Michelle Materre (1954-2022) | Founder, Creatively Speaking

Michelle Materre was a distributor and educator who championed Black voices in film and released influential independent movies by Black creators. An early proponent of independently released works by Black female directors, Michelle began her work at a time when diversity in independent film was far from the forefront of the cultural conversation.

In 2000 she began teaching at the New School, where her courses focused on diversity and inclusion in media. Her company, KJM3 Entertainment Group, worked on distribution for major films. One of KJM3's first projects was the marketing of Julie Dash’s “Daughters of the Dust.” Widely viewed as a masterpiece of Black independent cinema, it was the first feature film by a Black woman to have a wide release. 

In 1999, Michelle started Creatively Speaking, an effort to package short films from underrepresented filmmakers into full-length programs organized thematically. Under Michelle's curatorial prowess it grew into a major cultural player, holding regular screenings throughout the United States and sponsoring educational panels about diversity in filmmaking at the New School in New York and around the world.

Photo (Left to right): Raoul Peck, Michelle Materre, Vlad Nikolic