#PURE MOVIE TV#

I can have acceptance one day because this character had it. If we can have more stories that show specific experiences that people can look at and say, 'Okay, I can aspire to something. NJH: For me growing up, I often struggled with depression, and I think a big part of that was not being able to see myself and feeling really alone.

#PURE MOVIE TV#

TV : What do you think is the potential impact of having more stories that are Black, queer and extremely specific, like Pure ? So thinking about the traditions we that are not acknowledged, I think it can help people who don't often see themselves. A lot of people don't even know that cotillion exists in the Black community. It definitely fills a gap in terms of including joy… but also seeing more representation and seeing Black people, queer people, people who have a different lifestyle do cotillion. NJH: I think it fills a small gap, being a short film. TV : What do you think your film adds to the genre of coming-of-age stories? The coming-of-age stories are definitely out there, but people of color have not been included. I want to see a Love, Simon for Black people, or even a Lady Bird. And Precious in particular is not a hopeful story. I still have not seen a coming-of-age story about Black girls besides Precious or Pariah. NJH: They definitely have gotten better compared to when I was in high school, but it's still really slacking. TV : What are your thoughts on the state of coming-of-age stories right now? My last one… I think I have to say Lady Bird. Dope is a really good one that I loved in high school. I'm kind of embarrassed, but I would say Love, Simon. TV : Let's do your top five coming-of-age stories, unranked. A lot of her films actually are very similar to what I see in Barry Jenkins' work, about the intimacy and the tenderness of telling stories, especially love stories and coming-of-age stories. She's a French director, a lesbian woman. Some of our close-ups in Pure were definitely inspired by things that I've seen in his films the slower pace, the way that he shines a beautiful light on Black people and Black stories, I love it so much. There's something so intimate and tender about the way that he tells stories. When thinking about all of those perspectives and how you approach storytelling, who would you say influences you the most?

But with Pure, it's the opposite of what we've normally seen, and a lot of people have been craving that kind of content. Oftentimes, they'll include a white partner to make it more acceptable. It's rare to see two Black girls together. Especially adding the queer element on top of that. Whether it's short films or feature films or even in television, it's rare to see Black young people able to be happy and joyful and find love. NJH: I think what jumps out at people is the fact that they can see a coming-of-age story - and see a Black story - that has joy because oftentimes that’s just not the case. What do you think is speaking the most to people within these 12 minutes and 29 seconds?

TV : You have made a lot of waves so far with this award-winning short film. It was a lot of thinking about my own personal journey. That inspired me to think about the irony of coming out as queer and gay at a cotillion, which is also a coming out ceremony. I was thinking about how I love coming-of-age stories and how funny it could be to place a queer coming-of-age story in a very rigid environment like a cotillion, because I like opposites. Then when I was in film school at NYU, in my last year, it was time for us to make our senior films and the idea of cotillion came back to me. But I always thought about that tradition. So I was always thinking about that, and for some reason the cotillion didn't feel like it aligned with who I was, so I never did it. I didn't process it when I was in high school, but I kind of always felt like I was different in a way, in terms of not having my sexuality be straight. I didn't really have the language to know my identity back then. I remember being fascinated by how grand it was and seeing Black people in these beautiful gowns and tuxedos and how it was all so beautiful - but also very heteronormative. They asked me to do it when I was around 16, 17. Natalie Jasmine Harris: Pure came to be because growing up, I always saw people doing the cotillion tradition back home, and my mom and my grandma both did it when they were in high school or around high school age. Teen Vogue : Tell me how Pure came to be.

Pure movie