers of color.
The program, in its fourth year, was developed in partnership with Queen Latifah, Flavor Unit Entertainment, Procter & Gamble, and Tribeca Studios. It accelerates gender and racial equality behind the camera by opening doors for the next generation of multicultural women directors through mentorship, production support, and distribution opportunities.
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This year, the Queen Collective has taken it up a notch by tapping six Black directors to deliver on its unwavering commitment to “Widen the Screen,” producing five original documentaries and, for the first time, a scripted short.
“This year’s Queen Collective features six Black female directors whose unique voices and viewpoints need to be heard and seen,” Queen Latifah said in a statement. “I’m thrilled to walk alongside them in their creative journeys and to champion the evolution of their artistry.”
– Queen Latifah
Following their inaugural debut at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival earlier this year, the first two films, In Her Element and GAPS – directed by Idil Ibrahim and Jenn Shaw, respectively – will simulcast across BET, BET HER, BET SOUL, BET JAMS, and PLUTO TV on Friday, February 24, 2023, at 9 PM ET/PT.
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The remaining films in the series, including “Team Dream,” “Negra, Yo Soy Bella,” “Bone Black: Midwives vs. The South,” and “Founder Girls,” are equally impactful and will air in the coming months, each highlighting the unique perspectives and stories of Black women and non-binary individuals.
For more information on Queen Collective and to learn more about the filmmakers and how brands like My Black is Beautiful, Olay, Pampers, Crest, and Oral-B are supporting their creative journey, visit pg.com/queencollective.
As the Queen Collective continues to inspire and uplift underrepresented voices in the film industry, audiences can look forward to more diverse and empowering stories being told by women and non-binary filmmakers of color.
Check out a complete description of each film below:
“In Her Element” – Directed by Idil Ibrahim, the recipient of the 2017 Extraordinary Women Awards held by the 92nd Street Y, and one of OkayAfrica’s “100 Women” for 2018, follows the journey of Daisha McBride, an up-and-coming hip hop artist in Nashville, Tennessee, as she gets the chance of a lifetime to break boundaries in the global epicenter of country music — and seizes the opportunity. Premieres Friday, February 24, 2023, at 9 PM ET/PT.
“Gaps” – Written and directed by Jenn Shaw, a writer, director, and alumna of NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, tells the story of an imaginative pre-teen from a close-knit family who finds herself at a crossroads between keeping her gapped front teeth or risking it all for the seemingly “perfect” smile. Premieres Friday, February 24, 2023, at 9:30 PM ET/PT.
“Team Dream” – Directed and produced by Luchina Fisher, an award-winning director, writer, and producer whose work is at the intersection of race, gender, and identity. “Team Dream” follows friends and competitive swimmers Ann and Madeline on their journey to the National Senior Games, where nothing — not age, race or history — will stand in their way. Premieres Friday, March 24, 2023, at 9 PM ET/PT.
“Negra, Yo Soy Bella” – Directed by Vashni Korin, a Black Puerto Rican and Black-Caribbean journalist, filmmaker, and artist based in Los Angeles, is a portrait of Mar Cruz- an Afro-Puerto Rican woman who sources strength, healing, and black pride through the tradition of Bomba. Premieres Friday, March 24, 2023, at 9:30 PM ET/PT.
“Bone Black: Midwives vs. The South” – Directed by Imani Dennison, an experimental documentary filmmaker, and DP based in Brooklyn, NY, Bone Black: Midwives Vs. The South is an experimental documentary about the history and erasure of Black midwives in the American South and how the attack on birth workers has contributed to the Black infant and maternal mortality crisis. Premieres Friday, April 14, 2023, at 9:00 PM ET/PT.
“Founder Girls” – Directed by Contessa Gayles, an award-winning documentary filmmaker, journalist, and producer. In this kaleidoscopic ode to girlhood, a group of young campers find freedom, and find themselves, at a historically Black summer camp. Premieres June 2023.