195 Lewis

195 Lewis (pronounced One Nine Five Lewis) is an American comedy-drama web series created by Rae Leone Allen and Yaani Supreme, and co-written with Terence Nance and director Chanelle Aponte Pearson. It follows several Black queer women (played by Allen, Sirita Wright, Roxie Johnson, and D. Ajane Carlton) living in Bedford–Stuyvesant, Brooklyn (Bed-Stuy). The series was released online on its website, One Nine Five Lewis, on November 16, 2017. It received the 2018 Gotham Award for Breakthrough Series and a Special Mention at Outfest 2017.[2][3][4]

195 Lewis
Title screen
Genrecomedy drama[1]
Created byRae Leone Allen & Yaani Supreme
Developed byMVMT
Written by
Directed byChanelle Aponte Pearson
Starring
  • Rae Leone Allen
  • Sirita Wright
  • Roxie Johnson
  • D. Ajane Carlton
  • Trae Harris
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes5
Production
Executive producerChanelle Aponte Pearson & Terence Nance
CinematographyJomo Fray
EditorJon Proctor
Production companyMVMT
Release
Original networkOne Nine Five Lewis
Original releaseNovember 16, 2017 (2017-11-16)

Plot

195 Lewis centers on a close-knit group of Black queer women navigating relationships in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn. The series features topics such as sex positivity and polyamory.[2]

Cast and characters
  • Rae Leone Allen as Yuri, an artist and Camille's girlfriend
  • Sirita Wright as Camille, Yuri's girlfriend who recently completed her PhD
  • Roxie Johnson as Kris, a recent transplant from Texas and Yuri's former college girlfriend
  • D. Ajane Carlton as Stacy-Anne, a womanizer and Camille's younger sister
  • Trae Harris as Harlem, Yuri's love interest

Production

Yaani Lewis and Rae Leone Allen created and wrote the initial script for 195 Lewis. The series reflects Lewis and Allen's experiences as Black queer women living in Brooklyn. The title refers to the address where they lived at the time with the street name changed.[3]

In 2014, they approached Terence Nance's production company, MVMT, about the project and his business partner Chanelle Aponte Pearson requested to work on it.[5] Pearson received the Gotham Awards’ "Spotlight on Women Filmmakers Live The Dream" grant to further develop the series.[1] It is her directorial debut.[2] Allen stated that they had difficulty garnering interest in the project,[1] and most of the crew and actors had little experience in television and film production.[5]

Co-stars Allen and Wright in the premiere episode. The producers intentionally used bright lighting throughout the series.[5]

Nance and Pearson co-wrote and developed the script, and Jomo Fray was the director of photography.[6][4] Filming was on-location in Bed-Stuy.[6] Fray's cinematography frequently featured "bright, neon, and stylized"[5] lighting.

Release and reception

The pilot premiered at the BlackStar Film Festival in 2014.[7][8][9] It was later re-shot and the full five episodes of the series premiered on its website on November 16, 2017.[4][10]

195 Lewis received positive reception. In a review for IndieWire Jude Dry wrote, "Director Chanelle Aponte Pearson makes a confident and splashy debut, catapulting her considerable producing skills to a new level."[2] Writing for Vice, Emily J. Smith stated, "While 195 intentionally tackles complex subjects like polyamory, sex positivity, and misogyny in lesbian culture, it's not in the way you might expect. The cast of characters allows for conflicting perspectives—even in this very specific world—so viewers are invited into a real conversation instead of a lecture."[1]

Awards and nominations

References
  1. Smith, Emily J. (November 15, 2017). "The New All-Women Web Series Exploring Queer, Black, Poly Love". Vice. Archived from the original on July 19, 2019. Retrieved July 19, 2019.
  2. Dry, Jude (November 16, 2017). "'195 Lewis' Explores Polyamory With the Style of a Lesbian 'Insecure' — Watch". IndieWire. Archived from the original on June 14, 2020. Retrieved June 14, 2020.
  3. Macaulay, Scott (April 26, 2016). "Five Questions for 195 Lewis Director Chanelle Aponte Pearson". Filmmaker. Archived from the original on July 19, 2019. Retrieved June 14, 2020.
  4. Pennington, Latonya (November 14, 2017). "'195 Lewis' Is Black Lesbian Perfection". Wear Your Voice. Archived from the original on July 19, 2019. Retrieved July 19, 2019.
  5. Walker, Harron (27 October 2017). "The Director Of '195 Lewis' Tells Us Why It's 'Paramount We Tell Our Own Stories'". INTO. Archived from the original on 19 July 2019. Retrieved July 19, 2019.
  6. Anderson-Moore, Oakley (November 16, 2017). "'195 Lewis': Making a Good Web Series is About Getting the Community Right". No Film School. Archived from the original on July 19, 2019. Retrieved July 19, 2019.
  7. Eye Candy (December 7, 2016). "New webseries 195 LEWIS is an honest exploration of black queerness premiering in New York next week!". Afropunk. Archived from the original on 15 June 2020. Retrieved 15 June 2020.
  8. Mullins, Carrie V (14 Dec 2016). "Chanelle Aponte Pearson on Filming Cinematic Web Series & Exploring Messiness on Screen". Archived from the original on 27 September 2020.
  9. "Chanelle Aponte Pearson". Queer Producers Network. Archived from the original on 15 June 2020. Retrieved 15 June 2020.
  10. Ène, Lysiane (8 December 2017). "Watch | 195 Lewis, a new series exploring queer, black polyamorous relationships". Trace. Archived from the original on 14 June 2020. Retrieved 14 June 2020.
  11. "Outfest Los Angeles LGBT Film Festival Announces 2017 Award Winners". Gay Desert Guide. July 19, 2017. Archived from the original on 14 June 2020. Retrieved 14 June 2020.
  12. "Sixth Annual BlackStar Film Festival Announces 2017 Award Winners". BlackStar Film Festival. August 14, 2017. Archived from the original on October 17, 2017. Retrieved June 14, 2020.
  13. Lewis, Hilary; Crist, Allison (November 26, 2018). "'The Rider' Tops Gotham Awards; Full Winners List". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on June 14, 2020. Retrieved June 14, 2020.
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