| Cauleen Smith | |
|---|---|
| Born | September 25, 1967 Riverside, CA |
| Nationality | American |
| Other names | Kelly Gabron |
| Occupation | Filmmaker, Artist |
| Known for | Film |
Cauleen Smith (Born September 25, 1967) is an American born filmmaker and professor of Visual Arts at the University of California, San Diego. She is also known to complete work under the alias Kelly Gabron.She is best known for her experimental works that address the African American identity, specifically the issues facing black women today.She heavily associates herself with the bay area movement of experimental filmmakers that question Hollywood's aesthetic values. Her rise into the spotlight first occurred with her much acclaimed feature film Drylongso earning her national recognition as a filmmaker. Her film style is internationally renowned for being innovative displaying the influence of her college mentors Angela Davis, Trinh T. Minh-ha, and Lynn Hershman Leeson. Cauleen currently resides in the greater San Diego area and is working on an upcoming experimental documentary of the life of renowned jazz musician Sun Ra.
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When Smith graduated from John F. Kennedy High School, she was a talented cello player. She accepted a music scholarship from Chapman University in Orange, California, but soon realized that her true passion was film. She transferred to San Francisco State University, a school known for a strong film program.
In 1991 Smith completed her B.A in Cinema at San Francisco State University. While a student there, she completed several films, two of which received “ a lot of attention” according to Smith; “Daily Rains” which was completed in 1990, and “Chronicles of a Lying Spirit by Kelly Gabron” which was fully completed in 1993. The latter film officially introduced Kelly Gabron to the world, Smith’s ‘alter ego’.
Once she finished her B.A., Smith was accepted into M.F.A. program at UCLA. It was her work there that gained her worldwide recognition. In her second year of the program, Smith decided to shoot a feature length film titled “Drylongso”. However, it was against UCLA’s rules for film students to shoot feature length films, “and for good reason, you don’t know what you are doing!” according to Smith. She was, after some struggles, able to complete the film, and it got a significant amount of attention at the Sundance Film Festival, and took home several Best Film awards from other festivals, mentioned below. In 1998, Smith graduated from UCLA with her M.F.A. and a growing reputation as an up and coming force in the film industry.
Drylongso was a highly acclaimed film that gained Smith much attention and popularity. Smith made the movie while completing film school at the University of California, Los Angeles. The film takes place in Oakland, CA and follows a young African American woman named Pica, on her quest to photograph her concept of a dying breed, referring to African American men.The movie follows Pica through the attrition of the young black men around her and how she balances this with her dysfunctional families struggles. The film brings up the topic of gang violence that took place in Oakland which claimed the lives of many innocent African American young men. Drylongso is and old African American term meaning "same old" or "everyday". Drylongso was well received at many film festivals, most notably Sundance Film Festival. in 2000,Drylongso also won best feature at the Urbanworld Festival, Los Angeles Pan-African Film Festival, and the Philadelphia International Film Festival.
Sun Ra: Cauleen Smith’s most recent work in progress is an experimental film about the famous jazz composer, Sun Ra. Sun Ra’s birth name was Herman Poole Blount until he legally changed it to Le Sony’r Ra. He was born in Birmingham, Alabama in 1914, but eventually moved to Chicago in 1945, which is where Smith’s movie will take place. Sun Ra was not only a composer but a bandleader, piano and synthesizer player. He was also famously known for his “comic” philosophies. Sun Ra believed he was a cosmological being from Saturn and his music was composed to share with the human race. He promoted Afrofuturism, which influenced his call for awareness and peace. Sun Ra used his music as a vehicle of communication that he directly used to challenge African Americans to explore their historical past and celebrate it. This is the first film Smith is making without a script or crew, but the film is gradually coming together. The premise of the film is the exploration of the city Chicago and the lasting effect of Sun Ra’s music in the area. She is continuing to ask contemporary musicians to write compositions of Sun Ra’s music for high school marching bands in Chicago to perform. She has the various marching bands dressed in solar flare costume descend on the streets of Chicago playing these written compositions. They quickly disperse afterwards leaving the people in the streets often confused. Smith is tracking Sun Ra’s musical movement around the city and is enjoying exploring Chicago and its history of music and influence. Smith is waiting to raise additional funds to continue making the film. A film preview is available on vimeo.com, which people can also donate money to the cause.