
Directing
Ayoka Chenzira
Place of birth
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Known for
Directing
Credits
28 titles
Ayoka "Ayo" Chenzira (born November 8, 1953) is an independent African-American producer, film and television director, animator, writer, experimental filmmaker, and transmedia storyteller. She is the first African American woman animator and one of a handful of Black experimental filmmakers working since the late 1970s. Chenzira studied film and photography at The College of New Rochelle and accomplished her M.A. degree in education at Columbia University. She received her B.F.A. degree in film production from New York University. In 1984, Chenzira was one of seven writer/directors selected for the Sundance Institute. She was one of the first African-American women to produce a feature-leng…
Known for
8.2MeTV's cartoon curator Bill and Toony the Tuna host a weekday morning showcase of classic theatrical cartoons, featuring popular characters like Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Tom and Jerry, Popeye the Sailor, and Woody Woodpecker.
Toon In with Me
2021
6.1The teenage daughter of a Brooklyn beauty-parlor owner blossoms under the influence of her recently-returned show-biz aunt.
Alma's Rainbow
1994
4.0A love story between a Jamaican immigrant and his wife that turns bittersweet when the search for the American dream goes awry.
MOTV (My Own TV)
1993
NRA coming-of-age story that features a reluctant young woman who accidentally falls to Earth and ends up a superhero. Originally conceived as a project which combined live action filmmaking with interaction through video game mechanics.
HERadventure
2013
6.4An animated satire on the question of self-image for African American women living in a society where beautiful hair is viewed as hair that blows in the wind and lets you be free. Lively tunes and witty narration accompany a quick-paced inventory of relaxers, gels, and curlers. This short film has become essential for discussions of racism, African American cinema, and empowerment.
Hair Piece: A Film for Nappy Headed People
1984
10.0Openly addressing sensitive issues of slavery and the African diaspora, this animated short traces the origins of funk, soul, and rhythm from the "boogie spirit's" original home in Africa, to its worldwide influence in today's popular culture.
Zajota and the Boogie Spirit
1989
Film credits
1990s · 2 titles
Series credits
Behind the camera
6.1The teenage daughter of a Brooklyn beauty-parlor owner blossoms under the influence of her recently-returned show-biz aunt.
Alma's Rainbow
1994
6.1The teenage daughter of a Brooklyn beauty-parlor owner blossoms under the influence of her recently-returned show-biz aunt.
Alma's Rainbow
1994
6.1The teenage daughter of a Brooklyn beauty-parlor owner blossoms under the influence of her recently-returned show-biz aunt.
Alma's Rainbow
1994
4.0A love story between a Jamaican immigrant and his wife that turns bittersweet when the search for the American dream goes awry.
MOTV (My Own TV)
1993
4.0A love story between a Jamaican immigrant and his wife that turns bittersweet when the search for the American dream goes awry.
MOTV (My Own TV)
1993
NRA coming-of-age story that features a reluctant young woman who accidentally falls to Earth and ends up a superhero. Originally conceived as a project which combined live action filmmaking with interaction through video game mechanics.
HERadventure
2013
6.4An animated satire on the question of self-image for African American women living in a society where beautiful hair is viewed as hair that blows in the wind and lets you be free. Lively tunes and witty narration accompany a quick-paced inventory of relaxers, gels, and curlers. This short film has become essential for discussions of racism, African American cinema, and empowerment.
Hair Piece: A Film for Nappy Headed People
1984
6.4An animated satire on the question of self-image for African American women living in a society where beautiful hair is viewed as hair that blows in the wind and lets you be free. Lively tunes and witty narration accompany a quick-paced inventory of relaxers, gels, and curlers. This short film has become essential for discussions of racism, African American cinema, and empowerment.
Hair Piece: A Film for Nappy Headed People
1984
6.4An animated satire on the question of self-image for African American women living in a society where beautiful hair is viewed as hair that blows in the wind and lets you be free. Lively tunes and witty narration accompany a quick-paced inventory of relaxers, gels, and curlers. This short film has become essential for discussions of racism, African American cinema, and empowerment.
Hair Piece: A Film for Nappy Headed People
1984
10.0Openly addressing sensitive issues of slavery and the African diaspora, this animated short traces the origins of funk, soul, and rhythm from the "boogie spirit's" original home in Africa, to its worldwide influence in today's popular culture.
Zajota and the Boogie Spirit
1989
10.0Openly addressing sensitive issues of slavery and the African diaspora, this animated short traces the origins of funk, soul, and rhythm from the "boogie spirit's" original home in Africa, to its worldwide influence in today's popular culture.
Zajota and the Boogie Spirit
1989
NRAn experimental short film with themes of machinery, modernization and the human form. Produced as part of a program sponsored by Austrian machinery corporation EMCO.
Williamswood
1992
NRA father struggles to fully embrace the life and death of his gay son.
Snowfire
1994
NRA father struggles to fully embrace the life and death of his gay son.
Snowfire
1994
NRA father struggles to fully embrace the life and death of his gay son.
Snowfire
1994
9.0A collaboration between filmmaker Ayoka Chenzira and performance artist Thomas Pinnock, who performs his "immigrant folktales" using traditional lore of his native Jamaica to dramatize his migration to New York in the 60's.
The Lure and the Lore
1988
9.0A collaboration between filmmaker Ayoka Chenzira and performance artist Thomas Pinnock, who performs his "immigrant folktales" using traditional lore of his native Jamaica to dramatize his migration to New York in the 60's.
The Lure and the Lore
1988
NRA gay man living through the HIV/AIDS crisis reflects upon his recent history of loss with the help of his grandmother, who tells him a story of her own trauma and loss during the Jim Crow-era South.
Pull Your Head to the Moon: Stories of Creole Women
1992
7.0Chenzira's 1979 tribute to dancer-choreographer Syvilla Fort.
Syvilla: They Dance To Her Drum
1979
7.0Chenzira's 1979 tribute to dancer-choreographer Syvilla Fort.
Syvilla: They Dance To Her Drum
1979
NRA woman struggles to free herself from the "Keeper of Memory" in this surreal odyssey.
In the Rivers of Mercy Angst
1996
NRA woman struggles to free herself from the "Keeper of Memory" in this surreal odyssey.
In the Rivers of Mercy Angst
1996
NRA woman struggles to free herself from the "Keeper of Memory" in this surreal odyssey.
In the Rivers of Mercy Angst
1996
Through interviews with survivors of sexual abuse, parents, social workers, community activists, and abusers thmselves, this piece explores the feelings and experiences of sexually abused children and their families.
Secret Sounds Screaming: The Sexual Abuse of Children
1986
