Chloe x Halle Champion Emerging Filmmakers with Neutrogena Studios First Frame Program
Neutrogena Studios is releasing two short films, EN AVANT and IF MY VOICE RANG LOUDER THAN MY SKIN, on March 10 on YouTube. The shorts were written and directed by two Gen Z filmmakers, with the support of Chloe x Halle, and are the first two films from the studio’s First Frame Program, produced in partnership with Ghetto Film School.
The First Frame Program aims to cultivate the next generation of diverse filmmakers, encouraging them to create art that exemplifies the larger stories surrounding skin health and embracing your skin. Mentors for the program are five-time Grammy-nominated R&B duo and Neutrogena brand ambassadors Chloe x Halle, who assisted with selecting the films for the program and mentored the filmmakers with feedback on the scripts and early rough cuts.
EN AVANT highlights the internal struggle of a Black ballerina with self-acceptance as she faces racism in a white-dominated art form. Directed by 20-year-old and NYU Tisch School of the Arts student Sarah Jean Williams, the film tells the story of one's battle with self-love through black-and-white imagery. Williams, a Ghetto Film School alumni, won the school’s special Grand Jury Prize for her film Never Grow Up.
IF MY VOICE RANG LOUDER THAN MY SKIN brings to life an allegorical story of a teenage boy who craves a life where his skin no longer affects his daily life or how others perceive him. Using 2D animation, the film follows him through the streets of the Bronx, trying to unite his community’s voice through music to rally against the divisive hate against color. The film is directed by 22-year-old Kyra Peters, an alum of Ghetto Film School and currently a script coordinator at Moonbug Entertainment.
“The Neutrogena Studios First Frame Program represents everything Ghetto Film School does as a leading film institution by developing and celebrating emerging talent and partnering with the best in the industry. Working alongside Chloe X Halle and the entire Neutrogena team has been an honor and we are excited to premiere the two short films that have been in development over the last few months,” said Sharese Bullock-Bailey, Chief Strategy and Partnership Officer at Ghetto Film School.
EN AVANT and IF MY VOICE RANG LOUDER THAN MY SKIN will be available on March 10, 2022 on the Neutrogena YouTube Channel here.