{"id":150501,"date":"2021-03-05T07:47:00","date_gmt":"2021-03-05T12:47:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.blackfilm.com\/read\/?p=150501"},"modified":"2021-03-05T13:02:12","modified_gmt":"2021-03-05T18:02:12","slug":"vivica-a-fox-mona-scott-young-more-to-direct-shorts-produced-by-tressa-azarel-smallwood-for-bet-her","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.blackfilm.com\/read\/vivica-a-fox-mona-scott-young-more-to-direct-shorts-produced-by-tressa-azarel-smallwood-for-bet-her\/","title":{"rendered":"Vivica A. Fox, Mona Scott Young & More To Direct Shorts Produced by Tressa Azarel Smallwood For BET Her"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Producer\u00a0Tressa Azarel Smallwood<\/a>\u00a0of\u00a0MegaMind Media\u00a0has partnered with BET HER to shoot\u00a0five female-centric original short films directed by prominent African American forces primarily known for being\u00a0in front\u00a0<\/em>of the camera. F<\/span><\/strong>ox Direct Shorts Produced Tressa Azarel Smallwood BET Vivica Mona Scott Young<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Veteran Hollywood stars VIVICA A. FOX<\/strong> (“Kill Bill<\/em>“), Yvette Nicole Brown <\/strong>(“Community”)<\/em>, Mona Scott Young <\/strong>(\u201cThe Gossip Game<\/em>\u201d), TA’RHONDA JONES<\/strong> (“Empire<\/em>“) and CARALENE ROBINSON<\/strong> (“Disordher<\/em>“) dive into location shooting in Maryland\u2019s Prince George\u2019s County this week, helming five brand-new, original films. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The 20-minute dramatic short films starring KERI HILSON<\/a>, DEBBIE MORGAN, EVA MARCILLE<\/a>, YANDY SMITH<\/a> & KELITA SMITH<\/strong>, will focus on topics vital to today’s Black women, ranging from the varied impact of breast cancer, mental health struggles, and domestic violence on them and their families. The films will live under the BET HER \u201cHer Stories\u201d franchise — a platform to empower the next generation of Black women filmmakers through a curated selection of original movies and documentaries. \u201cHer Stories\u201d provides women filmmakers a platform to tell authentic stories that celebrate, inspire and support Black women narratives. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEven though I\u2019ve licensed films to BET previously, being chosen for the second year in a row to produce these crucial initiatives and expand the series with all African-American women in front of AND behind the camera exclusively for BET Her is such an honor,\u201d says Tressa Smallwood. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

“BET Her is dedicated to telling stories that support and celebrate Black women in front of and behind the camera as well as bringing awareness to important issues directly affecting the Black community,\u201d said Lorisa Bates, VP, Content Strategy, Co-Productions & Multiplatform at BET. \u201cWe are proud to be the platform for these powerful stories and of the work that our female talent has put into these projects that are ever so timely.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Short film descriptions: <\/h4>\n\n\n\n

The Waiting Room<\/em><\/strong> (breast cancer series) and “The Couch<\/em><\/strong> (mental health series) each feature two 20-minute short films; The Hotline<\/em><\/strong> (domestic violence) features one 20-minute short. Each project brings light to the compelling issues with heart, grace and humanity while highlighting the disproportionate challenges Black women face when it comes to health care, mental health and domestic violence support. Tressa Azarel Smallwood produces<\/strong>; Shateka “SJ” Johnson, Patrese McClain, Lynette J. Blackwell, Dr. Missy Johnson, Lori Conway Ray, Deshawn Plair & Sade Oylnade<\/strong> are writers; Maggy Francois<\/strong> is casting director; and Kristin Iris Johnson<\/strong> serves as associate producer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Couch<\/strong><\/em> Initiative will be the first series of films to premiere in the BET Her Presents franchise on July 10, 2021<\/strong>, produced by Tressa Azarel Smallwood<\/strong> and production company MegaMind Media.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Vivica A. Fox<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Vivica A. Fox<\/a><\/strong> directs Through Her Eyes<\/em> <\/strong>which follows psychology major, Jasmine Brooksm as she becomes overly invested in her case study, a local homeless woman who suffers from Bipolar Disorder.  As Jasmine’s interest grows so does her desperation to save the woman’s life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Mona Scott Young | Photo Credit Kathy Hutchins \/ Shutterstock.com<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Almost Enough<\/em>, <\/strong>directed by Mona Scott Young<\/a><\/strong>, chronicles a day in the life of Patience Williams who is on the verge of a mid-life crisis fueled by clinical depression, anxiety and Covid-19.  With everything going wrong, she looks to her new therapist to help turn her life around, and prevent a downward spiral that could take her away from living the life of her dreams.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Yvette Nicole Brown<\/strong> | Photo credit: Kathy Hutchins \/ Shutterstock.com<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Yvette Nicole Brown<\/a><\/strong> helms The Party<\/em> <\/strong>which focuses on Summer Jackson, a successful magazine executive preparing to celebrate being cancer-free for five years.  When she is blindsided by the news that her cancer has returned, Summer would rather die than go through the chemo for a second time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Ta’Rhonda Jones | Photo credit: Joe Seer \/ Shutterstock.com<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Directed by Ta\u2019Rhonda Jones<\/a><\/strong>, It Takes Two<\/em><\/strong> follows a wealthy socialite, Dayna Stevens, whose unexpected illness removes her from the tennis courts to chemotherapy.  When she has a chance encounter with a stranger, she gains the support she’s been lacking from the most important people in her life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Caralene Robinson<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Her Lyfeline<\/em>, <\/strong>which will be directed by Caralene Robinson<\/a><\/strong>, follows London, a popular singer who is trapped in a high-profile, abusive relationship with her producer-boyfriend, King Sire. London reaches out to a domestic violence hotline under a pseudonym to protect her image as she fights to leave her abuser and maintain their celebrity while keeping it out of the public eye.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ABOUT TRESSA AZAREL SMALLWOOD AND MEGAMIND MEDIA<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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MegaMind Media is an American film and production company specializing in book to film adaptations and original television series and programming founded by Award Winning Book Publisher, Tressa Azarel Smallwood.  In 2003 after writing her first novel, Tressa resigned from her teaching tenure in the Maryland school system to fulfill her dream of becoming an entrepreneur. Tressa has produced several award-winning movies which have been adapted to film and TV series for networks such as ViacomCBS\/BET, TV ONE, URBAN MOVIE CHANNEL and more. With an ever increasing volume of content, Tressa has positioned MegaMind Media to become the fastest growing film production companies in America. https:\/\/www.tressaazarel.com\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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blackfilm.com articles and interviews with Tressa Azarel Smallwood –<\/h4>\n\n\n\n