Jennifer Holness focuses on Black women and beauty in Subjects of Desire

I had to fight for the version of the film that you see. ... The film could’ve easily been a treatise on Black women’s pain, but I wanted to be sure it was instead about Black women’s empowerment, that there was power and glory in being a Black woman.

JENNIFER HOLNESS DIRECTOR, SUBJECTS OF DESIRE

Having worked as producer, writer, showrunner and director for two decades, Jennifer Holness is no stranger to the tenacity it takes to make a name for yourself as a Black woman in the Canadian arts industry. Alongside her own challenges to be seen and heard by decision makers, her work continues to platform elided Black histories and centre Black voices in a way that privileges self-determination.

With her first feature-length documentary, Subjects of Desire, Holness turns her lens to the subject of Black women and beauty. From the histories of gendered racial stereotypes to recent acts of cultural appropriation, the Jamaican-born filmmaker uses the 50th anniversary of the Miss Black America pageant as a backdrop to explore the ways Black women have withstood and rejected conventional beauty standards.

Ahead of the film’s TVO premiere Feb. 1, Holness spoke with The Globe and Mail about the compassion with which she centres Black women, and her hope for the future of Black Canadian filmmakers.

What drew you to documenting the Miss Black America pageant?

Growing up there was a very clear message that Black girls weren’t pretty or feminine; or if they were, they looked a certain way. The Miss Black America pageant was created out of political action. It was about Black women taking up space in a way that they were rarely defined: beautiful, strong, with diverse body types. That was so powerful to me.

I’ve never been tricked into this notion that beauty doesn’t matter. I am well aware of the power of beauty. When you live in a world that defines beauty, typically, as European features, and you know that the woman who [fits that definition] is the one that’s going to get the job, that’s power.

I was struck by the ease and intimacy you had with the women we hear from. How did you establish a space of care for the people you spoke with?

I don’t know if it’s because I have daughters, or because I’m a Black woman, or because I’m intimately and completely invested in us being able to take up the space that we are supposed to, but I wanted to connect with the women on their level. I let them determine the nature of our relationship.

In not being seen or heard for much of my life – unless I fought for it – I wanted to make sure that everybody felt [affirmed] in that way.

The things that Subjects of Desire speaks to us about – the “isms” and their ilk which affect Black women: misogynoir, colourism, featurism, texturism – are things that you have also come up against as a filmmaker. Did you have any challenges during the development process?

I had to fight for the version of the film that you see. I worked with [collaborators] who are decent but, early on in the filmmaking process, they felt that the point of interest was cultural appropriation.

And it’s easy to see why that would be: appropriation centres whiteness. So that was the aspect that was initially appealing to them. But I wanted to focus on the histories behind this, to peel back the layers of meaning, and often times it was difficult for them to understand the nuances of what I was trying to do.

I always made sure that the point of view of Black women was front and centre. The film could’ve easily been a treatise on Black women’s pain, but I wanted to be sure it was instead about Black women’s empowerment, that there was power and glory in being a Black woman. And not everybody saw [the value in] that.

What supports need to be in place to allow for more of this kind of filmmaking, which disputes Canadian media’s dominant narratives?

It comes down to gatekeepers. There is an erasure of our stories as well as a lack of belief that there is something worthy in telling them. We as Black people are always having to convince people that there is merit in what we have to offer. People of all ages need to be given legitimate platforms to be supported as they’re making their work; and when these people come through the door there needs to be someone there who can see and support it in the way that it needs.

We need to have funds like those we’re attempting to get at CISF [Canadian Independent Screen Fund] that are independent and run by people of colour for people of colour. I believe that this is the way that we’re going to find gems from people who may not have been able to start through the mainstream system and who, through this type of support, will finally be able to access it.

Subjects of Desire premieres Feb. 1 at 9 p.m. EST on TVO, after which it will be available to stream across Canada on TVO.org

This interview has been condensed and edited.