The Color of Me

The Color of Me is a 2018 American family drama fantasy film written, directed by Sreejith Nair.[1] It is about an adopted African American boy, Lewis Clark, who falls in love with a girl who has an unusual condition due to which her skin magically changes color every hour and she turns into 5 different races.[2][3] The film received critical acclaim and several accolades at its international festival run across the United States. It premiered at the Los Angeles CineFest with subsequent screenings at various film festivals.[4] The film was chosen as an official selection at the Amazon Prime Studios first All Voice Film Festival 2019.[5]

The Color of Me
Directed bySreejith Nair
Produced by
Written bySreejth Nair
Fahima Mohamood
Starring
  • Eva Shah
  • Norma Chacon
  • Terell Pierce
  • Jennifer Lenius
  • Pearl Paramadilok
Music bySalil Bhayani
CinematographyNatalie Reinholtz
Edited byEarl Ulit
Release date
  • February 14, 2018 (2018-02-14)
Running time
20 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Plot

An adopted African American Lewis Clark, falls in love with a young woman, Lisa Adams, who is the victim of a magical curse. The curse causes Lisa to transform into 5 different races: Caucasian, Indian, Chinese, Hispanic, and African-American. Lewis and Lisa struggle with their relationship as Lisa continuously changes skin color, and the two of them explore their own opinions about race and how much it really matters in their relationship.[3]

Cast
  • Terrell Pierce - Lewis Clark
  • Norma Chacon - Lisa Adams (Hispanic)
  • Jennifer Lenius - Lisa Adams (Caucasian)
  • Pearl Paramadilok - Lisa Adams (Asian)
  • Eva Shah - Lisa Adams (Indian)
  • Tayler Turner - Lisa Adams (African American)

Background

As an Indian American, the director Sreejith Nair faced a lot of judgment from other Indians. He said:

The topic of racism and insecurity really came from the fact that I am Indian, but I am born and raised in America. Here in America, people look at me like I am a foreigner, but I don’t feel like one. In India, I don’t look like a foreigner, but I feel like one. Throughout my whole life, it seemed like I was a part of two worlds, but never completely belonged in either of them. Are there certain things I’m supposed to be doing just because I’m an Indian? I have often questioned, What if I was a black person or What if I was white?, would my life be so different?. Could I still be the same person if I wasn’t Indian? What if my skin could change color? So I wanted to write a story that asked, If I am a person of a different race or ethnicity, how much is my race supposed to define me? If I am a person of color, can I still have the freedom to be whoever I want without worrying about representing my ethnicity? I want this story to show that you can be anyone, no matter what color you are.[3][6]

Critical reception and reviews

"This unexpected, quirky tale explores what it means to love the skin you're in. It challenges us to explore how we alter our behavior based on the world's perceptions of us and what it would take for us to stop" as reviewed by Chimera Ensemble. Pallavi Kanmadikar of Dish Dash described the film as "a revelation, that will force you to rethink your own opinions about people" further adding "because no individual can be defined by what they look like".[7]

Roopa Modha of Urban Asian noted, "In the era of social media boom, the issue of self-acceptance is a big one and The Color of Me speaks volumes about how we see ourselves and what we are lead to believe are the acceptable norms of the society. The movie brings to light the issues of discrimination and privilege".[8] Jharna Malaviya in her review for The Dish Dash said, "The Color of Me approaches the question of race in a way that has never been seen before".[3]

Awards and nominations
Awards and nominations for The Color of Me
Festival/Award Category Outcome
LA Film Awards[9] Fantasy Film Won
Global Film Festival Awards Fantasy short film Won
Los Angeles Cinefest[10] Best Short Film Nominated
Poster Design Nominated
LA Feedback Film Festival[11] Best Performances Won
Silicon Beach Film Festival Social Impact Award Won
Los Angeles Independent Film Festival Awards Best Short Film Nominated
Hollywood International Moving Pictures Film Festival Best Short Film Nominated
Accolade Film Awards Best Short Film Won
Accolade Film Awards [4] Contemporary Issues / Awareness Raising Won
Accolade Film Awards[4] Social Change Impact Won
Accolade Film Awards[4] Creativity / Originality Won
Accolade Film Awards[4] Viewer Impact Won
Accolade Film Awards[4] Dramatic Impact Won

