Chicago filmmaker Matthew Cherry took home the Oscar for best animated short film for “Hair Love,” a six-minute short film about an African American father attempting to do his daughter’s hair for the first time.

Matthew and the “Hair Love” team brought the Texas high school teen DeAndre Arnold who’s story has recently gone viral in the news for refusing to cut his locs. DeAndre was suspended for wearing dreadlocks and told he couldn’t attend his graduation ceremony in the spring unless he cut them in accordance with school dress code. Arnold, who has been growing his hair in locs since the seventh grade, has said that his hairstyle —rooted in Black pride, culture and sometimes religion — is a nod to his Trinidadian heritage.

As a surprise to Arnold, Cherry teamed up with Gabrielle Union and Dwyane Wade (who helped produce this short film) to create a special video invitation for the Texas teen. On Oscar Sunday, DeAndre walked the red carpet and attended the full Oscar’s ceremony along with the “Hair Love” team. During the acceptance of their award, Matthew directed the following statement to DeAndre and the crowd saying, “I want to say “Hair Love” was done to normalize black hair.”

Alongside co-producer Karen Rupert Toliver, Cherry who also directed and co-wrote the film gave tribute to Kobe Bryant saying, “May all our second acts be as great as his”. Bryant and Glen Keane won the best animated short film Oscar in 2018 for “Dear Basketball.”

When speaking of the inspiration behind the short film, Matthew shares his personal story. As a former NFL player and graduate of Loyola Academy in Wilmette and the University of Akron, Matthew shared: “You have a situation where Mom may have to go into work early and Dad has to get the kids ready. The gender norms that existed back in the day aren’t really the same as they are now.

“I feel like everyone has to step up and get it done. Black fathers have had one of the worst raps in mainstream media as being portrayed as being deadbeats and not being involved.”

“It was important to us to showcase a black father that was young, that had tattoos. I think if you saw someone like him on the street, you would assume that wasn’t a loving father that does his daughter’s hair,” Cherry said in an interview with The Associated Press. “We’re just trying to change the conversation, one project at a time.”

“Our hair is an extension of ourselves,” Cherry previously told HuffPost speaking about the short film. “And the cool thing about this story is that it really represents pure love: what we’re willing to do for the people we love even when they ask us to do something we don’t know how to do.”

“She Did That” is a new documentary that releases today on Netflix that you can’t miss! This documentary goes inside of the lives of extraordinary, black female entrepreneurs as they discuss building legacies and pioneering a new future for the next generation.

The documentary is produced by Renae L. Bluitt who is a producer, digital content creator and PR consultant from Brooklyn, New York. Renae serves as an advocate for Black women’s accurate representation in the media. Carrying over a decade of experience, she has gained valuable insight into Black women entrepreneur’s narratives. Her passion for supporting Black female narratives in business was the fuel behind her passion to create “She Did That”.

In this documentary Bluitt hightlighs the journey of 4 Black Women in business:
Luvvie Ajayi (Digital strategist and author of “I’m Judging You”), Melissa Butler (Founder of “The Lip Bar”), Lisa Price (Founder of Carol’s Daughter) and Tonya Rapley (Founder of “My Fab Finance”).

Renae Bluitt recently spoke with Forbes Magazine about her overall concept for the film, why black women entrepreneurs need to be supported and how they will be inspired by this documentary:

“Black women and the magic we create is the inspiration behind this film. As the fastest group of entrepreneurs in this country, we are literally turning water into wine in spite of the many obstacles we face on our entrepreneurial journeys. We do what it takes to build our brands and legacies with so much grace, and oftentimes we make it look effortless. This film was created to let the world know what it really takes to be a successful Black woman entrepreneur in this world. Platforms like social media only show us the results and the highlights, but “She Did That.” pulls back the curtain to reveal how and why we do it.” – Renae Bluitt

This new documentary releases today on Netflix. Set some time aside to watch this film and to be inspired!

“SHE DID THAT” PROMO VIDEO:

SHE DID THAT (TRAILER) from Renae Bluitt on Vimeo.

Master P and Romeo recently announced that they are working on a new faith based film called “God Is Real”. This isn’t their first round of inspirational films. Released under Master P’s new production company Genius Minds Pictures, he also released the film “Can You Hear The Lamb” which stars Romeo. This time around Genius Minds in connecting with Romeo’s new company “Romeoland” to release their coming project “God Is Real”.

Why Christian content? Why now?

Master P spoke up loud and clear with that answer to the Christian Post at this year’s Movieguide Awards saying, “Don’t be afraid to grow and change. You know I come from the streets and I come from the pain. Without God I wouldn’t be here. So, why not change and grow up and do right?”

Romeo also spoke up about why he is choosing to create more inspirational content in his future:

“I’ve had a lot of success in this industry…over 19 years. That success really is because of God. I’ve seen  a lot of my cousins pass away when I was younger. I saw my cousin die when I was 8 years old. In that moment, I knew that we are on this earth for a reason. It’s a bigger purpose. You can’t let instagram and social media push you away from what your purpose is. I think we compare too much in this generation. I wanna just make content and movies and let my career be about God and showing kids that we’re all masterpieces you know?

That’s what this next go round is about for me and my pops is about…making sure we get the right content out there that’s leading people in the right direction as well.”

MASTER P SPEAKS MORE ABOUT NEW FILM “God Is Real”

 

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