Reality Is Not Good Enough
Much to her daughter's chagrin, a glamorous biracial adoptee from a Trumpmaniac family dreams of being a reality TV star, no matter how exploited she might become.
Interview with Writer/Director Rashayla Marie Brown
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
To show my family and other women that I love that they don't have to expose their trauma to be valued or to be a star
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
So that you can uniquely experience what it feels like to go through four genres in 20 minutes in a single work and actually feel a sense of resolution and satisfaction, not confusion. We rarely get to experience that due to the demands of genre conventions in mainstream media or in art house films.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
Everyone deserves the right to preserve their dignity while telling a story. I wanted to show a smart and honest way to do that while expressing care to my actors.
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?
Yes, we shot an entire documentary short first that my mother, the principal subject, hated. My decision to add other genres and performance vignettes was in response to that experience.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
Oftentimes people say they've never seen anything like it, especially featuring Black women characters. It's a unique intervention in genre while also maintaining the emotional sincerity and intensity people typically expect from dramas or documentaries.
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
The feedback has been mostly positive. The only time I get frustrated is when film festivals actually still expect me to apply genre conventions to this experimental work. As such we haven't been able to get programmed into many documentaries festivals even though half of the film is a documentary. That genre in particular is very ripe for reinvention and yet the powers that be resist it every step of the way. And to be fair, I don't think that many narrative film programming committees are used to seeing something that critiques an industry while also participating in it. I think they missed that essence of the project, so independent programmers and fellow artists get it more.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
To reach a broader audience
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
Film Festival directors and programmers who work in institutions and can program this and pay for the screening fee would be very helpful. Distribution through schools, museums and film clubs has been very helpful, so we need more of that as well to get future funding.
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
I would like Black women and people of color in general to see that they don't have to use trauma porn narratives in order to be seen.
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
What does the average reality TV consumer know about the reality TV contract?
What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?
I'm developing a horror-comedy script about the origin stories of fetish play between children. It's a delicate balance, but I do think it can be done with care. Also, have a basic concept for a film that reinterprets themes from Imitation of Life with a queer lens.
Interview: February 2023
We Are Moving Stories embraces new voices in drama, documentary, animation, TV, web series, music video, women's films, LGBTQIA+, POC, First Nations, scifi, supernatural, horror, world cinema. If you have just made a film - we'd love to hear from you. Or if you know a filmmaker - can you recommend us? More info: Carmela
Reality Is Not Good Enough
Much to her daughter's chagrin, a glamorous biracial adoptee from a Trumpmaniac family dreams of being a reality TV star, no matter how exploited she might become.
Length: 21:16
Director: Rashayla Marie Brown
Producer: Jennifer Reeder
Writer: Rashayla Marie Brown
About the writer, director and producer:
RASHAYLA MARIE BROWN is an “undisciplinary” artist who fosters radical acts beyond mere representation. Creating visually poetic and emotionally engaging artworks with a deeply critical eye towards medium and audience, RMB works in installation, photography, performance, writing, video and filmmaking alongside a visionary critique of power structures.
JENNIFER REEDER is an American artist, filmmaker, and screenwriter. Her short film A Million Miles Away (2014) was nominated for a Tiger Award for Short Films at the International Film Festival Rotterdam and screened at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival in the U.S. Short Narrative Films category.
Key cast: Ann-Marie Hammond, Abrina Marie Matthews, Angell Marie Williams, Bailey Marie Brown, Parker Marie Williams, Rashayla Marie Brown
Looking for: film festival directors and distributors
Facebook: Rashayla Marie Brown (Professor rmb)
Twitter: @radicalRMB
Instagram: @rmbstudios
Hashtags used: #realityisnotgoodenough
Website: rmbstudios.com/Reality-Is-Not-Good-Enough-Film
Other: Vimeo
Funders: 3Arts, OTV, Mayor's Office of Atlanta, Self-funded
Where can I watch it next and in the coming month?
Slamdance Channel and Festival Jan 23, Spelman College Feb 1