Film

Allison Waite

Princess Grace Award:
Undergraduate Film Scholarship, 2014

Allison A. Waite is a Los Angeles based filmmaker and student in the Film/Photo/Video program at Hampshire College. She is a James Baldwin Scholar pursuing an interdisciplinary concentration in Film, Video and Africana Studies. Her research concentrates on African American familial settings in inner cities, black motherhood and how children are raised in preparation for the racism and systemic oppression they will face. Film is her activist tool of choice. She aims to give unresolved stories a voice and to spark connections within her community. She is influenced by the work of Julie Dash, Dee Rees, Charles Burnett and Spike Lee. Her goal is to make films that tell stories of trauma experienced by African American women and their families. Rather than portraying these women as victims, she aims to show their struggle, their empowerment and the joy they are often denied.