Blindfold ProductionsHighly acclaimed filmmaker and teacher Damani Baker has used his craft for over 20-years to tell stories that inspire others. In his latest film, The House on Coco Road, released by Array, Damani takes viewers on the journey his family embarked on to flee racial tensions in the United States, only to find themselves in the middle of the Grenada Revolution. What sets this story apart is Damani’s inherent advocacy for women and women in power throughout the film, featuring first-hand accounts from Angela Davis, Fania Davis, and Fannie Haughton.
As a child, Baker witnessed a utopian culture in which women of African descent were in positions of power. These memories have forever influenced how he views the world and creates his films. At a young age, he began to question, “leadership, power and the male-dominated aggressive and often violent paradigms that leave people desperate in the system”. To this day he continues to bring that questioning and awareness to his filmmaking and into his curriculum when he teaches filmmaking students at Sarah Lawrence. Watch his Blindfold mini-doc above to hear his story and catch The House on Coco Road on Netflix.
Array is an independent film distribution and resource collective founded by filmmaker Ava DuVernay. They work to promote independent films by people of color and women filmmakers.