Upcoming Event: IG Live with Jana Smith, Creator, Writer and Director of Red for Revolution
Promotional flyer featuring Jana Smith, writer and director of Red for Revolution.
Join us for an upcoming IG Live with Jana Smith, writer and director of Red for Revolution.
On Thursday, April 3rd at 6:30 PM EST, join us for an IG Live with Jana Smith, writer, creator, and director of Red for Revolution! Red for Revolution is a six-part audio drama centering intergenerational stories of Black women, queer love, and liberation starring Jordan Hull, Loretta Devine, S. Epatha Merkerson, Rutina Wesley, Renée Wilson, Alimi Ballard, Jennifer Beals, Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, Danny Glover, Vanessa E. Williams, adrienne maree brown, Caro Guzmán, Don Daniels, and many others. The heart of the story follows the passionate love affair between jazz singer Lorraine Giovanni and activist Ella Ali.
The narrative unfolds through the perspective of Jazmine, an 18-year-old grappling with her queer identity, first crush, and the delicate task of mending her relationship with her homophobic mother. As Jazmine seeks solace and guidance from her grandmother, listeners are transported back to 1971, where two remarkable women from vastly different backgrounds, with opposing political views and living oceans apart, embark on a romance that defies all conventions.
In this conversation, Smith will share her creative and political impetus behind Red for Revolution; the silences, ruptures, and possibilities in the archive about Black women, queer love, Black liberation, and queerphobia; audio, film and visual representation as radical imperatives for centering erased histories; and more.
About Jana Smith
Jana Naomi Smith (she/her) is a Gary, Indiana-bred, interdisciplinary writer, filmmaker, educator, and cultural worker. She is the writer/director behind the Tribeca Film Festival award-winning audio drama, Red for Revolution. Previously, Jana wrote the podcast Built to Last for American Express, hosted by Elaine Welteroth and featuring Issa Rae and Kimberly Drew. Additionally, she is the creator of the meditation series Relax, Relate, Release featuring insights from Dr. Maya Angelou, Ruby Dee, Dr. Angela Davis, and others. Jana is the author of the Essence Magazine essay “What Would I Say To My Daughter If She Is Assaulted?” In 2024, she launched Relatively Conscious, a virtual multimedia space inspired by the wise words of James Baldwin that offers abolition themed community gatherings and craft workshops.
Throughout her career, Jana has worked for the Human Rights Watch Film Festival, Random Acts of Flyness, 911-Lone Star, CBS, American Documentary, and POV Film. She is a recipient of the Ida B. Wells Disrupting the Master Narrative Award for her short film, Baptême. Jana is an alum of Ryan Murphy’s “Half Initiative” and holds a BA from Sarah Lawrence College where she developed an interest in the intersection of Black womanhood, erased histories, and intergenerational healing