Zeinabu irene Davis (born April 13, 1961) is an American filmmaker and
professor of the Department of Communication at the University of
California, San Diego. Her works in film include narrative,
documentary and experimental film.Born in Philadelphia, Zeinabu irene
Davis, gravitated towards arts, "theater and education" (Field et. al,
19). With a Catholic school background, Davis studied at Brown
University, then later travelled to Kenya, which furthered her
interest in African American Studies. Furthermore, she pursued her
first master's degree in 1983 focusing on African studies, later
receiving a master of fine arts in film and video production both from
UCLA in 1989. She has received numerous grants and fellowships from
such sources as the Rockefeller Foundation, the American Film
Institute and the National Endowment for the Arts. She has taught at
many renowned colleges such as Antioch College and Northwestern
University, but has more recently moved to teach at UC San Diego,
where she currently serves as Professor of Communications
(cinema.ucla.edu).As a filmmaker, her films have been categorized as
belonging to the genre of Black feminism due to the ways she
incorporates the unique experiences of African American women.
According to film scholar Gwendolyn Audrey Foster, Davis believes that
black filmmakers are "developing a new genre that constitutes a black
aesthetic". Furthermore, Davis was part of L.A. Rebellion, which was a
movement involving independent black filmmakers (who attended UCLA)
aiming to reproduce alternative, humanizing, and more accurate images
of black people unlike classical Hollywood cinema. From her experience
of being part of L.A Rebellion, Davis feels passionately about working
within groups or organizations, especially as a beginner. She believes
that the dynamic and different perspective help filmmakers grow and
develop their unique styles.Her film Compensation won the Gordon Parks
Directing Award from the Independent Feature Project in New York. It
was also screened at the Sundance Festival in 2002. It tells a
parallel story of two deaf black women, one at the turn of the century
and one in the later 20th century. She also won awards from the Black
Filmmakers Hall of Fame and the National Black Programming Consortium
for Cycles (1989), an experimental short film. In addition, her works
such as, A Period Piece (1991), A Powerful Thang (1991), Mother of a
River (1995) and Compensation (1999) "continued to garner her awards
from numerous organizations and festivals, including the Gordan Parks
Award for Best Director from the Independent Feature Project"
(cinema.ucla.edu). In 2017, her film "Spirits of Rebellion" was
awarded for Best Documentary Feature Film at the San Diego Film
Awards.
professor of the Department of Communication at the University of
California, San Diego. Her works in film include narrative,
documentary and experimental film.Born in Philadelphia, Zeinabu irene
Davis, gravitated towards arts, "theater and education" (Field et. al,
19). With a Catholic school background, Davis studied at Brown
University, then later travelled to Kenya, which furthered her
interest in African American Studies. Furthermore, she pursued her
first master's degree in 1983 focusing on African studies, later
receiving a master of fine arts in film and video production both from
UCLA in 1989. She has received numerous grants and fellowships from
such sources as the Rockefeller Foundation, the American Film
Institute and the National Endowment for the Arts. She has taught at
many renowned colleges such as Antioch College and Northwestern
University, but has more recently moved to teach at UC San Diego,
where she currently serves as Professor of Communications
(cinema.ucla.edu).As a filmmaker, her films have been categorized as
belonging to the genre of Black feminism due to the ways she
incorporates the unique experiences of African American women.
According to film scholar Gwendolyn Audrey Foster, Davis believes that
black filmmakers are "developing a new genre that constitutes a black
aesthetic". Furthermore, Davis was part of L.A. Rebellion, which was a
movement involving independent black filmmakers (who attended UCLA)
aiming to reproduce alternative, humanizing, and more accurate images
of black people unlike classical Hollywood cinema. From her experience
of being part of L.A Rebellion, Davis feels passionately about working
within groups or organizations, especially as a beginner. She believes
that the dynamic and different perspective help filmmakers grow and
develop their unique styles.Her film Compensation won the Gordon Parks
Directing Award from the Independent Feature Project in New York. It
was also screened at the Sundance Festival in 2002. It tells a
parallel story of two deaf black women, one at the turn of the century
and one in the later 20th century. She also won awards from the Black
Filmmakers Hall of Fame and the National Black Programming Consortium
for Cycles (1989), an experimental short film. In addition, her works
such as, A Period Piece (1991), A Powerful Thang (1991), Mother of a
River (1995) and Compensation (1999) "continued to garner her awards
from numerous organizations and festivals, including the Gordan Parks
Award for Best Director from the Independent Feature Project"
(cinema.ucla.edu). In 2017, her film "Spirits of Rebellion" was
awarded for Best Documentary Feature Film at the San Diego Film
Awards.
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