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Serial Pictures signs director Merawi Gerima
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Serial Pictures welcomes director Merawi Gerima for commercial and music video representation.
Production Company Serial Pictures has signed filmmaker Merawi Gerima for commercials, branded entertainment and music video representation.
Born and raised in Washington, D.C., Gerima’s origin informs his work and his community centred orientation, and his work focuses on going outside the boundaries of creative conventions to discover and cultivate an authentic storytelling accent.
Gerima grew up immersed in film. Prior to attending USC’s School of Cinematic Arts (encouraged by mentor filmmaker Bradford Young), he spent his childhood on film sets and in editing rooms with his filmmaker parents Shirikiana Aina and Haile Gerima.
His hauntingly personal feature debut, RESIDUE, was a communal endeavour, shot in the neighbourhood where he grew up. Written and directed by Gerima, RESIDUE follows aspiring filmmaker Jay (Obinna Nwachukwu) returning to his childhood neighbourhood in Washington, D.C. that has been changed beyond his recognition.
The film is an intense, thought-provoking, evocative and emotional story of social dislocation and broken lives set against the backdrop of gentrification in the District of Columbia.
Following its world premiere at the 2020 Slamdance Film Festival, RESIDUE was honoured with the festival’s Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature and the Acting Award for star Nwachukwu. It was also awarded Special Mention at the 77th Venice International Film Festival’s Giornate degli Autori, and won the John Cassavettes Award at the 2021 Film Independent Spirit Awards. The film was later acquired by Ava DuVernay’s ARRAY and is currently streaming on Netflix.
The director has since directed television episodes for The CW series NAOMI and OWN Networks’ Cherish The Day, created and produced by DuVernay. He is currently in post on his first music video.
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