Why Curate Films?
BY T. MARIE KING
I have always loved watching films for as far back as I can remember. I grew up watching Disney films on Sunday evenings and then we would take trips to the local mom-and-pop video store in our neighborhood to rent movies, that store was around long before Blockbuster even existed.
Michael Keaton as Batman was the first film I ever saw by myself, I was nine years old. Well, technically I was not alone because I was with my older cousin. She was twelve, but we were there without adult supervision.
Films fascinated me and I knew at a very young age that they would always be a part of my life. One of the hats that I wear at our local Sidewalk Film Festival in Birmingham AL is that of a Programmer. I am also a guest curator for the Vermont Film and Music Festival as well. In the role of Programmer, I’m entrusted to curate a visual playlist that not only entertains but inspires.
So, why do I curate films? I enjoy curating films because I get the unique pleasure of creating an experience for audiences that takes them on journeys of excitement, adventure, and wonder. I am also able to provide experiences that allow the audience the opportunity to learn, and grow while being exposed to many different types of stories. I enjoy exposing viewers to new people, different ways of viewing life, creating new thinking processes where they get to learn about different communities and are exposed to various issues that impact them for good. Too often in society we shy away from highlighting our differences whereas films allow us to tell our own stories, represent ourselves and celebrate those differences.
When it’s time for me to curate I think about my audience in 4 different ways:
Who's my target audience?
What do they like?
What should they be exposed to?
Who’s not represented but should be?
It is human nature to gravitate to what we like, but I love looking for gems to insert into a program that people don’t expect but will value. For example, I am not a fan of westerns, but I will search for them because there is definitely an audience for that genre and new audiences that should be exposed to them, too. I understand that even though a western is not my cup of tea, it may be just right for someone else.
As a curator, I have to remain open to all subjects and all genres. I can objectively program a film that I may not like personally but realize it is a story worth being shared to others.
Curation for me is like first threading a needle then sewing together all the emotions that you want the audience to take with them when they leave. It is similar to choosing the right songs for a dance party. If you want a certain mood, you choose songs that carry the vibe you want. It’s the same with film curation.
So, why do I curate films? I curate films because I want to share what can be imagined. In film curation I see the audience as a beautiful tapestry of people of all different shapes, sizes, identities, and complexions. They are people with many different backgrounds and from many different parts of the world. But what brings us all together is our one love, film.
About the Author:
T. Marie King is an Emmy Nominated Film Producer who released her first full length documentary on the unsung hero and civil rights icon the Reverend Fred L. Shuttlesworth in 2022 through Alabama Public Television. She is also the Black Lens and Lead Shorts programmer for Sidewalk Film Festival. T. Marie is a native of Birmingham Alabama and considers herself to be a film inspired activist with a hip hop flavor.