Director & Editor — "Day At The Braiders" January 2023
My Debut short film "Day At The Braiders" Shot in Brooklyn, New York City in January 2023.
Day at the Braiders
Hair is more than just style, it represents a history of cultural identity. Filmed at Fatou African Hair Braiding in Downtown Brooklyn, New York, this piece highlights the intersectional beauty embedded in the Black diaspora seen in cultural forms such as faith, art, fashion, and identity.
Hair is more than just style, it represents a history of cultural identity. Filmed at Fatou African Hair Braiding in Downtown Brooklyn, New York, this piece highlights the intersectional beauty embedded in the Black diaspora seen in cultural forms such as faith, art, fashion, and identity.
Hair salons are more than just places to get your hair done, they are sacred spaces, hubs of cultural creativity, connection, confidence, and care. Hairstyles are an intricate expression of identity, shaping the way we present ourselves to the world and the way the world perceives us. Whether we choose to wear our hair uncovered, embracing its gravity defying beauty or embrace the beauty of covering it with a hijab, our relationship with hair is a deeply personal and universal diasporic experience.
Through Day at the Braiders, I wanted to capture the artistry of hair braiding: the precision of parting, the intentionality of braiding and adding in extensions, the smell of Blue Magic and the bittersweet sting of a too-tight pull—reassured by the promise that the final look will be worth every moment!!
Whether you've experienced it firsthand or not, I invite you to step inside this world—not as an outsider looking in, but as someone who seeks to understand the beauty and significance of these spaces.
Watch the video below and spend a Day at the Braiders!
"Day at the Braiders" was selected for The Art of Connection exhibition, curated by The Holy Art in London! The exhibition was on view from January 31 to February 3, 2025.