One of the topics I write about regularly on this blog is black women and their hair, from the prospective of a proponent of natural hair being styled and worn in celebration of its rich range of textures.

Unfortunately, we in the US live with images that long and straight or somewhat wavy hair is status quo.  For black women, the issue of hair length is something that makes the biblical tale of Samson and Delilah as relevant today as it was thousands of years ago.

Chris Rock has taken on this subject with his documentary entitled “Good Hair” that recently won a Special Jury Prize in the US Documentary Feature Films category at Sundance 2009.

Film description as written on official webpage for Sundance Film Festival…

When Chris Rock’s daughter, Lola, came up to him crying and asked, “Daddy, how come I don’t have good hair?” the bewildered comic committed himself to search the ends of the earth and the depths of black culture to find out who had put that question into his little girl’s head! Director Jeff Stilson’s camera followed the funnyman, and the result is Good Hair, a wonderfully insightful and entertaining, yet remarkably serious, documentary about African American hair culture.  An exposé of comic proportions that only Chris Rock could pull off, Good Hair visits hair salons and styling battles, scientific laboratories, and Indian temples to explore the way black hairstyles impact the activities, pocketbooks, sexual relationships, and self-esteem of black people. Celebrities such as Ice-T, Kerry Washington, Nia Long, Paul Mooney, Raven Symoné, Maya Angelou, and Reverend Al Sharpton all candidly offer their stories and observations to Rock while he struggles with the task of figuring out how to respond to his daughter’s question. What he discovers is that black hair is a big business that doesn’t always benefit the black community and little Lola’s question might well be bigger than his ability to convince her that the stuff on top of her head is nowhere near as important as what is inside.

click HERE to visit Chris Rock’s documentary page on Sundance.org

Excerpt from CBS News…

While loaded with the 43-year-old actor-comedian’s wisecracking humor, “Good Hair” also raises serious questions about identity and equality among black women who feel they need long, straight, silky hair to fit into white society.

“It’s this whole thing about approval. That approval is not simply, `I want white people to love me.’ It’s like, `I need a job. I want to move forward, and if I have a hairstyle that is somewhat intimidating, that’s going to stop me from moving forward,”‘ said Nelson George, executive producer of “Good Hair.”

click HERE to read full article

Excerpt from the Wall Street Journal…

“A hair documentary, especially for a guy, is a hard sell — no, it’s a weird sell,” says the 43-year-old comedian, who both produced and wrote “Good Hair.” The low-budget documentary traces the growth of the $9 billion industry rooted in the maintenance of African-American hair and its place in ethnic community and culture…

…But for two years Mr. Rock pursued the project with the team behind his critically acclaimed HBO series “The Chris Rock Show.” (HBO owns “Good Hair,” but is open to selling the theatrical rights.) Inspired by what he calls his young daughter’s “hair envy,” or uneasiness with her naturally curly hair, Mr. Rock set out to investigate the nexus of power and politics related to how African-Americans style their hair.

The above Wall Street Journal article contains an excellent interview with Chris Rock on this subject, so I encourage you to read the full article entitled “A Comic’s ‘Good Hair’ Day”

Excerpt from the Black Film Academy…

“It’s really deep and funny… I did a Michael Moore expose on hair,” he tells WENN…Rock and Stilson, (a producer and writer on “The Chris Rock Show”) also traveled to Birmingham, Memphis, and Dallas, to interview and tape some hairdressers as they prepped for the annual Bonner Brothers Hair Show in Atlanta…

read full article HERE

I’ll definitely keep my eye out for this documentary.  Kudos to Chris Rock for finally deciding to put this project in motion.  It’s a subject that seems to never get old, but definitely sits in different spaces depending on the era.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
OCTOBER 23, 2008

New York, NY (www.queerblackcinema.org)- In just one week, the 1st ever Queer Black Cinema^® International Film & Music Festival will take place. The festival begins on Thursday, October 29th and runs until Sunday, November 2nd at the Brecht Forum in New York City. Come celebrate and be a part of history in the making by attending the culminating event showcasing several live acts from today’s LGBTQ and LGBTQ-friendly artists. The Closing Party and Concert will held Sunday, November 2nd from 6-11pm at the Brecht Forum. With DJ Double D as the emcee, the concert lineup includes Imani Uzuri, Substantial, Steph, Monica McIntyre, and a a surprise guest or two for a guaranteed night of fun and celebration. Together, these artists will be a feast for your ears and soothing to your soul with sounds ranging from R&B to hip hop to blues to rock, and in most cases, an eclectic but beautiful infusion of somewhere in between.

