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Jessica Chriesman

@jctellsstories

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🤓 Filmmaker & Edu Director at @sidewalkfilm
🎥 PHILOXENIA (Short Doc | Greek Food 🤝 Southern Hospitality)
📍BHM | Sharing Southern stories

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As many of you know, I had the amazing experience of working with @janegoodallinst for around 2 years as part of my @thinkmff fellowship. When I learned I selected to work with the communications team at JGI I didn't dare to imagine that this might lead to being able to meet Dr. Jane Goodall. My role as a fellow was to interview different JGI staff members from across the world in order to identify the elements of a JGI story and use these common threads to strengthen JGI's storytelling strategies.

These interviews culminated in an hourlong private conversation the ultimate storyteller herself, Dr. Jane Goodall. We talked about the obvious things like her passion for the environment, her experiences with Roots and Shoots around the world, and elements of a JGI story, but it was also a treat to hear stories from her childhood, learn about her early days in Tanzania with her mother, and gather tips on public speaking from her. She even commented on our similar zoom background bookcases!

Here are just a few moments of our conversation where we discuss her sense of humor, her legacy, and how she was able to pioneer as a woman in science.

I am just one person who was able to have a brief, personal moment with Dr. Goodall. We had this lovely conversation in 2022 and I was able to meet her again before a speech in Atlanta last year. I've also been lucky enough to have the experience of eating meals in her house in Gombe surrounded by her possessions and other wonderful members of her worldwide staff.

She is one of the few of us who has unquestionably made a global impact on the world for the better, all the while teaching us that the small things each of us can do to improve our environment and communities is enough to make a difference. Her legacy of hope is something we would do well to emulate as we navigate a world without her guiding light.

💚 "Hope is what enables us to keep going in the face of adversity. It is what we desire to happen, but we must be prepared to work hard to make it so." 💚 by @jctellsstories

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a year ago

Just me, realizing that I never shared the trailer for Philoxenia here! Take a sneak peek into the Birmingham kitchens where Southern Hospitality meets Greek Culture! 🇬🇷 🤝🍽
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#filmmaking #filmmaker #filmmakers #femalefilmmaker #femalefilmmakers #femaledirector #femaledirectors #futureoffilmisfemale #blackfilmmakers #blackfilmmaker #blackdirectors #blackdirector #southernfoodways #southernfoodwaysalliance #philoxenia #philoxeniafilm #thisisphiloxenia #greekfood #film #director #cinema #movie #movies #video #shortfilm #indiefilm #documentary #womeninmedia #filmfestival taken in Birmingham, Alabama by @jctellsstories

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4 years ago

Well, to cut to the chase... PHILOXENIA won Best Short Documentary at the @fairhopefilmfest this weekend! 🏆It was an amazing end to a great festival experience. I had a great time exploring Fairhope's downtown and meeting the locals, especially the shop owner I struck up a conversation with who said she was proud of me 😊 Meeting the presenting filmmakers is always a blast from folks screening their first films (like @mr.zakluken presenting his great student film) to the 10 year anniversary of The Contradictions of Fairhope @merk2577 and Rockell Metcalf's film (that I was lucky enough to see as a UAB student and has stuck with me ever since). Huge thanks to all the staff, volunteers, screeners, and judges who made this weekend possible and the over 100 people who came out to watch our shorts block! And, as always thanks to the restaurants featured in the film @tedsbirmingham, @thegushotdogs, @johnnyshomewood, @demetrisbbq, @fishmarketsouthside, and @brightstar1907!

1. Me at the awards show with the Best Short Documentary award
2. Answering a question during our morning panel discussion
3. In the Fairhope Film Festival Film Office
4. Me and S. Epatha Merkerson at the filmmaker luncheon (This was a treat because my dad literally keeps Law and Order reruns on loop at the house)
5. In front of a cute mural in downtown Fairhope
6. Directors of the three of the films in Short Films Block A with the panel moderator
7. Visiting filmmakers of Block A during the post screening Q&A
8. Best Short Documentary Award
9. 2022 Fairhope Film Festival Film award winners taken in Fairhope Film Festival by @jctellsstories

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4 years ago

Making the most of every Morgridge minute at MAP Horizons! Thanks, @thinkmff, for another great opportunity to learn from some brilliant people and visit DC! Reconnecting with the amazing MAP fellows and mentors and watching the community grow is such a privilege! 🩵 taken in Washington, DC by @jctellsstories

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a month ago

Another Sidewalk Film Festival is in the books! I took almost no pictures, so I'm very grateful for our wonderful photographers for capturing the week 📸 💛🖤 by @jctellsstories

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a month ago

Thank you for bringing me to BHM @sidewalkfilm! Such an amazing festival. It was wonderful to connect with so many good friends and make so many new ones. The art museum is FREE 🖼️ ICE is being resisted and the airport has a screening room - whut?! 🎥♥️ #happysidewalk taken in Birmingham, Alabama by @jctellsstories

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a month ago

Check out all our panels and workshops for this year's @sidewalkfilm festival! We have plenty of FREE opportunities (and one with a $25 ticket) for filmmakers of all levels to expand their filmmaking knowledge 🎬 Take advantage of our amazing guests sharing their expertise with you! 💛 If you're used to finding us in the Lecture Hall note that this year we'll be in the Rushton Theater in the @mcwanescience center during the weekend. #sidewalk28 taken in Sidewalk Film by @jctellsstories

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2 months ago

At the end of July, I got to spend an inspiring week in Armagh, Northern Ireland, at the John Hewitt International Summer School (@thejohnhewittsociety). As many of you know, July and August are Very Stressful™️ and it was amazing to spend a week in a new environment with people with a heart for literature and storytelling.

