B. Monét is a trailblazer for Black women in Hollywood. The film director and writer recently premiered her latest movie Black Girls, released exclusively on Comcast’s Black Experience on Xfinity Channel. The production highlights Black women like Allyson Felix and Marley Dias.
Monét recently stopped by rolling out to discuss the film and her career.
You’ve worked with Cadillac before. Why was that significant?
I was the first Black woman to direct a Cadillac commercial. I still can’t believe that. Back in 2019, it happened. I made history with that, and I’m still like, “Whoa.”
What can we expect from Black Girls?
I would best describe it as an anthology on Black womanhood and girlhood.
Each chapter deals with a different aspect of our humanity: [body, community, or love]. It’s all these different chapters that talk about different Black women. We have Allyson Felix, who is such a phenom. She has so many medals I can’t even think about it. It was so cool to hold one because it was so heavy. But in the film, she talks about her journey from being this amazing, incredible athlete and then goes into preeclampsia. She didn’t think she would go through such a gruesome motherhood experience. Her journey to motherhood was very humanizing, and I wouldn’t expect that from someone like her.
Each chapter, I would say, [shows] a bit of Black humanity and Black womanhood, hopefully, in a way that people can see we’re not monolithic. We all come in different shapes and sizes; we’re not the same. Hopefully, people who are Black and aren’t Black will be like, “OK. I see this. I get this person.” Hopefully, that comes across.
With Black History Month just ending and Women’s History Month beginning, how do you think the timing of the premiere will impact this film?
Working in entertainment, it’s just interesting to see the shift. Diversity and inclusion programs and shows seem to be canceled, so it’s just very interesting. We’re in this timely space of still needing our stories to be told. Even though it’s the shortest month of the year, we still got in there.
Hopefully, people will still support and see the film. We’ve always needed our stories to be told, so I was glad for this opportunity. Hopefully, people will continue to spread the word and tell a friend to watch the film on different platforms.
What is one moment from Black Girls that encapsulates the essence of the film’s exploration of identity?
In every chapter, there’s something I could take away personally. I don’t want to give away too much, but I’ll share about one chapter. Her name is Jacqueline Alexander-Sykes. I love Ms. Jackie. She is just everything. Essentially, her partner created St. Elmo village with his relative. It’s a safe space for artists to come and commune. I learned a lot from him, and they had this love affair for over 20 years. Then, they got married and were able to be a pillar in the community. I hope I can do that in film.
I’ve always wanted some type of pipeline or mentoring program so people can see we can do this because sometimes we [need to see ourselves more] in this space. Sometimes, you just have to be that person to go after it. I loved that. [Her story taught me] a lot about community and creating a safe space, which [all] creatives need, especially.
