September 30 & October 7 | With its United States premiere at the Sundance Film Festival, JUST ANOTHER GIRL ON THE I.R.T. introduced audiences to the trailblazing writer-director Harris, who took home a special jury prize for her debut. The story—about Chantal, a Black teenager living in Brooklyn, determined to realize her dreams of going to college and getting out of the projects—was, as Harris states in the end credits, “A Film Hollywood Dared Not Do.” After its release, Harris’s screenplay pitches, focused on stories of pioneering Black women, including female hip hop artists and the first African American female pilot, found no traction. Similar to the career of Julie Dash, who struggled to find funding after her acclaimed 1991 film DAUGHTERS OF THE DUST, Harris has voiced her frustration, “It’s still rare to have a Black director, writer, and producer making a film with a Black lead female character. I tend to write films that deal with one Black woman’s story…that’s where it becomes a little tricky in the film industry.”

Awards & Nominations

Winner - Special Jury Recognition, First Feature Film, Sundance Film Festival 
Nominee - Grand Jury Prize, Sundance Film Festival 
Nominee - Best Female Lead (Ariyan A. Johnson), Independent Spirit Awards

One and Done Series: In One and Done we consider the work of gifted filmmakers who, for myriad reasons, never directed another feature film again, and invite audiences to appreciate the rarity while imagining what might have been. View full series.

The Film Center is ADA accessible. This presentation will be projected without open captions. The theater is hearing-loop equipped. For accessibility requests, please email filmcenter@saic.edu