Official selections and screenings
Festival/EventLocationCountry
Santa Fe Film Festival[12]New Mexico United States
Charlotte Black Film and Music Festival[13]Charlotte, NC United States
Amazon Prime's All Voice Film Festival[14][15]USA United States
Las Vegas Black Film and Music FestivalNevada United States
My True Colors Film Festival[16][17]New York United States
Lake Front Film FestivalMaryland United States
Over The Rhine Int. Film Festival[18][19][20]Cincinnati, OH United States
San Francisco Black Film Festival[21]California United States
Silicon Beach Film Festival[22]Los Angeles United States
Austin Spotlight Film FestivalTexas United States
Lift-off First-Time FilmmakersUSA United States
International Black Film Festival 2019[23]Tennessee United States
Los Angeles CinefestCalifornia United States
Golden Door Film Festival 2019[24]New Jersey United States
Hollywood International Moving Pictures Film FestivalLos Angeles United States
Black Film Festival ATL 2019[25]Atlanta United States
Los Angeles Independent Film Festival AwardsCalifornia United States

References
  1. "Director bio: Sreejith Nair (The Color of Me)". Los Angeles Film Fesitval. Retrieved 21 July 2019.
  2. "Winners". LAFA. 7 August 2018. Retrieved 15 June 2019.
  3. Malaviya, Jharna (9 May 2019). "Sreejith Nair Gets Candid About His Movie 'The Color Of Me'". Diss Dash. Retrieved 6 June 2019.
  4. "Award winners". Accolade Film Festival. February 2019. Retrieved 15 June 2019.
  5. Mukherjee, Tiara (10 April 2019). "Amazon Film Fest Wants to Give a Director of Color $25K". Colorlines. Retrieved 15 June 2019.
  6. Toffolo, Mathew (1 October 2018). "Interview with Award Winning Filmmaker Sreejith Nair (THE COLOR OF ME)". WILDsound FEEDBACK Film & Writing Festival. Retrieved 16 June 2019.
  7. Kanmadikar, Pallavi (December 2018). "Sreejith Nair's 'The Color Of Me' Is Shaded With Questions Of Perception". Retrieved 21 July 2019.
  8. Modha, Roopa (8 January 2019). "Rohit Gupta Backs Sreejith Nair's The Color of Me!". Urban Asian. Retrieved 15 June 2019.
  9. "LAFA Winners 2018". LA Film Awards. Retrieved 16 June 2019.
  10. "LA Cinefest". LACF 2018. Retrieved 16 June 2019.
  11. "The Color Of Me Short Film – Audience FEEDBACK from the LA DRAMA Festival Sept. 2018". LA Feedback Film Festival. Retrieved 16 June 2019.
  12. "Showtime: Sunday, Feb 17th, 1:00 PM". Santa Fe Film Festival. Retrieved 6 June 2019.
  13. "Screenings 2018". Charlotte Black Film Festival. Retrieved 16 June 2019.
  14. "Amazon Prime Video Launches Shorts Festival for Underrepresented Filmmakers". Variety. 8 April 2019. Retrieved 15 June 2019.
  15. Nordine, Michael (8 April 2019). "Amazon Announces All Voices Film Festival for Filmmakers From Underrepresented Communities". IndieWire. Retrieved 15 June 2019.
  16. Chunn, Tai (3 June 2018). "Desi LGBT Visibility Showcase of South Asian Films". Brooklyn Arts Council. Retrieved 6 June 2019.
  17. "Desi Queer Visibility". Step outside. Retrieved 6 June 2019.
  18. "2018 Over the Rhine Int. Film Festival to debut Sept 26-30". Cincinnati People. 23 August 2018. Retrieved 6 June 2019.
  19. "The Color of Me screening". OTR filmfest.
  20. "65 films presenting stories that celebrate the human spirit". Campus Link. Retrieved 19 July 2019.
  21. "Screenings". SFBFF. Retrieved 16 June 2019.
  22. "SBFF Schedule 2018" (PDF). Silicon Beach Film Festival. August 2018.
  23. "Official Selections 2019". ibffevents.com. IBFF. Retrieved 19 September 2019.
  24. Swanson, Mary. "Los Angeles Filmmaker releases film about racism and dovetails inclusion". Retrieved 14 October 2019.
  25. "The Color of Me Official Selection 2019". blackfilmfestatl.org. Black Film Fest Atl.
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