Imani Uzuri’s (myspace.com/herholywater) debut album is entitled “Her Holy Water: A Black Girl’s Rock Opera” and is best described by Greg Tate in the liner notes, “There is a sound between weeping and wailing, singing and screaming, soul crying and caterwauling, rhapsodizing and retuning fire. Put your hand where it hurts and this sound might heal you…There is no way you can hear such music and not be transformed.” She is currently also in the process of creating a musical theater piece inspired by this album and her childhood experiences in rural North Carolina. Now residing in New York City, Imani’s influences include a range of artists from Bjork to Nina Simone to Alicia Keys.

Maryland native, Substantial (myspace.com/substantial), released his sophomore album in the States called “Sacrifice” back in March 2007. This album continues along the same path of his debut album “To This Union A Sun Was Born” with hip hop rounded out by jazz,/funk/club/soul beats and an overall feel good vibe. However, if you’re listening closely, you see that this album chronicles his struggles as a man and as an artist trying to make it in a world that never ceases to present you with challenges- something he centers with his love of the martial arts. Currently with the QN5 indie record label, “The album is made of everything that makes me me: Six years of writing, mixing, soul-searching, love, hate, strife, life and death,” says Substantial. “I found myself while making this album, which surprised me, considering how much I lost.”

Steph (myspace.com/sapphicsongstress), also a Maryland native like Substantial who have collaborated on tracks for each other, brings R&B to the 1st Annual QBC International Film & Music Festival’s stage. An “out” lesbian, Steph feels strongly that her music can be shared by a broader audience with songs that touch any soul affected by politics, spirituality, struggle, and love. While R&B has an enormous spectrum today, Steph’s music resides on the conscious lyrically inspiring side of R&B channeling her childhood influences of artists such as Stevie Wonder, The Stylistics, and Nancy Wilson as she sits alongside more modern greats of the neo-soul movement like Erykah Badu and Jill Scott. Coming soon will be her sophomore album under her own record label Twelth Sign Entertainment called “Fulfillment.”

Monica McIntyre (myspace.com/monicamcintyre) brings a beautiful and unique sound to the stage with vocals and her unconventional play of the cello that she often slaps, plucks, and strums, sans the traditional bow as originally taught during years of studying classical cello, to create melodies. As described on her myspace page, “The smoky texture and emotional quality of her voice, as it delivers these lyrics, have left audiences crying, dancing, laughing and testifying. Whether performing solo or with a full-band, Monica McIntyre is sure to introduce you to a unique, musical experience.” Her music channels sounds originating in blues, soul, reggae, and the middle-east. Also a Maryland native, Monica now makes Philadelphia her home where she studied fashion at Drexel University before pursuing her lifelong love of music. Her albums include “Blusolaz” and “Abuse Gets Heavy.”

You can sample the sounds of each artist named here on QBC’s IMEEM Music page www.imeem.com/qbcmusic as well as their myspace pages. For more information on tickets, programming, volunteering or sponsorship opportunities, visit the Queer Black Cinema^® website at www.festival.queerblackcinema.org.

About Queer Black Cinema^®

Queer Black Cinema^® (QBC) is New York’s first and only monthly micro-cinema, volunteer-run organization dedicated to showcasing independent narrative and documentary works by U.S. and international Black LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer) filmmakers. QBC encourages filmmakers to create films knowing there is a venue specifically developed to display their works. QBC aims to be to filmmakers what Apollo is to some of the greatest musicians in the world- a home to preserve our history and expose all to our stories.