Film phase:Production
SYNOPSIS
Filmmaker Ashley O’Shay’s late grandfather, Melvin Lewis, was a proud father of 17 in Tuskegee, Alabama. Weaving together memories of Melvin’s living descendents, Southmont documents the family’s journey to reclaim their father’s home, examining a Black family’s plight in the small-town South and their determination to have a gathering space.
Southmont Drive is a participant of the 2024 (Egg)celerator Lab.
ABOUT THE DIRECTOR & PRODUCER
Ashley O’Shay (she/her) is a director and cinematographer living in Chicago. Her work focuses on illuminating marginalized voices through immersive stories. Ashley has brought her unique style to collaborate with national brands including Lyft, Nike, Lululemon, and Dr. Martens. Most recently, Ashley’s cinematography appeared in Founder Girls, a 2022 Queen Collective film that premiered at Tribeca 2023. Her debut feature, Unapologetic (2020), captures two fierce abolitionists whose upbringing and experiences shape their activism and views on Black liberation.