Today we’d like to introduce you to Fatima Hye.
Hi Fatima, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today.
How I Got Started in Film
Like many creative people, I never felt like I belonged anywhere. This was especially true as a first-generation American: I couldn’t really fit in with the people “back home” nor to the people around me in mostly white suburbia. Naturally, I took refuge in the arts, beginning with being addicted to books as a child and getting into the visual arts and especially music as a teen. I also had the “other” sides of me: spiritually anchored, fascinated by science, and philosophically curious. After years of intense struggle about who and what I was, I feel like all the pieces came together for me in film.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
The Road Less Traveled (By Lots of People, Individually)
When I first thought of making a film, I had no blueprint, so just started in what I thought was a semi-methodical way: I took a few media production classes, focusing on the technical aspects, because I had enough ideas on the artistic aspects of motion pictures. I began with short, experimental pieces with very few resources, and with each new project, tried to be more ambitious and set a higher standard for myself. For my first project, I started with authentic footage, some of which I shot myself and some of which I culled from others and produced a 3-minute video art piece that cost me $20. From there, I completed a few more student productions until I emerged with a 48-minute featurette that was the first film to feature professional cast and crew. We shot over a weekend on the road, and the total cost to me was $3000. That film, “Animalium,” went on to screen at a regional festival and is now streaming on Tubi. This is where I began to see my first (albeit very modest) returns.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Where I Ended Up
Since then, I pushed myself to get “out there” (hard for any introvert): delving into social media, networking with others, and even crowdfunding 2 campaigns, one for a psychological body horror about two girls whose toxic friendship causes them to push one another into disordered eating practices, called “Ana & Mia.” I did 3 “covid” projects: a brief short, a medium length cooperative short, and a feature-length art horror anthology, “Cryptic Triptych.” For the first time, I started receiving grant money from the regional arts organizations (Austin Film Society and Houston Arts Alliance). I also got my first distribution deal for my first feature, a psychological art horror “operatic cinema” called “Abortifacient” (re-released for international audiences as “Coming to Term”), which has just been released in 5 territories (US, CA, UK, IR, ME) on major streaming platforms (YouTube Movies, Google Play, Vudu, Microsoft Store, Amazon, and Tubi).
Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
What My Films Are Like
There is no point in being an indie filmmaker if you’re not going to take risks. The world is already filled with businesspeople who are amazing at analyzing a market, doing their research, knowing what will sell, and developing a product that caters to the masses. A media teacher of ours was fond of recounting an adage that the lack of limitations is anathema to creativity, something every kid making a fort out of pillows knows. My films tend to be artsy, psychological, and philosophical in nature. They are an exploration of ideas within an emotional framework: whether through story, sight, or sound. This is hardly the stuff of box office blockbusters, so they’re definitely not for everybody. But if you enjoy innovation and experimentation in film, or if you lean towards more dark or edgy topics and stories, you may want to check some of them out.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.blackrevel.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/blackrevelfilms
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/blackrevelproductions
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fatima-hye-218579200/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/BlackRevelFilms
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@blackrevelproductions
- Other: https://vimeo.com/blackrevel/vod_pages
