Status
Tanzy Ward and Khalifa Lee began their development in 2023, meeting extensively with the NPU-H West Atlanta communities. They have raised initial production Pre-Production funds and are currently searching for funds for filming and Post-Production
Directors Lee and Ward bring the shared experience of Film and historical preservation to this project. They have hired a local production company, Crushed Velevet Films, LLC to bring the viewers close to the residents and organizations that make up the NPU.
Tanzy Ward
Tanzy Ward is an avid community advocate, historical non-fiction book author, dedicated educator, and antique dealer. She is the Vice-Chair of Historic Preservation & Environment for her NPU community. In her professional career, she has collaborated with various historical societies and featured in a diverse range of national publications, syndicated programs, and archival organizations. Currently, she is the author of “Hidden Legacies: African Presence in European Antiques” (2020), and “Unsung Portraits: Anonymous Images of Black Victorians & Early 20th Century Ancestors” (2021). Her second title, Unsung Portraits, was a 2022 Contingent Magazine Historian Book Award recipient.
Her passion for historic preservation has led to community-oriented initiatives to protect the history and material culture of her locality. She is currently also focused on updating the narrative and accurate depiction of Black Americana. She values cohesively integrating Decorative Arts & History Education multidisciplinary subjects to preserve ancestral material culture. She created Zanathia Jewelry in 2017, which specializes in the sales, education, and preservation of antique jewelry.
Khalifa Sultan Lee
is monikered as the healing artist, the afro agriculturalist, and the activating activist. A community leader and educator here in Atlanta — and back in his collegetown of Charlottesville, Virginia — Khalifa has worked tirelessly in empowering service to ensure there will be an equitable, energy efficient, ecologically resilient future, for the most underserved families and their generations to come. A descendant of artists, performers, healers, ministers, and activists, Khalifa combines all that is within him to deliver thought provoking and spiritually elevating art through his oral and physical creations. Khalifa is a writer, photojournalist, and filmmaker - and founder and Executive Producer of BlackRoosterHouse Productions, and Creative Director of Eye of Khalifa Media, is To learn more about him and to follow his work please follow @eyeofkhalifa on all platforms.
”The artist must elect to fight for freedom or for slavery." ~ Paul Robeson + “Go. Do. Be.” ~ Mr. Brown, Principal of Dr. Benjamin E. Mays High School
Sonia Matthews
a writer and local filmmaker who has written a novel, produced music videos, and several film shorts. She is in post-production for a documentary called “Zavobe", which explores the world of black womb healers in social justice spaces. This powerful documentary is set to be released in early spring 2024, promising to shine a light on an often-overlooked aspect of healing and wellness. She’s also written the first of an eight-episode TV series called "Monday Night Martini.
