Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Womyn 7: Beyond Fierce~

This next woman is a force…

She is BEYOND FIERCE~

She is a leader~

Her work is ALL ABOUT promoting women of color~

She is passionate about the development and recognition of women.

She has dedicated her life to changing the way the media portrays women of color.

She isn’t waiting for Hollywood to open its doors to us.

She is coming with a bulldozer~

Elisha Miranda is an award-winning novelist and filmmaker, whose work has garnered critical acclaim for her ability to integrate issues of popular culture, race, feminism, politics and visual aesthetics into unique hybrid narrative forms.
From her debut novel about a multi-racial, all female hip-hop crew which was written under her pen name, E-Fierce, THE SISTA HOOD: ON THE MIC was recently optioned and heading to film… which Elisha will write and direct. Destined for greatness!

Elisha holds an MFA in directing and screenwriting from Columbia University. Her short films CORPORATE DAWGZ and BLIND DATE have screened and garnered awards nationally and internationally. Currently, she is in development with her feature script OUTSIDE THE WALL about a Puerto Rican graffiti artist struggling to be the next Frida Kahlo. OUTSIDE THE WALL garnered many awards, including the 2005 Tribeca-All-Access Award, The Astraea Foundation, National Association of Latino Independent Producers Lab 2004 & 2005, NALIP Writers Lab 2004 & 2006, VOY Picture Lab finalist, Sundance Screenwriting Lab Finalist, Creative Capital finalist and a finalist at the Outfest Screenwriting Competition.

After years of working on issues of multi-cultural education, youth empowerment, police brutality, anti-isms, the prison industrial complex, immigrant rights, and HIV/AIDS, Elisha received the prestigious Community Fellowship at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the Department of City Planning and a BRICK DO SOMETHING AWARD.

This is a woman who is WALKING HER TALK! And as she is walking… she is taking her sisters by the hand… one by one… ensuring that we all have an opportunity to get there… she understands that none of us can get there alone… and so she serves as a model for her community.

Elisha was feature in HISPANIC MAGAZINE'S, "Emerging Latina Voices in Filmmaking." She really believes that WE are the ones who should tell OUR stories and has created spaces like Chica Luna Productions, a community-based organization that supports young women of color in popular media and SISTER OUTSIDER which aims to create commercially viable, and culturally relevant content across a range of media platforms including print, internet, theater, film and television that appeals to a multi cultural audience.

Their motto: At Sister Outsider Entertainment www.sisteroutsider.biz we believe that Multi Media + Multi Cultural + Multi Lingual = Quality Entertainment of the 21st Century.

But of ALL her accomplishments… for me her greatest gift is her love for womyn… her LOVE and her commitment to tell stories that authentically portray who we are and where we come from. She cares about the future of her SISTERS of ALL colors~

So as she embarks on Hollywood my wish for her is that she continue to do GREAT WORK… continue to SHINE… continue to FIGHT and continue to stay true to who she is…. We are all watching… and we are all incredibly proud of the work you do!

With love, admiration and respect~
NAMASTE hermana~
Alicia

For more about this incredible womyn please visit:



www.thesistahood.com
www.otwmovie.com
http://www.sisteroutsider.biz/miranda.php

1 comment:

Elisha Miranda said...

Alicia, thank you for your beautiful words. I was sick yesterday and I wasn't online. Today, I saw the blog and was surprised to find this. Thank you my sister for you love and support it means a lot coming from you. This made my day. Rest assured, even Hollywood won't keep me from "keepin' it real."

Love, love, love to you and your next adventures. Ache!

abrazos,

E