Woolly Haired is a new short film I wrote, directed, and photographed. The film is about a man discovering his true nature through the breakdown of his own vices. See the latest work, Woolly Haired exclusively through Vimeo here:
TBA Presents: Benjamin Michel
A debut community screening of 'I AM A GOD: PROLOGUE' will be presented by The Black Aesthetic at Spirithaus Gallery in Oakland on November 2nd, 2017. The event starts at 6pm.
Get tickets here: https://squareup.com/store/the-black-aesthetic/
The event is also part Spirithaus Gallery's STANDING ON THE SHOULDERS film series and will include a Q & A.
Why the Fools Dance -- COMING SOON!
Poster designed by Lenworth 'Joonbug' McIntosh
Over a year from it's commencement, Why the Fools Dance is almost complete. The trailer is out and the film is in it's finishing stages. I'm excited to share this short cultural window into a Japanese traditional dance that few have looked at in depth. It's a film that I hope can be a reflection to everyone inviting them to dig into their own traditions and cultural narratives. I feel honored and humbled to have been given access to a unique culture that is not directly of my own. As an outsider looking in, I've come to see the universal human characteristics that connect us all. It's been a beautiful journey and it's coming time to present this documentary to the people! If you haven't seen the trailer, please do! More to come, stay tuned in...
I AM A GOD: Prologue DIRECTOR'S STATEMENT
Director, Benjamin Michel looking at negatives on the set of 'I Am a God: Prologue.' Photo by Mao Sakurada Reich
The I Am a God project is part of a journey of my own self discovery. I've carried this film with me since the summer of 2012 without a single shot filmed. It was all in my mind until I started to write the feature length story later that year. Even with the feature length written I knew it wasn't ready because I wasn't ready. I was in a whirlwind of spiritual and intellectual growth at the time. I had a lot stacked against me, I just graduated film school, I owed thousands of dollars in debt, my mother was terminally ill, and I had no secure work. And let me not forget to mention, I'm Black in America. All I felt I could do was look within and around me to find answers. I Am a God was one of those answers because the story was inherent and a creative outlet for me to express my inner feelings. The story told of my experience and studies toward self enlightenment in a way. Prior to 2012, I was in college and I had dived into African studies along side my film courses. This experience was invaluable as it opened up new and profound stories to tell. I was elated to feel that I could really tell stories that spoke to me and my cultural identity. This cultural identity is two fold as I am Haitian-American and of African descent. However there was still doubt as to who'd really be consuming these type of niche locked films. Most movie goers are fixated on Hollywood style fare and I was more interested in telling art-house style narratives. In addition to that I wanted to tell these stories with people of color as leads. I knew that it'd be hard to crack people's misconceptions and misunderstandings of the "black experience" but I also knew that it is a human experience. So I Am a God was born and grew out of the culmination of a personal and observed story. All the while, I had to eat so I started freelancing full-time picking up work as a filmmaker where I could. The I Am a God project had to be put in the background for a period of almost 5 years. In those few years, my mother passed away, I moved to Oakland, California, a close collaborator tragically died, and I was working full-time mostly as a documentary producer. After rising through the local ranks as a professional filmmaker, I finally felt it was time to tell the I Am a God story, at least in part. Hence I Am a God was excerpted, adjusted, and retold in short form as I Am a God: Prologue. It is a film that is destined to be expounded upon with a feature length version and more. I hope with the prologue people can begin to see a new yet old narrative told through a colored lens and still appreciate it's humanity.
I AM A GOD: PROLOGUE -- OFFICIAL POSTER!
Official Poster designed by Wardell McNeal.
I am pleased to present the official poster for I AM A GOD: PROLOGUE designed by Wardell McNeal (IG: @post_structure). My team and I have been working hard to present this truly unique dramatic Sci-fi film to our audience. I'm so proud of all the folks who have made this film possible and very thankful for our supporters as we move forward. The film is currently in post-production and is being edited by Georgius Misjura of Vita Pictura Productions. We are also on IMDB! It's been a magical journey and we still have much to do but we are closer to presenting the film. Our crowdfunding campaign is still ongoing so we can still use help to cover production and post-production costs as we continue. See how you can help and what we have to offer to our supporters here on our GoFundMe. Stay tuned for more updates!
THE MAN WHO FEARED - FESTIVAL RUN
A short film that I was Director of Photography on, THE MAN WHO FEARED recently played at the San Francisco Black Film Festival and won the Award of Merit from the Accolade Film Competition! It was a pleasure to work on this film with the talented director, Jehnovah Carlisle and I'm very excited to see it making a well deserved festival run.
NEW -- KQED Arts and Dohee Lee
I AM A GOD, THE PROLOGUE
I'm so excited to be on the way to production for my latest narrative short film, I AM A GOD the Prologue. The film is about the magical journey of a man in search of truth through photography after witnessing supernatural beings. The film is the prequel to the feature film, I AM A GOD will serve as the Epilogue. This film will blend live action and animation for a truly unique cinematic experience. It has been nearly four years as a concept and will the most expansive project I've yet to make! The film will coincide with the public release of my new multi-media company, Ankh Arts.
Alex Ghassan (left) and I before one of our many productions together.
The film is dedicated to the loving memory of my creative comrade, Alex Frantz Ghassan (1981 - 2016), a remarkable artist and photographer lost in Oakland's Ghostship Fire last year.
My production team and I will be launching a crowdfunding campaign to help bring I AM A GOD to the next level! Your support will be greatly appreciated! Much more to come so please stay tuned!
Why the Fools Dance website!
Cinematography by Benjamin Michel
The official website for my film, Why the Fools Dance is up! Check it here: whythefoolsdance.com
Cinematography on a new short film by Jehnovah Carlise
I've had the great honor to collaborate with the talented Jehnovah Carlisle on his latest narrative short tentatively titled, THE MAN WHO FEARED. Mr. Carlise and myself have been working together on a few creative ventures all of which I'm excited to share. Stay tuned!
Photo by Khamall Howard