Essential Knowledge For
Filmmakers
Of Colors
Michelle Parkerson, co-director of A LITANY FOR SURVIVAL is a writer, independent filmmaker, university lecturer, and performance artist from Washington, D.C.
Behind The Lens: The Journey Of
Michelle Parkerson
Michelle Parkerson, co-director of A LITANY FOR SURVIVAL is a writer, independent filmmaker, university lecturer, and performance artist from Washington, D.C. She has served on the faculties of Temple University, the University of Delaware, Howard University, and Northwestern University. Her films include But Then She's Betty Carter and Gotta Make This Journey: Sweet Honey in the Rock (both seen on PBS). In 1992, she received a Rockefeller Foundation Film/Video Fellowship. As a member of the American Film Institute's Directing Workshop for Women, she wrote and directed Odds and Ends, a science-fiction short about Black Amazon warriors. Among her recent short documentaries are Fierceness Served! The ENIKAlley Coffeehouse, archiving a 1980s DC Black LGBTQ+ cultural hub, and Camille A. Brown: GIANT STEPS for PBS American Masters/Firelight Media (Co-directed with Shellée Haynesworth) which was nominated for a 2025 NAACP Image Award.
Through The Lens: A Glimpse Into
Michelle Parkerson
's
World
Voices Of Impact: Celebrating
Michelle Parkerson
's
Vision
When I first joined a twn workshop, I was an aspiring filmmaker with a vision but uncertain how to bring it to life. twn didn't just offer me tools and training; they provided a community that believed in my story.
When I first joined a twn workshop, I was an aspiring filmmaker with a vision but uncertain how to bring it to life. twn didn't just offer me tools and training; they provided a community that believed in my story. The mentors and peers I met there have become lifelong collaborators and friends. Today, I'm proud to say my documentary, which highlights the struggles and triumphs of Indigenous communities, has not only been made but has received acclaim in film festivals. This journey of empowerment and creation began with twn, and for that, I am eternally grateful.
When I first joined a twn workshop, I was an aspiring filmmaker with a vision but uncertain how to bring it to life. twn didn't just offer me tools and training; they provided a community that believed in my story. The mentors and peers I met there have become lifelong collaborators and friends. Today, I'm proud to say my documentary, which highlights the struggles and triumphs of Indigenous communities, has not only been made but has received acclaim in film festivals. This journey of empowerment and creation began with twn, and for that, I am eternally grateful.
When I first joined a twn workshop, I was an aspiring filmmaker with a vision but uncertain how to bring it to life. twn didn't just offer me tools and training; they provided a community that believed in my story. The mentors and peers I met there have become lifelong collaborators and friends. Today, I'm proud to say my documentary, which highlights the struggles and triumphs of Indigenous communities, has not only been made but has received acclaim in film festivals. This journey of empowerment and creation began with twn, and for that, I am eternally grateful.
"Griffin and Parkerson's documentary “A Litany for Survival: The Life and Work of Audre Lorde” celebrates a visionary woman, who in her life and literary work embodied the intersection of three social protest movements: civil, women’s and gay-lesbian rights."
