Charcoal is a short film that captures the parallel stories of two black women and their lifelong journey to overcome internalized colorism, find self-acceptance and ultimately redemption. Despite the vast distances between them, these women both face a barrage of social messages from strangers and loved ones alike: That their darker complexion makes them less worthy of love, acceptance or respect. Yet through this painful erosion of their self-worth, these women rediscover their power and undergo a metamorphosis. They fully embrace the beauty, versatility, and dignity of their melanin and begin to disrupt the generational cycle of self-hatred within communities of color.
HMI Buzz reached out to the producer and the director of Charcoal, Francesca Andre for a Q&A session to shed more light on this important film.
HMI Buzz: What influenced you to write and create this movie?
Francesca Andre: I think I was more inspired than anything and dealing with negative past experiences from my childhood so I wrote the piece. Colorism took a lot of space in my childhood growing up in Haiti. Certain Catholic institutions were well known for that practice.
HMI Buzz: We’re in 2018, with so much information available, why do you think so many people of color all over the world still see beauty through Eurocentric lenses? Can you please share with us new knowledge you discovered about colorism while shooting the film?
Francesca Andre: My film touched lightly on “representation “ or should I say lack of representation. It’s important for us to see ourselves as a people. How we are being portrayed in film and television is important. Who’s telling the stories is also very crucial which is why films like Wakanda aka “Black Panthers” received such positive response. While filming Charcoal, I was more saddened by how many people “actresses” from the film have experienced colorism before we even had a name for it.
HMI Buzz: Can you please describe the plot of the film briefly.
Francesca Andre: Charcoal captures the parallel stories of two black women and their lifelong journey to overcome internalized colorism, find self-acceptance and ultimately redemption.
HMI Buzz: What do you think the viewer will walk away with after watching the film? Who do you think should see the film and why The stories in the film focus more on black women, why did you decide to leave black men behind?
Francesca Andre: The film tackles internalized colorism, the practice of skin bleaching, but there are hope and redemption as well. Charcoal asks the viewers to love themselves the way they were, to be who they were created to be. I didn’t leave black men behind- that’s a negative way of perceiving it. The film has a universal message to it that anyone can take something away from it. But I want to say that I made it specifically for black women as a Black woman. My perspective, my lens matters!
HMI Buzz: How much of a role do you think black men play in the way so many black women feel about they look?
Francesca Andre: I am not sure how to answer that question quite frankly- I don’t think shaming/blaming is how we can heal collectively as a people. My reality is quite different, I am surrounded by positive black men who celebrate black women for who they are and black women who love themselves unapologetically but I can see how damaging and toxic it can be for those who still have a perception of beauty that is based on Eurocentric standards. It takes time – time to unlearn what we have been taught- time to heal and time to recondition our minds with love, respect, and compassion.
HMI Buzz: How long it took to shoot the Charcoal?
Francesca Andre: Most of it was shot in one day…but some of the other scenes were shot months prior..so i will say about 3 days…
HMI Buzz: It’s well-documented that movie Black Panther did a wonderful job promoting Afrocentricity, do you think we will ever get to point where all people of African descent are proud of their complexion and hair texture?
Francesca Andre: Do you think we will get to a point where racism will be completely eradicated? Lots of these issues stem from slavery – the good news is people are becoming more aware and are healing. How do we heal collectively as a people?
HMI Buzz: Will there be a follow-up film?
Francesca Andre: I am working on several other projects.
HMI Buzz: Where can people see the film?
Francesca Andre: The film is participating in lots of festivals across the country and several university screenings. You can visit the film page for more updates.
http://www.francescaandrephotography.com/charcoal
HMI Buzz: Any future projects in the work?
Francesca Andre: Yes- a photo project and several video and film projects- Stay tuned 
HMI Buzz: Thanks for participating in this Q&A session. We look forward to your future projects.
Francesca Andre: Thank you so much for the opportunity HMI Buzz to talk about my projects and my film Charcoal.
Filmmaker Francesca Andre, producer and director of Charcoal.
