“I am safe. I am enough. I am right where I need to be,” the audience echoed together at the third annual FilmGood Festival.
Powered by WalkGood LA, the FilmGood Film & Wellness Festival took place from Nov. 6 to Nov. 9. Participants gathered to hear from Black creatives about their artistic journeys and navigating the Hollywood industry. With the festival following the abrupt layoff of Hollywood workers, the FilmGood Festival demonstrated that Black creatives are thriving in wellness, community and artistic development.
“FilmGood has grown beyond a festival — it’s become a movement,” said co-founder of WalkGood LA Etienne Maurice. “Each year, we see how art and wellness together can heal, inspire, and ignite community.”
Director of FilmGood Ray Love Jr. said the festival centered on community building and wellness during the mass layoffs in Hollywood. He added it was important to foster a safe space for artistic development and for creatives to recharge.
“What makes FilmGood important in our current times with the issue of a recession of Black art and Black work in the Hollywood TV space,” said Love Jr. “It’s important for us to create spaces for ourselves to be seen and to provide resources for folks who want to create and put things out into the world. [It’s important that we] equip them with the tools they need to make those things happen…because it’s all about community building.”
“Bel-Air” and “Yay” creator Morgan Stevenson-Cooper led a director’s masterclass and discussed the development process from lighting, casting and stage design. Stevenson-Cooper emphasized the importance of Black creatives continuing their artistic journey despite the slowdown in Hollywood productions and the current political climate.
“It’s now time for the real artists to stand up and not let all of the chaos being sold by this administration – all of the firings – dissuade us from creating great art,” Stevenson-Cooper said. “Instead, it’s more fuel to the fire…If it’s in your heart, make it happen.”
In the spirit of encouraging young creators to continue pursuing their creative dreams, Cooper also discussed his upcoming children’s book, “I Can Make A Movie,” which follows a young Black girl in Kansas City as she works to create her first movie in honor of her sick grandfather.
“‘[This book] is a big homage to my father. My father, a man from Kansas City, didn’t have the opportunity to dream because of Jim Crow,” said Cooper. “He self-published a children’s book when I was 10 and put up the bread himself to make it happen.”
On Sunday, the ActGood workshop and panel was led by “Black Mafia Family” and “Fight Night” actor Myles Bullock. The panel featured casting director Felicia Joseph, “P-Valley” and “Reasonable Doubt” star Brandee Evans, and William Stanford Davis of “Abbott Elementary.”
Bullock encouraged participants to remain authentic and vulnerable in their creative pursuits. He credited WalkGood co-founders and siblings Etienne, Marley, and Ivy CoCo Maurice for cultivating a safe space where creatives can nurture their artistic gifts.
“I feel like if you pursue acting in the right way, it can make you a better human. I really believe that. This space allows you to be vulnerable. They’re allowing you to come here and feel safe,” said Bullock. “[The WalkGood co-founders] are allowing you to come here and explore your artistry without judgment. It’s a space for free exploration, and I think that’s really the only way that we can make strides in our artistic journey, and it will inevitably affect our personal life too.”
After the panel, Davis emphasized the importance of having Black creatives in positions of power amid the slowing of Hollywood productions and mass layoffs.
“If this is what you love. Don’t quit. Put together a crew of people that you can work with,” Davis said. “We need more black decision makers, more black female decision makers, and more black actors who are really serious about the craft. Not just filmmaking, but theater and everything about the craft.”
Actress and festival coordinator Joy McElveen discussed FilmGood’s commitment to maintaining wellness as creatives make their dreams a reality. She emphasized the importance of creatives extending grace to themselves in their artmaking process.
“It’s important that this generation and kids see representation so they know it’s not impossible. When you have a dream and a vision, you can get a community and make it a reality,” McElveen said. “Give yourself grace, allow yourself to fail and make mistakes. You learn from it and keep moving forward.”
Love Jr. added that it is important for Black creatives to take care of their mental health and continue showing up in the community. Love Jr. said that it will help communities navigate tough times and challenges.
“Although other people may not see us, we see each other. Everything we build is valuable, and we have spaces to celebrate ourselves and enrich ourselves with that intentional point of wellness,” Love Jr said. “We are making sure that we take care of our minds and our [mental health] to get through tough times together.”