Chanelle Aponte Pearson

Chanelle Aponte Pearson is an American writer, producer, and director. She is a member of the New Negress Film Society. She is best known as the director of 195 Lewis, a scripted web series about Black queer women living in Bed Stuy, Brooklyn. The series won the 2017 US Narrative Audience Award at the BlackStar Film Festival and received a Special Mention at 2017 Outfest.[1][2]

Chanelle Aponte Pearson
Born
Bronx, New York, New York
NationalityAmerican
Occupation(s)Writer, producer director
Notable work195 Lewis

Career

Pearson began producing short films independently in the early aughts.[3] Her first job on a feature film was as co-producer for Terence Nance's 2012 film An Oversimplification of Her Beauty.[4] Pearson is currently the COO of Nance's production company, MVMT.[2][5]

In 2015, Pearson won a grant from the Gotham Awards for her directorial debut, a web series called 195 Lewis.[1][6] 195 Lewis is a scripted series that centers four Black queer women who live in Bed Stuy, and stars co-creator Rae Leone Allen, Trae Harris, D. Ajane Carlton, Sirita Wright, Roxie Johnson, and Taja Lindley.[7] It debuted online on November 16, 2017.[8] Latonya Pennington of Wear Your Voice magazine wrote in a review, "Whether in themselves or others, Black queer viewers will recognize the characters and love them. Through the efforts of the creators, director, and the cast, 195 Lewis tells a wonderful coming-of-age story of love, lust, and life in one of America’s blackest and queerest cities."[9] It received a Special Mention at 2017 Outfest for "highlighting the contemporary life of queer black woman with flair, vibrancy and substance.”[10]

Pearson is an executive producer for the 2018 HBO series Random Acts of Flyness.[11] She is a member of the New Negress Film Society, a collective of Black women filmmakers founded in 2013 to "create community and spaces for support, exhibition, and consciousness-raising".[12][13]

Personal life

Pearson identifies as queer.[2] She was born and raised in the Bronx.[5]

Accolades
  • 2015 Gotham Awards’ Spotlight on Women Filmmakers Live The Dream grant[1]
  • 2018 Gotham Award for Breakthrough Series – Short Form, 195 Lewis[14]

Filmography
Year Title Credited as Notes
Director Writer Producer
2012 An Oversimplification of Her Beauty No No Yes
2017 195 Lewis Yes Yes Executive Web series
2018 Random Acts of Flyness No No Executive

References
  1. "The Director Of '195 Lewis' Tells Us Why It's 'Paramount We Tell Our Own Stories'". www.intomore.com. 27 October 2017. Retrieved 2019-07-19.
  2. "Award-winning Series Premiere: 195 Lewis". www.curvemag.com. Retrieved 2019-07-19.
  3. Mullins, Carrie V. (2017-02-16). "Chanelle Aponte Pearson on Filming Cinematic Web Series & Exploring Messiness on Screen". Medium. Retrieved 2019-07-19.
  4. "Chanelle Aponte Pearson". Tribeca Film Institute. Retrieved 2019-07-19.
  5. Macaulay, Scott (26 April 2016). "Five Questions for 195 Lewis Director Chanelle Aponte Pearson". Filmmaker Magazine. Retrieved 2019-07-19.
  6. "Tangerine, Jonas Carpignano, Chanelle Aponte Pearson Are 25th Gotham Awards Winners". shadowandact.com. Retrieved 2019-07-19.
  7. "10 Black Directors to Watch in 2016". pastemagazine.com. 28 January 2016. Retrieved 2019-07-19.
  8. Rao, Sameer (2017-11-17). "A Black Queer Couple Candidly Explores Polyamory in '195 Lewis'". Colorlines. Retrieved 2019-07-19.
  9. "'195 Lewis' Is Black Lesbian Perfection". Wear Your Voice. 2017-11-14. Retrieved 2019-07-19.
  10. Dry, Jude (2017-07-20). "Chanelle Aponte Pearson's Dazzling Ode to Black Lesbian Love Is the Next Great Queer Project of 2017". IndieWire. Retrieved 2019-07-19.
  11. Otterson, Joe (2018-08-20). "'Random Acts of Flyness' Renewed for Season 2 at HBO". Variety. Retrieved 2019-07-19.
  12. Lapin, Andrew (2017-03-24). "Why Sundance, SXSW, and Funders Are Falling in Love With This Tiny Collective of Black Women Filmmakers". IndieWire. Retrieved 2019-07-19.
  13. "The New Negress Film Society's Inaugural Black Women's Film Conference at MOMA PS1 a SOLD OUT success!". Los Angeles Sentinel. 2019-04-04. Retrieved 2019-07-19.
  14. "The Winners of the 2018 Gotham Awards". www.vulture.com. 26 November 2018. Retrieved 2019-07-19.
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