Before the lights, camera, action of BronzeLens, the founding artistic director of the BronzeLens Film Festival was a girl from Washington, DC, who loved to read. Her love for the arts was shaped by her mother, an aspiring actress, who immersed Deidre McDonald in a variety of artistic experiences from an early age.
Film was not initially her interest, but stories always have been. On her way home from school, Deidre began going to the local independent theater, crediting “Sugarcane Alley,” by the Martinican Filmmaker Euzhan Palcy, as the first film to show her the depth and emotional layers that a film can capture. This film opened her eyes to how a film can allow an audience to truly see and experience someone's world and their story through the screen. "Film is such an engulfing media that it can take your breath away," she says.
Although Deidre's professional career did not exactly begin with film, storytelling has always taken center stage. What started as a 3-month internship at Channel 11 eventually led to a position as senior producer for programs and projects, where Deidre leveraged her passion for storytelling to produce documentaries and children's series with complete creative freedom.
Cut to 16 years ago when Deidre helped write the next chapter in Atlanta's film scene as a founding force of the BronzeLens Film Festival. Because Atlanta is a city rich in Black culture, creating a destination festival geared toward Black filmmakers fit perfectly in the script. "It's not about the glitz and the glamour," she says, but it is a festival for real storytellers telling real stories.
With a curatorial eye shaped by Indie films, Deidre believes in the power of independent distribution. Some BronzeLens alum, like Courtney Glaude, who worked with Tyler Perry, have gone on to mainstream success, but Deidre remains passionate about finding stories for an audience outside of Hollywood. Deidre even has a longstanding relationship with Ava DuVernay, having partnered with her over the years to show more than 20 films that were procured independently. "In mainstream media, sometimes marginalized people are shut out of being seen," she says. "This festival magnifies us as a people and gives opportunity to see each other and to be seen."
For Deidre, it's not a wrap just yet. "I'm not retiring," she says. "I'll always love film and be supportive of filmmakers." The artist in her won't fade to black, as she plans to keep her artistic spirit alive through music, theatre, and film. She has even recently begun taking a collage-making course and is part of a jazz studies group.
While the spotlight may be shining elsewhere for her, Deidre's story is still rolling with plenty more coming soon.