BEST ANIMATION - Reel Sisters of the Diaspora Film Festival | BEST DOCUMENTARY - Trans Stellar Film Festival
African American • Queer • Mental Health • Coming of Age • Family • Animation • Cinema & Media • Race & Ethnicity • Youth Collection • Gender Studies • StereotypesDate of Completion: 2016 | Run Time: 23 minutes | Language: English with English & Spanish subtitles | Captions: Yes | Includes: Transcript & Study Guide | Director: Carrie Hawks | Producer: Carrie Hawks
In black enuf*, a Queer oddball seeks approval from Black peers despite a serious lack of Hip-Hop credentials and a family that ‘talks white’. The quest for a Black Card (undeniable acceptance of their racial identity) takes them from Missouri, to New York, and halfway around the world. This animated documentary examines the expanding black identity through a personal journey. The filmmaker interweaves stories from their great-grandmother’s autobiography, interviews of family & friends, and hand-drawn memories. Tongue-and-cheek humor makes such a heavy topic easier to digest. The visuals mix Monty Python style cut-outs, infographics, watercolor, and a variety of illustrative styles. We’re all on a quest for acceptance.
Colorlines
"mixes animation with family interviews and dry humor to explore their... Blackness and LGBTQ identity"
New York Times | Tamara Best
“recalls the journey for acceptance”
Black Girl Nerds
“It explores their identity and the long, winding journey it took to arrive at a comfortable place with it. Their tongue-in-cheek humor and honesty made this film resonate.”
Kansas City Star | Jeneé Osterheldt
“Creating a dialogue will help ease the burdens so many teens carry.”
Philadelphia Gay News | Gary Kramer
"Carrie Hawks’ fabulous short “black enuf*” mixes hand-drawn animation and interviews with friends and family members. Hawks recounts personal struggle finding irrefutable acceptance in the Black community and in the Queer community. Hawks details their family’s history and genetic make-up, as well as how stereotypes about food, “talking white,” skiing, religion and images from television impact their cultural identification and assimilation."
Barnard Magazine | Elicia Brown
“I was deeply moved by the film and happy to see the students engaged.”
Annaleigh Sage Bergman (Facebook post after PBS Screening)
"Hawks’ new film, black enuf*, is an animated documentary that mines the filmmaker’s personal journey to ask questions about race, including how identifying as queer can complicate the quest to fit into the black community."
AWARDS
Best Animation | Reel Sisters of the Diaspora Film Festival
Best Animation | First City Film Festival
Audience Award for Best Women’s Short Film | Out on Film
Best Documentary | Trans Stellar Film Festival
New York Emmy Nomination for Historical/Cultural Program
FESTIVALS
St. Louis International Film Festival
Reel Sisters of the Diaspora Film Festival
Ann Arbor Film Festival
Gary International Black Film Festival
Martha's Vineyard African-American Film Festival
Out on Film ATL
Black Star Film Festival
Afrikana Independent Film Festival
CinemAfrica
Animaze
Mixed Remixed Festival
First City Film Festival
Fringe! Queer Arts & Film
Manchester Queer Media
Twist Seattle Queer Film Festival
Scottish Queer International Film Festival
Milwaukee LGBT Festival
The People's Film Festival
MIX Queer Experimental Film Festival
Queer Women of Color
NY Feminist Film Week
New Voices in Black Cinema
Black Filmmakers Film Festival
Rocky Mountain Women’s Film Festival
Squeaky Wheel Film Festival
CAMPUS & COMMUNITY SCREENINGS
Barnard College
Williams College
Queens Museum: Set on Freedom Screening
Brooklyn Museum: Queer Black Brooklyn on Film
Kemper Museum
Nelson-Atkins Museum
Brooklyn Society for Ethical Culture
Kiki
Batty Mama
Queerly Beloved
Verso Books
National Black Writers Conference
Kansas City Center for Inclusion
University of Michigan
One Struggle KC
Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
Director for Inner Wound Real and black enuf*
Carrie Hawks confronts self-imposed and external assumptions about identity in order to promote healing, particularly in relation to Blackness, gender, and queer sexuality. They work in animation, drawing, collage, sculpture, and performance, often incorporating humor. Their film black enuf* was nominated for a New York Emmy, won Best Documentary Short at Trans Stellar Film Festival, was broadcast on American Public Television’s World Channel in 2019, and screened at over 40 festivals including Ann Arbor and BlackStar. They taught Experimental Animation at Parsons and have curated programs for the Ann Arbor Film Festival and ASIFA-East.