An Interview with Monet Morgan
Monet Morgan is a London-born filmmaker who currently focuses on making short films. After graduating from university, Monet began freelancing for brands, weddings and events, while always keeping her writing spirit alive by coming up with scripts and developing new, innovative ideas for her filmmaking. Recently, her short film Wooly Hair was selected at the BAFTA qualifying Aesthetica Short Film Festival. Due to her successes, Monet is part of this years’ BFI Weekender - a weekend dedicated to celebrating the best working-class talent in filmmaking today. In this interview, Monet talks to us about her recent filmmaking ventures and how she broke into the industry, as well as talking us through what she envisions her creative future will look like.
Congratulations on being a part of BFI Weekender this year! What does it mean to you to be part of this event?
Thank you very much! It meant a lot for me to be selected to be a part of this weekender event. The BFI is an organisation that I wanted to be involved with as a filmmaker. You see the BFI name on British films and you only wish as an aspiring filmmaker that you can get their attention. Thankfully, the BFI has different schemes and events for filmmakers in the UK where they want to expose, help and connect us with opportunities. So, I am pleased to have been selected for this event and I hope to continue to have this relationship with them!
Following on from the BFI Weekender’s aim to showcase working-class creatives like yourself, did you encounter any challenges when entering into the film industry as a working-class individual?
Most definitely. Starting my independent journey as a filmmaker, what I did and I would encourage all first-time filmmakers is to have the do-it-yourself attitude and make a short film yourself. Get a small team of passionate filmmakers in the necessary roles and get hungry actors and performers to cast in the roles. This was good for my development, storytelling ability and being able to start and finish a short film project with little to no budget. Being working class, it's hard to gather up finances to produce a film when you are unable to get funding. I like to tell stories with characters who are of a working-class status which felt like it was challenging to get that connection from executives or whoever wants to take on a project to produce as they struggled to relate to the stories I wanted to tell.
If so, what do you think would have made it easier for you to get into the creative industries as a working-class individual?
I think it was the change to include more people of colour and women in the industry and below-the-line crew that helped me. That’s when I felt I was given more of a chance in the spaces in the industry. I felt this change for my journey at the middle-end of 2019. Being working class and then being a black woman felt like it was an extra difficulty for me, so I’d like to see the film sphere become more inclusive and welcoming for people like myself.
Still from the short film Wooly Hair. Credit to Monet Morgan.
What was your journey into the film industry like – talk me through your entrance into the industry until now?
I loved writing fictional stories when I was in secondary school. After going to college and university to study film production, I realised I can continue telling stories but with a beautiful visual to go with it. That is why I want to focus on directing; to be the one in control of the visual decisions.
Your recent film, Wooly Hair, sees a woman on her natural hair journey and explores themes of self-exploration and acceptance. What made you want to explore this topic in your film?
I intentionally wanted to explore and make a short film with very little dialogue. I wanted to tell this specific story as it is something that I relate to. As well as this, I explored the topic in my own life with other women - often we had small conversations bonding about similar experiences related to these issues. Exploring the themes and topics about identity, self-exploration and acceptance are elements of character development that I enjoy revealing in storytelling. I want to allow the audience to follow the journey of these characters in order to truly understand their emotions and what motivates them to feel complete. These are things I had to go through in my personal life, so I want to extend these conversations into the screen.
Still from Wooly Hair. Credit to Monet Morgan.
Do you have any other topics that you’re keen to explore in your future films?
I want to continue to explore identity and themes that relate to the black community. I hope, in the future, to explore coming of age tropes, different takes on the love theme, as well as exploring ideas related to family and mental health.
On a more personal note, is there anyone who you particularly admire in the film industry at the moment?
Yes, I have quite a few! I admire Barry Jenkins, Ava Duvernay, Issa Rae, Mara Brock Ali, Melina Matsoukas, Gina Prince Bythewood, Ryan Coogler, Steve McQueen and Nija Mu’min in particular at the moment.
Also, is there anything you’ve watched recently that you’ve loved?
Yes - what I have watched and loved recently includes the TV series Pose, The Underground Railroad, Snowfall, One Night in Miami and Small Axe.
Finally, do you have any upcoming projects that you’d like to tell us about?
I’m developing a mini-series and I have written a short film. The short film has two talented producers working on it and we are all working hard to get it finished by next year. I am excited about both ideas and I feel like they both will get people to connect with the characters and the world they live in.
Where to find Monet -
Website: https://www.amonetvision.com/
Instagram: @monetmorgs
Twitter: @MonetMorgs
Interview by Sussanna Demelas, Edited by Maddy Sinclair.
