Modern Griots: Cauleen Smith

Several months ago, I saw a few of Cauleen Smith‘s short films, including “The Changing Same” and “Green Dress,” at the Studio Museum of Harlem. Smith is an experimental film director with an Afrofuturistic focus, dealing with issues about identity and black women. Her alter ego’s name is Kelly Gabron, a character that allows her to travel outside the limits of her own identity. Currently, Smith is working on a documentary on the jazz musician, Sun Ra, called Solar Flare Arkestral Marching Band Project (watch the trailer below), and the project includes the actual marching band, the Rich South High School Band. For more information on the film, follow her twitter and website.