Wednesday Night Live

Location: The Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts + Culture (551 S Tryon St, Charlotte, NC 28202)

Registration Link.

In honor of Women’s History Month, this program centers Black women’s voices and experiences within the film industry through screening and conversation.

The program features a screening of the short film Hair Daze by director Tyla Barnes, followed by the panel discussion “Black Women Navigating the Film Industry.” Together, the panelists explore how cinema functions as a global language of affirmation and cultural influence. Drawing from personal experience and professional insight, the conversation examines voice and identity in shaping narratives, expanding representation, and building culture for Black women on screen and behind the camera. Grounded in the history of women in cinema and focused on the future, this discussion highlights film as a tool for storytelling, access, and collective imagination.

Panelists:

Dr. Jimmeka Anderson is a Postdoctoral Fellow and Researcher at the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE) at Tufts University, where her work focuses on the intersections of media, youth, and democracy. She earned her Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction with a concentration in Urban Education from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and holds a Master’s degree in Educational Media with a focus on New Media Literacies. Her research explores critical digital media literacies among historically marginalized youth, with a particular emphasis on youth civic engagement and media ecosystems in underserved communities.

Dr. Anderson was the Founder and Executive Director of I AM not the MEdia, Inc. for ten years and is currently the creator of Black Girls Film Camp (BGFC), a nationally recognized youth filmmaking program dedicated to amplifying the voices of Black girls as storytellers. Over the past five years, she has funded and executive-produced more than 50 films written and directed by high school girls across the United States and Australia, led fundraising efforts that have generated over $2 million for youth media productions, built partnerships with major studios such NBC Universal, Disney, FX, Array, and Tyler Perry Studios, and served as the project manager and strategic lead for all BGFC film initiatives, including program design, production strategy, and marketing.

Working across film, television, and digital content, Torell Shavone is committed to telling authentic stories about people of color, with a focus on enhancing the presence of culturally resonant media and creating memorable narratives.

Most recently, her short film Never Leave Your Side was awarded Best Drama at the Atlanta Short Film Festival 2025 and is an official selection of the London Lift Off Festival 2025. Her documentary “Interview with The Stars” shot on location in Lagos, Nigeria was featured on display at the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art. She was Associate Producer on the feature film “All In” which won the Audience Award at the 2019 American Black Film Festival (ABFF) and premiered on BET. She directed and produced music video “Clumsy” which made it’s world premiere on BET Her and BET Soul.

Tracy “Twinkie” Byrd, originally from Brooklyn, New York, is a renowned casting director, director, and executive producer with a career spanning nearly three decades. She has been instrumental in casting for acclaimed films such as Stomp the Yard, Notorious, Fruitvale Station, Sparkle, Southside with You, and The Clark Sisters. Byrd’s keen eye for talent has launched the careers of actors like Michael B. Jordan, Michael Kenneth Williams, Naturi Naughton, and Laz Alonso.

Transitioning into production, Byrd has served as an executive producer on several projects, including Christmas Unwrapped, Kirk Franklin’s A Gospel Christmas, and Kirk Franklin’s The Night Before Christmas. Her directorial work includes the award-winning short film The Counter: 1960.

In 2025, Byrd co-executive produced the Lifetime biopic Can You Feel the Beat: The Lisa Lisa Story, which chronicles the life of Latin-freestyle music pioneer Lisa Velez, known professionally as Lisa Lisa. The film delves into Velez’s journey from a young dreamer in Hell’s Kitchen to a music icon, highlighting her challenges and triumphs in the industry.

Tyla Barnes is a multi-hyphenate creative from the heart of the South whose work lives at the intersection of storytelling, culture, and social impact. Deeply inspired by the transformative power of cinema, Tyla is driven by a belief that stories can shift perspective, foster connection, and create space for deeper understanding. Rooted in lived experience and shaped by a Southern sensibility, Tyla’s work reflects both intimacy and scale, honoring quiet moments while confronting the larger systems that shape our lives.

As a filmmaker, writer, and creative director, Tyla centers her practice on illuminating the rich and layered experiences of underserved and often overlooked communities. With a rich approach and a strong auteur voice, Tyla’s storytelling prioritizes emotional truth, presence, and humanity. Her work is often grounded in verité and character-driven narratives, with a particular focus on identity, justice, and the lived realities of unseen and unheard communities

Tyla’s work has included collaborations with brands and organizations such as Apple, the NAACP, PODER NC, and more. Her short film Hair Daze, created in partnership with Beats by Dre, explores hair as a site of memory, identity, and self-expression, examining how personal and cultural histories live within the body. 

Moderator: Afeni Grace has led community-based projects with several non-profits across the country. She has taught original wellness curricula for youth, justice-impacted communities, and global corporate teams, including nearly four years leading virtual workshops for Google employees worldwide. She is currently Director of the Black Carolina Initiative at the Harvey B. Gantt Center, leading a multi-million-dollar artist development effort across the Carolinas.

In partnership with The Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts + Culture.