Through an act of fate, I stumbled into a bookstore while I was in Derry the day before I left for the festival (about 60 miles away from each other) where I got to attend a panel with four YA authors, three of whom would also be at the Summer School! They were so kind to me as we crossed paths throughout the week.

I connected with a lovely group of fellow students who taught me so much beyond the workshops, between a pint or two.

It could not have been a more fulfilling, enlightening week. It was amazing to be exposed to some of Ireland's top authors (see: my souvenir stack of books from JHISS, museums, and bookstores from across the island + the ones I was introduced to that I can get from our wonderful library). The workshops' leaders were so knowledgeable and informative and really helped crystallize some ideas I had floating around in my brain. A lot of people were surprised to hear that I came from Alabama just to attend, but it was absolutely worth it. ✈️📝📚🫂🍻

At the end of July, I got to spend an inspiring week in Armagh, Northern Ireland, at the John Hewitt International Summer School (@thejohnhewittsociety). As many of you know, July and August are Very Stressful™️ and it was amazing to spend a week in a new environment with people with a heart for literature and storytelling.

Through an act of fate, I stumbled into a bookstore while I was in Derry the day before I left for the festival (about 60 miles away from each other) where I got to attend a panel with four YA authors, three of whom would also be at the Summer School! They were so kind to me as we crossed paths throughout the week.

I connected with a lovely group of fellow students who taught me so much beyond the workshops, between a pint or two.

It could not have been a more fulfilling, enlightening week. It was amazing to be exposed to some of Ireland's top au taken in Armagh, Northern Ireland UK by @jctellsstories

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2 months ago

When you accidentally become important at work 😳

I was thrilled to be asked to contribute to multiple panels at this year's Independent Film Exhibitors Conference #index26! We kicked it off with one if th first panels of the event the Allies In Audience Building: The Power In Creative Partnerships panel sharing our best practices for building partnerships with some great folks from across the country. On Day 2, I moderated You May Find Yourself Working in Film Exhibition where we got to explore the varied paths to working in the field with a fun and diverse group! I also got to help guide a discussion around film festivals in the Southeast during our Regional Exhibitors Working Group.

It was wonderful to see so many people I'd only seen from within the confines of the Zoom square, including my fellow @ffalliance board members, and catch up with old friends!

There were so many workshops, panels, and random conversations that I'm excited to bring back to @sidewalkfilm!

(Cherry on top - the event was 15 miles from my grandmother's house, so I also got to hang with the fam 😇) taken in Chicago, Illinois by @jctellsstories

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3 months ago

For Juneteenth, @splcenter tapped Birmingham filmmaker @jctellsstories to lead the Alabama chapter of Liberation Season: An Emancipation Day, a new docuseries examining how emancipation unfolded across the South.

Jessica’s six-minute film, Alabama Emancipated, centers Montgomery’s 160-year history of celebrating Emancipation Day, dating back to January 1, 1866, while placing that tradition within Alabama’s larger emancipation story.

She built the film around two Montgomery historians. One speaks to emancipation across Alabama, while the other focuses on Montgomery and the history held there.

The film’s visual record comes largely from archival material sourced through the Library of Congress, New York Public Library, Wikimedia, and the WSFA collection at the Alabama Department of Archives and History.

Six minutes of history, assembled by an Alabama filmmaker and grounded in the people and records that preserved it.

Watch Alabama Emancipated through @splcenter

#alabamacreates by @jctellsstories

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4 months ago

What a treat to have been in conversation with literal encyclopedia @lostchildradio and the cool cats of @sunraarkestraofficial for @sunra.day this year! We started with reflecting on the Cry of Jazz and wove in tales of DIY album covers and costumes and stories from the road. And what could be more fitting than closing it out by seeing the Arkestra at Saturn itself! #spaceistheplace 🪐🪐🪐 by @jctellsstories

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5 months ago

🎺FREE! TOMORROW NIGHT🎺 Join @lostchildradio and me for a conversation with @sunraarkestraofficial, exploring the creative legacy of Birmingham native, Sun Ra at the Birmingham Museumof Art.

The Cry of Jazz: Film Screening and Panel Discussion
featuring the Sun Ra Arkestra
Thursday May 21 from 6-7:30pm
Free registration on the museum's website!

This special screening of the 1959 film "The Cry of
Jazz," will be followed by a panel discussion with
moderators Burgin Matthews and Jessica Chriesman in conversation with Sun Ra Arkestra members Carl
LeBlanc, Knoel Scott, and Vincent Chancey, exploring
their lasting influence across music, film, and visual
culture.

Presented in partnership with @filmbhamspotlight and
@earthlibraries, the program is part of this year's Sun
Ra Day Festival, a three-day celebration taking place
across Birmingham from May 20-22 and culminating in
a live performance at @saturnbham. The festival also
extends to London with a month-long exhibition at
ROVR Art Gallery in Soho, alongside film screenings and twenty-four-hour radio broadcasts, highlighting the global legacy of Birmingham native Sun Ra. taken in Birmingham Museum of Art by @jctellsstories

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5 months ago