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Alison Nicole Stewart came to the Documentary Program by way of cross-country road trip from Washington D.C. Alison previously worked for the International Human Rights Law Group, a non-profit organization engaged in human rights advocacy around the world. As Special Projects Coordinator, she helped organize the "Voices" Special Forum during the United Nations World Conference Against Racism (2001) in Durban, South Africa. In addition to the World Conference and racial discrimination issues, she has worked extensively on women's human rights issues. Alison is an honors graduate of Boston University's College of Communication and St. John's University School of Law. She was also a recipient of Georgetown University Law Center's "Women's Law and Public Policy" fellowship. Alison is originally from the Mid-Hudson Valley in New York.

SCHOLARSHIPS AND GRANTS :

  • Mary and Jacquelyn Edmonds Prize, 2002



Pass Me Not
digital video
24 min.

Pass Me Not explores the role of church and religion in the lives of African-Americans who are lesbian, gay and transgender. At the center of the film is the City of Refuge, a church in San Francisco's Tenderloin area that has a "radically inclusive" ministry led by Dr. Rev. Yvette Flunder, an ordained minister and professional gospel singer. Combining the traditional with the radical, Pass Me Not gives voice to those who celebrate their spirituality and sexuality.



Transplant
16mm, color film
10 min.

There is a definite "mal a l'aise", a certain "je ne sais quoi" experienced by many of us from the East Coast now living in the Bay Area. Our reasons for relocating are varied, as are the social, cultural and personal implications of going west. What are the chances of recovery for an East Coast Transplant?

FESTIVALS AND SCREENINGS:

  • Georgetown Independent Film Festival, 2003
  • Cantor Arts Center Annual Student Party on the Edge, 2002



Universal B-Boy
Co-directed by Dantia MacDonald and Alison Stewart
digital video
9:30 min.


This film follows Matt Burgos, a fifteen-year-old Filipino American, as he hones his breakdancing, spinning, flowing, and graffiti skills in a quest to become a Universal B-Boy.

FESTIVALS AND SCREENINGS:

  • Excellence in Media Production, Association for Educational Communications and Technology, 2002
  • Honorable Mention--Documentary Short, Oakland International Film Festival, 2003
  • US ASEAN Film and Photography Festival, 2003
  • Stanford Student Film Festival, 2002



Good Hair
16mm, black and white film
3:30 min.

An African-American woman’s journey through ritual and reflection to come to terms with her Good Hair.

FESTIVALS AND SCREENINGS:

  • Honorable Mention--Eastman Kodak Scholarship, 2002
  • NextFrame, 2002
  • Festival of International Film and Video, 2002
  • International Black Women's Film Festival, 2002
  • WinFemme Film Festival, 2002
  • St. John's International Women's Film and Video Festival, 2002
  • Cantor Arts Center Annual Student Party on the Edge, 2002