A Different Image is a 1982 American film that was directed, written, and edited by Alile Sharon Larkin that explores body image and societal beauty standards through the eyes of a young Black woman on a journey towards self-worth.
| A Different Image | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Alile Sharon Larkin |
| Written by | Alile Sharon Larkin |
| Produced by | Alile Sharon Larkin Women Make Movies |
| Starring | Margòt Saxton-Federella Michael Adisa Anderson |
| Cinematography | Charles Burnett |
| Edited by | Alile Sharon Larkin Charles BurnettRef? |
| Music by | Munyungo Jackson |
Release date |
|
Running time | 52 min. |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Summary
editAlana (Margot Saxton-Federlla), an art student, explores sexuality, Western ideals of beauty, and her own self-worth in 1980's Los Angeles.[1] Vincent (Adisa Anderson), her long-time friend, feels pressured to turn their platonic relationship into a sexual one which further intensified Alana's frustration with western, patriarchal beauty standards and gender norms.[2]
Cast
edit- Margòt Saxton-Federella as Alana
- Michael Adisa Anderson as Vincent
Production
editCreating a Different Image: Portrait of Alile Sharon Larkin is a 1989 documentary about the making of A Different Image[3]
Reception
editThe film is considered as a groundbreaking foray into a realistic character portrait of a young Black woman. Kevin Thomas of the Los Angeles Times heralded it as "...extraordinary, a fresh and clear expression of an acute sensibility.[4]"
Awards and recognition
edit- First Prize, Black American Cinema Society Award
- Official Selection, London Black Film Festival
- Best Production of 1981, Black Filmmaker Foundation
- Runner Up, Best Short Film, Filmex[5]
- Official Selection, the 2011 L. A. Rebellion: Creating New Cinema[6]
Screenings
edit- UCLA's L.A. Rebellion Film Series, UCLA Hammer Museum, 2011[7]
- Madeline Anderson Shorts, Brooklyn Academy of Music, 2013[8]
- Afterimage: Madeline Anderson, Berkeley Art Museum, 2016[9]
- One Way or Another: Black Women's Cinema, 1970–1991, Brooklyn Academy of Music, 2017[10]
Preservation
editThe Black Film Center/Archive preserved A Different Image, which included 16mm original color reversal A/B rolls and full-coat magnetic track elements. They produced a 16mm color internegative, a soundtrack negative, and two new 16mm projection prints.[11]
The script of the film was published in a 1991 compilation of collected works called Screenplays of the African American Experience.[citation needed]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Mumin, Nijla. ""A Different Image": Alile Sharon Larkin Retrospective (L.A. Rebellion Film Series) | IndieWire". www.indiewire.com.
- ^ Field, Allyson (2015). L.A. Rebellion: Creating a New Black Cinema. Univ of California Press. ISBN 9780520960435.
- ^ "Creating a Different Image: Portrait of Alile Sharon Larkin | UCLA Film & Television Archive". www.cinema.ucla.edu.
- ^ "Women Make Movies | A Different Image". www.wmm.com.
- ^ "SPLA | Alile Sharon Larkin". www.spla.pro.
- ^ "Movie: A Different Image – Sembene Film Festival". www.sembenefilmfestival.org.
- ^ ""A Different Image": Alile Sharon Larkin Retrospective (L.A. Rebellion Film Series)". shadowandact.com.
- ^ "Madeline Anderson Shorts". BAM.org.
- ^ "Afterimage: Madeline Anderson | BAMPFA". bampfa.org.
- ^ "One Way or Another: Black Women's Cinema, 1970-1991". BAM.org.
- ^ "Alile Sharon Larkin | Black Film Center/Archive". blackfilmcenterarchive.wordpress.com.