Alicia K Harris Celebrating Black excellence on the big screen

BY SIMONE J. SMITH

She is a highly imaginative filmmaker, with a strong passion for creating independent films that tell the stories of those who normally would not have a voice. What makes her a force of nature is her knowledge of camera, video, audio equipment, and editing software. She has this innate ability to take control of a set, and work with a variety of actors/actresses, and crewmembers at different experience levels. She also has a knack for bringing out the best in an actor/actress, script, or production.

She has been recognized for her well-honed time management skills, which are essential to keeping productions on schedule and cast and crew on task. Her well-developed communication and creative skills are necessary and have assisted her in interpreting scripts, making necessary changes to improve the production of a film, and helping cast members bring her vision to life. Overall, our chosen Woman Empowered Feature continues to wow the world with her extraordinary attention to detail, and her ability to share stories that people can instantly connect to.

Alicia K. Harris is a CSA-winning filmmaker from Scarborough, ON. She graduated from Ryerson University’s School of Image Arts in 2016, where her thesis film, Love Stinks, won Best Director and Best Production. After a successful festival run, the film was licensed to CBC. She also happens to be an alumna of The Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television directing program for Women, sponsored by Netflix.

Collectively, her films have been screened on TVO, Bell Fibe TV1, and at numerous festivals, including: TIFF Next Wave, Vancouver International Film Festival, and the Festival du nouveau cinéma.

Her latest film, PICK, gained national and international recognition through a $20K Kickstarter campaign, and was featured in the: Toronto Star, CTV News, and CP24. PICK won the Canadian Screen Award for Best Live Action Short in 2020, Best Short Film at the Miami Film Festival, and Best Fiction Short at Yorkton Film Festival.

Her most recent credits include the “Pressure” music video for Grammy-winner Koffee, and a Black hair documentary for LUSH. She is known for her high-concept visual style, including elaborate set design; distinct colour palettes; and stylized cinematography.

Alicia is dedicated to celebrating the Black experience in her work, with a focus on beauty, spirituality and vulnerability. She is passionate about making stories that will have a lasting impact on youth. I had an opportunity to sit down with Alicia, and right away I got caught up in her creativity and imagination.

“I am a very proud Scarborough woman. Scarborough gets a bad rep from people who don’t live here.”

“I agree with you Alicia.” The interview started with the realization that we both were born in Scarborough, and we easily related on the fact that Scarborough is not recognized for its rich culture, and diverse talent.

“My dad is from Jamaica and moved here when he was eight years old. Half of my mom’s side of the family is from Northern Ireland (Ireland and Northern Ireland is not the same thing), and the other half is from Malta. It is not known for anything except being incredibly beautiful. My mom’s family moved to Italy, and lived there for many years. My whole life growing up, I was raised as an Italian. We even spoke Italian at home.”

Alicia shares with me how Scarborough influenced her in becoming an artist.

“I biked to everyone’s house. There were so many ravines and my sister and I spent a lot of time in nature. It made me an imaginative person, and my earlier experiences fostered my imagination.

I have always been very bossy. I don’t see it as a negative thing. I was always organizing, getting involved. I always wanted to be a leader. This was obvious with my family.”

Alicia admits that she was always involved in the creative arts. She found herself expressing what she felt through art. Drawing was the first thing that she really connected with and she began to take art classes. It was the love of music that pushed her in the creative area. She loves singing, and loves Mariah Carey.

“I really idolized singers, and although I enjoyed the art of singing, it didn’t seem like a natural path for me.”

I started making small videos with my sister. I would make montage videos, and friends and family really seemed to enjoy them. What inspired directing was when I was in high school. I began directing plays, and I found that being a director gave me a really good picture of how all the creative elements can come together under a director.”

There came that moment in time when Alicia knew that there was more to her ability then she thought.

“There was a play I directed in high school, and a teacher who was hard to impress came up to me crying. She was moved to tears by our play. I knew at that moment that I was doing something special. It was a surprise that something that came from my brain had an effect on someone. Everyone has the ability to connect with people. We can learn to empathise with people by sharing their stories.

This was the trampoline that propelled her into the world of film. From there, the world opened up for her. One of her most notable short films is called Pick. Pick is about a girl who wears her Afro to school on picture day. I had a chance to watch Pick, and I was moved by how well she shared the story. I learned that this story was based on her experiences as a child.

“She has to deal with everyone’s comments about her hair. It was something that I had dealt with during my primary school years. My natural self was not accepted or appreciated. After the release of Pick, I had so many Black women come up to me and tell me that I captured their lives. I even had non-Black people come up to me and tell me that they had learned so much. This is the push that I need to keep going.”

I also had a chance to check out her film “Lush.”  It was a compelling short film about the power and energy of Black women’s hair. Throughout the film, women shared their stories about relinquishing their colonized thoughts on natural hair. Each story allowed you to look into the Black woman’s painful experiences, and then joy of realizing that their hair was their power. The final message: Black hair is love.

Finally, I had the opportunity to watch “Pressure,” the music video that she directed for Grammy-award winner Koffee.

“The music video I made for Koffee was my first paid directing job. It was special because I was scared going into the process. I felt pressure. It was a topic that was meaningful to me. I have seen things about Black people that were exploitative. I wanted this piece to be meaningful; I wanted to capture it with care.

Even putting it out, I was nervous. Did I tell the story with empathy and love? It was special to work with another woman, who was passionate about the movement for equality, and standing for what she believed in. I still can’t believe that this has all happened for me.”

“What is one piece of advice that you would give a young filmmaker getting into the industry?”

“You are worthy of your story being told. Take up as much space as you can.”