CELEBRATING JUNETEENTH

Like Juneteenth, SYMPTOMANIA is a portmanteau— combining the words ‘symptom’ and ‘mania’ to identify a specific feeling and the mental landscape it belongs to.

In my exploration of this film and its concepts, I have been gifted many spiritual discoveries. What began as a dedicated effort of detangling the psychological reconciliation of a chronically ill experience expanded with its many revelations. As SYMPTOMANIA took shape and the characters introduced themselves to me, I realized that beyond my individualized expression this story exists through me to honor my ancestors and the people of the Black south who came before me.

Both narratively and for myself as the writer and director of SYMPTOMANIA, I am privileged to have the freedom of agency and choice, freedom in my creative expression, and the opportunity to make Black films for Black audiences with Black artists. 

SYMPTOMANIA was made in Mississippi on generationally owned Black land. On Day 3 of filming we were fortunate to host a family reunion on set. Please enjoy this BTS preview of the making of SYMPTOMANIA on our instagram page @symptomaniafilm, at home with my family.