Documentary About Workplace Discrimination To Screen At Hollywood Black Film Festival

Oakland, CA — Head Not The Tail Productions (HNTT Productions) is delighted to announce that its powerful and inspiring documentary Invisible Women: Being a Black Woman in Corporate America has been accepted for screening at the 2017 Hollywood Black Film Festival (HBFF). The influential film, skillfully directed by Melody Shere’a and executive produced by her talented sibling Monica Simmons, is the result of a year-long research study interviewing professional black women in the San Francisco Bay Area and New York City.

Invisible Women uncovers and addresses issues around racism that profoundly affects black women in the corporate workplace. In the film, several women share respective experiences of disappointment and rejection when simply trying to earn a living and compete against women of other races for a higher step on the corporate ladder. The film will screen at the Hollywood Black Film Festival on Thursday, February 23rd at 2:15 p.m., hosted at the AMC Theater Marketplace 6 in Marina del Rey, CA. (View a message from the creators of Invisible Women)

“For the production of Invisible Women: Being a Black Woman in Corporate America, we interviewed black women of varied professional levels who generously shared their previously untold stories and feelings around race-related issues on the job,” said Shere’a, HNTT Productions founder and CEO. “In conducting the research, we found the corporate practice of discrimination to be a common harsh reality faced by countless women of color. We also interviewed experts who provide employment reports and statistical data on this topic.”

Continuing support of the #equality4blackwomen movement, Invisible Women director and executive producer, Shere’a and Simmons, will attend the 48th NAACP Image Awards to be held February 11th in Pasadena, CA. Shere’a said, I am most excited to see the outstanding cast of “Hidden Figures” (Taraji P Henson, Octavia Spencer, and Janell Monae), who will also be presenters at the awards show.” Based on a true story, the “Hidden Figures” film depicts a group of black female mathematicians who in 1961, helped NASA win the Space Race while facing extreme discrimination in the segregated NASA workplace.

According to Simmons, “Black women continue to experience racism on the job. We must be open to talking about this distressing issue to move toward a resolution. Obstacles that my sister and I have faced working in Corporate America were the inspiration behind Invisible Women: Being a Black Woman in Corporate America. Our film is meant to drive a movement for change in the workplace, especially the technology industry. ”

“No longer should we be silenced. We need to speak up and call it what it is,” commented Shere’a. Unlike “Hidden Figures,” we are no longer in the 1950’s-60’s era. This racial discrimination against smart, educated, and powerful black women is unacceptable. We deserve a seat at the table, and we are demanding our place to exist, no longer will we continue to remain Invisible Women.”

ABOUT THE HOLLYWOOD BLACK FILM FESTIVAL
Founded in 1998 by Tanya Kersey, the Hollywood Black Film Festival (HBFF) aims to enhance the careers of emerging and established Black filmmakers through a public exhibition, competition program and industry panels. Known amongst the entertainment industry’s powerbrokers as, “The Black Sundance,” the festival brings independent works of accomplished and aspiring black filmmakers to an environment encompassing the mainstream Hollywood community and Southern California film-going audiences. The festival’s goal is to play an integral role in discovering and launching independent films and filmmakers by bringing them to the attention of the industry, press, and public.

The Hollywood Black Film Festival is an annual four-day celebration of Black Cinema drawing together established filmmakers, popular film and TV stars, writers, directors, industry executives, emerging artists, and diverse audiences from Hollywood and around the world. The 14th edition of the Hollywood Black Film Festival will take place February 22-26, 2017 in Marina del Rey, CA.

ABOUT HEAD NOT THE TAIL PRODUCTIONS (HNTTP):
HNTT Productions, founded in 2016 by Melody Shere’a, is located in the heart of Oakland, California. The company creates, develops, produces and invests in film, television and documentary projects. The entertainment industry veteran possesses more than ten years acting, print modeling, and voice-over experience. She is a member of the Screen Actors Guild (SAG). Shere’a graduated from Cal State Hayward, where she earned her Bachelor’s degree, and later pursued an MBA in Finance at Holy Names University in Oakland.

Monica Simmons is the Executive Producer of the documentary and head of production and film development for HNTT Productions.

Shere’a, HNTT Productions CEO states, “For too long our stories have been left behind. It is HNTTP’s goal is to bring forth the change needed in the entertainment industry by becoming the ‘Head and Not The Tail’ in this business”. For more details, visit www.HNTTProductions.com

Complimentary tickets: Media, TV/movie producers, agents, documentarians, film companies, distributors ONLY.