Her Voice Wins WTM Award at MY HERO Film Festival

How did the idea for the film arise and why were you drawn to making this film?

Carletta: Honestly, the idea for the film came to me during COVID while sitting at home and reading stories/articles online. I stumbled upon a piece about the 60th anniversary of Charlayne Hunter and Hamilton Holmes acceptance and attendance at UGA. I was fascinated and deeply surprised that more attention and that she (Charlayne Hunter-Gault) wasn’t more well-known. I began to send emails and talk to journalists that I knew and those who knew her to see how I could find a way to make more people know about her.

The initial idea was a film that would mention Charlayne and Hamilton’s “route” to UGA. It was a single idea and film project. The first few scripts missed the mark. I even attempted to simply capture interviews for a micro-documentary. None of these ideas made me excited about telling Charlayne Hunter-Gault’s story. I walked away from the idea for about 6-8 months. I decided to let this young writer I met to see what she can do. We had a winner! Brittany was able to capture the essence of her story and Sunnye came in the make some finishing enhancements for us to land on the final script.

I was drawn to make it because I wanted to give Charlayne Hunter-Gault her flowers while she can smell and appreciate them. As an educator, it was important to me to find a way to share her story in a way that young people can learn about her in a format that would feel less like history and more like impact. 

CarlettaCarletta S. Hurt

Sunnye: As a former journalist, I read Charlayne’s book In My Place, as an undergrad, and it left a distinct impression on me.  She looked so tiny and defenseless while walking in a sea of hostile faces on campus.  I was the same age as Charlayne when I read her story.  I had a very different college experience than she did, but I couldn’t help but think if I had the courage and spirit to endure what she did.  So I jumped at the chance when Carletta extended the opportunity to co-direct a film that examined that very question.

SunnyeSunnye C. Durham

Why did you decide to set the tribute to Charlayne within the narrative of a homework assignment? 

Carletta: As an educator (teacher, counselor, administrator), homework can get a bad rap. I wanted to show the joy in learning something new especially when you are less enthusiastic about the assignment/topic. It was also about being relatable and most teens, even pre-teens know the feeling when you have a homework assignment and you have absolutely NO motivation to get it done. 

The actual decision to create the conflict came from the writer. The original idea was that the homework assignment was a group project. The final script had it as an individual assignment with the tension between the Mom (Toni) and Daughter (Gwennie).

Sunnye: It was essential that we make Charlayne’s experience and journey relevant to young people today.  Including the homework assignment as the narrative spine gave us a perfect vehicle to immerse students in her story. 

Could you tell us about the process of making the film?

Carletta: Well, that’s a lot…once the script was locked. The toughest part was casting. We were able to pull the crew together and stay pretty much on budget for filming. The post-production was more of a challenge. 

Sunnye: I knew the archival footage was going to be integral to the story.  I didn’t want the audience to feel like they were bystanders as they watched the film.  I wanted to go for that immersive feeling…for viewers to have a visceral feeling of what was at stake, and only the archival footage could offer that type of visual translation and bring Charlayne’s world to life.   Finding and licensing the archival footage was a long journey in and of itself.  It was very tedious work identifying the perfect clip and duration – often down to the exact frame because the footage was so expensive.  We were blessed to have the support of the University of Georgia.  I think all of the archival footage came from their library collection.   We also had a phenomenal editor and sound designer/composer who understood how to connect the audience to the more emotional moments in the film.

Who was on the team? Who produced the film?

Carletta: The producing team was Sunnye C. Durham, Opeyemi A, Kalen Cheng, and me (Carletta S. Hurt). Sunnye C. Durham joined initially as the co-director and stepped up as producer as we moved into production. She also co-wrote the film and helped make the archival footage work for the film. Opeyemi Famakinwa came on board to help produce after I posted in a group that I needed administrative support. Even living in the West Coast, she was a critical part of the team managing the paperwork and making sure we had a framework for a crowdfunding campaign. Kalen Cheng is also our DP. She is the reason we filmed over two days versus one. She was willing to work to make the film work, however, she was firm that it would take two days. 

Do you have a personal hero?

Carletta: My personal hero is a combination of a few people that collectively make a dynamic idea of Black women Brilliance, Beauty, and Bliss. It’s hard to single out one person because I do so much I look at different women for different things. However, my mother (Jackie Hurt), my maternal grandmother (Lottie Redd), and my aunt (Quay Hurt-Fuller) are women who have helped me shape me and created space for me to be me!

Sunnye: My closest girlfriends are my heroes.  They are the epitome of multi-hyphenates: mothers-dughters-therapists-vice presidents-artists-teachers-disciples, you name it.  They’re not afraid to be off-balance or imperfect. They’re not afraid to rest.  They pour into me in the most joyous of ways, which emboldens me to be their BFF and storyteller.