Figuring out how to summarize the work Francine DeCoursey has done in the North Carolina film world is, well, complicated. It can’t be confined to a title, but “filmmaker activist” gets close to an accurate description. Filmmaker: referring to the multiple roles she’s played – producer, writer, director, editor. And that’s not an exhaustive list. “Activist” points to the kinds of films she’s chosen to write, direct, and produce, but her activism goes even deeper.
Her company, On Location Production Services, has provided locations, extras, crew members, and other support services for over 100 feature film and television productions – Bolden, Freedom Song, Dawson’s Creek, Twilight Zone, Once Upon A Time When We Were Colored, Touched by an Angel,andBlack Dog.
Francine DeCoursey grew up in Charleston, South Carolina during the era of legal racial segregation. A young white girl living near a largely Black community in the segregated American South, she grew to know and love Gullah Geechee culture. And she met Dixie Lee, her childhood best friend. It was here that she also received an early and direct education about the cruelty and harm of racism.
Resources:
North Carolina Black Film Festival
Cinema Sisters International Film Festival
