Interview:
Rachelle
Gardner
"Black
films are rare and Unique"
By Erik Kambel
March 2008
Rachelle Gardner is
the director of the film
Harlem Mart 125: The American Dream.
A film about an indoor market in Harlem New York,
that housed vendors from all corners of the black
community. Main theme of the film is urban
redevelopment, which, as in Amsterdam South-East,
has implications for the black community. In Harlem
the market closed its doors due to the
redevelopment. In the film Gardner examines the
background. But who is Rachelle Gardner? And what is
her motivation for making this type of films?
Rachelle Gardner, a Harlem native of Haitian decent,
graduated from Hunter College in 2002. While
attaining a Bachelor’s of Arts Degree in Film
Production, she also
attended the University of Miami in 1995 as a
"visiting student", where she created two films,
Unforgiven Sins, and Mistijah. Unforgiven Sins was
chosen to participate in
the University of Miami Film Festival. After college
she worked in the Film and Music industry, both on
set and behind the scenes. She has worked with the
Source
Magazine, Columbia Records, and the Queen Latifah
Show.
Making films was not her first choice. "My visions
of becoming a filmmaker began in College. I was
eager to become an actress but quickly became
discouraged due to the
lack of positive images of black people that were
portrayed in the scripts that I would read. Instead
of complaining about it, I decided to study film at
the University of Miami
and began to create my own films."
The idea for the film
Harlem Mart came from her husband Val. "Experiencing my neighborhood change drastically, my
husband Val suggested that I document the changes of
Harlem by creating a documentary. Harlem's Mart 125:
The American Dream is my first professional piece."
Harlem Mart was for Gardner not only a theme for a
film, it was also a special place for her. "The Mart
opened its doors in 1986, right when Hip Hop was
growing. It was the first place on 125th street that
so many black faces could trade, meet and build. It
meant more to me than just a place that I could go
to get some slammin stew fish. In the Mart Dr.
Leonard Jefferies or Dr. Ben would be talking about
Egyptology, African Studies and all that uplifting
knowledge that open my mind and began to free me
from the ignorance I was taught in my uppity Haitian
upbringing."
Gardner is a strong supporter of black films. "Black
films are unique and rare. They are films created by
and or about the black experience - the African
Diaspora. I tend
to gravitate to films that can teach me something
about my culture or inspire me to know where I came
from, what I overcame and examine where I stand
right today."
With her films she wants to touch and educate people.
"Images and sounds can have such an impact on
the way one reaches the consciousness of one's soul.
Whether you are physically blind or deaf, the sounds
and the images of someone's artwork can positively
or negatively effect people. My mission is to
continue to create and support positive films that
are educational and entertaining. Used from the
words of the great
KRS-1- it's all
about edutainment."
For novice filmmakers in the Netherlands Gardner has a clear message. "If you have the vision and the
desire to tell your stories, put it out there. We
need you! Pick up a
camera like a weapon and shoot. We need to see more
stories about the black experience in the
Netherlands. We need to know the African
contribution that has made what the Netherlands is
today. We need to know what is going on right now
and how people are surviving and achieving peace."
De film Harlem Mart will be completed in the fall
2008.
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