Neema Barnette Talks Woman Thou Art Loosed: On The 7th DayBy Wilson Morales
April 12, 2012
Coming out this week in limited theaters is the latest film from director Neema Barnette, ‘Woman Thou Art Loosed: On The 7th Day,’ starring Sharon Leal, Blair Underwood, Nicole Beharie, Pam Grier, Nicoye Banks, Reed R. McCants, and T.D Jakes.
Produced by T.D Jakes, Kari (played by Sharon Leal) and David Ames (played by Blair Underwood) have seemingly built the perfect life until Kari’s dark past is unveiled following the kidnapping of their 6-year old daughter. As the couple desperately searches for their child, Kari realizes she’s not the only one who has secrets. Forced to confront the truth, life spirals out of control for both of them in this independent psychological thriller.
For Barnette, who’s worked on numerous projects for over 20 years, this is her first film on the big screen since her last film ‘Civil Brand’ came out in 2002. Considered a pioneer in various circles, the New York native was the first African American woman sitcom director as well as was the first African American woman to get a three picture deal with Sony. Besides films, Barnette’s work includes a mixture of film and television sitcoms, such as A Different World, The Cosby Show, Gilmore Girls, and 7th Heaven.
In speaking with Blackfilm.com, Barnette talks about ‘On The 7th Day,’ working with budget constraints, and being a black female director.
Having read that you re-wrote the script, what was the reason behind it?
Neema Barnette: Cory Tynan, the original screenwriter created the landscape based on his discussion with Bishop T. D Jakes and incorporated elements of an upper middle class family whose child was missing. The villain I changed from his version had a different point of view. I also wanted to strengthen the characters of David and Cari, played by Blair Underwood and Sharon Leal. I had Blair in mind when I first wrote the revision.
What attracted you to the project, especially after hearing that some of the producers didn’t want to go forward with it?
NB: When I got the script, I was home in Harlem working on another movie called Buddha Boy. It’s about a young black girl from the projects whose son is a Dalai Lama. I then got the call regarding this film and read the script and I’ve been a fan of Bishop Jakes for a while. I had worked with Jeff Clanagan from Codeblack Entertainment. He wasn’t with the company when we did my other film ‘Civil Brand’ years ago. So, when I read the script, I remember saying to myself that it needed some work on it. It’s not where it should be, but I understand where the Bishop wants to go and I understand the message after talking to them. I also thought it was important to support Codeblack. They are an independent black distribution company with a powerhouse like Bishop Jakes, who spreads his words so well adds a lot to the faith base community. This is an opportunity to do something positive and to aid an independent black distribution company and maybe give Jeff something of quality that he can bring to the marketplace. The name of the film was called ‘On The 7th Day’ and they decided to put ‘Woman Thou Art Loosed’ on it.
Why so, when folks will believe that it’s a sequel to the 2004 film?
NB: I agree, When I took the film it was called ‘On The 7th Day’ and then I had the idea of shooting something organically everyday that represented what God made everyday of those seven days. That’s what we did and he liked that idea. The opening of everyday is a visual cinematic metaphor what God created that day but it’s rooted in New Orleans. It was important for all of us to shoot there Katrina happened seven years ago. It’s very important for us to give back to the community and not let the world forget what happened. Our people are still suffering from Katrina, and you see some of those images in the film from the houses and cemetery and so forth. Blair and Sharon came on the film and Pam Grier told me she wanted to play a Bayou detective. She came in with braids and her cowboy hat and she was ready to go to work.
Because this is an independent film, how much did the budget constraints affect your vision?
NB: Well, obviously the budget constraints affect the vision because you want the best. You want more days and more time to rehearse and all those things that you don’t have. I have done 10 films in 18 days. So 20 days was a luxury for me, but this was more complicated because it was a feature film. How I dealt with that was that I called the warriors I know to be on my crew. I called Sam Mahony, who was the 1st AD and he worked with me on the Gail Devers story and on ‘Civil Brand.’ I had Keith Smith the cinematographer and Cecil Gentry, who did the production design. With no time, and no money, but with these creative forces by my side, we could make the movie. I had a great time. I can honestly say that this has been one of the greatest experiences of my entire 20 year career. Jeff (Clanagan) even gave us more money to enhance the thriller element in the film. I was happy with the final outcome.
What are the challenges being a black female director?
NB: There are some of us who are storytellers who understand that film is the strongest political tool that we have. Some of us got into the art form because of that and I’m one of them. Julie Dash is another. It’s a mind molding art form. When you have an African American woman director who understands the politics and the social significance of storytelling on cinema, you are going to run into problems. It’s from your eye that the creative vision is formed. That’s part of the reason some of my peers don’t get the recognition they deserve. The thing I love about working on this film is that the cast the crew trusted me and my vision as a storyteller, who chooses to entertain but also deals with social and political significances in the film.
