‘Let’s Talk Hair’ TV Show Gets Spotlight At AAWIC Festival

Let’s Talk Hair,” a new series highlighting the nuances of Black women’s hair journeys, is set to be screened at this year’s African American Women In Cinema Film Festival. The 22nd AAWIC Film Festival, which provides a platform to showcase minority women filmmakers, will take place November 4-6, 2021.

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As show creator and producer, this will mark filmmaker Olu Gittens’ second appearance at the festival. Her previous short film, “Lucky,” took home the Audience Award. “I am honored to have had both a narrative and non-narrative work appear in the festival,” said Gittens in a recent statement.

The “Let’s Talk Hair” talk show is hosted by Del Hairrons and Rhavin McSweaney and features such guests as celebrity hairstylist Kim Kimble (Beyoncé, Zendaya, Brandy) and Grammy-nominated R&B singer and songwriter Syleena Johnson. The series’ premiere episode and film festival feature tackles on-the-road haircare with guest Janelle Grimmond, a fashion editor who has worked with such publications as Vibe, Essence, Honey, Latina, Nylon, Paper. Other topics include trends, styling techniques, natural hair laws, and discrimination.

“As much as our show is about hair, it’s not only about hair,” Gittens said. “We explore subjects like travel, family, career, relationships, personal finance, style, business, life changes – hair is the beautiful thread that runs through all these other really interesting things.”

This show is especially timely as celebs and social media push the mainstream and entertainment industries to tackle beauty bias in front of and behind the camera. From calling for sets to hire hairstylists who are trained in styling textured hair to calling for more representation behind the scenes (only 6% of all major films featured a Black director, less than 1% were women), Black women are demanding change.

This is also true in the legislature, where the CROWN Act continues to gain momentum around the country passing laws that ban natural hair discrimination, and in the natural hair movement, where women are returning natural not as a political statement, but because they are falling in love with their natural kinks and curls (even if they decide to silk press them straight).

The show balances these heavy conversations with entertainment, comedy, and more.

Press play to watch a trailer and screen the show’s premiere episode at the AAWIC Film Festival, November 4-6. For tickets or more information, visit aawic.org.