WILLOW: HOUSE OF GRIOTS
Welcome to the official crowdfunding page of "Willow: House of Griots." It's an Afrofuturist multiverse TV show that follows an elected alt-world observer, Willow, as she ascends to power in a vampiric world on the verge of collapse. And, it’s all set in an alternative world, where a successful 1811 German Coast Slave Revolt leads to an America led entirely by Black and Indigenous people. See below for details.
We're crowdfunding for $30,000
to help shoot our 1-Hour Pilot Episode by the end of September. Don't wait!
Please give whatever you can: whether it's $5 or $500 - every dollar helps!
THE AFROFUTURIST VAMPIRE DANCE PARTY!
Come to The Notice Blog’s end-of-year extravaganza: The Afrofuturist Vampire Dance Party!
WHAT: Afrofuturist Vampire Dance Party
WHEN: Friday, December 8th, 2023 | 8:30 PM - 1:30 AM
WHERE: FirstLive | 219 Central Ave., Brooklyn, NY 11221
TICKETS ($15): https://bit.ly/AVDParty
IG, X, FB: @willowhorror
We’re celebrating the release of our film "Willow: State of Emergency" on Amazon, and raising funds for our highly-anticipated Afrofuturist Multiverse series, "Willow: House of Griots."
This groundbreaking, 1-hour SciFi series uses speculative history series to explore concepts of Liberation and the inherent violence of Capitalism; all set in a vampiric alternate reality where the 1811 German Coast Slave Revolt leads to an America led entirely by Black and Indigenous people.
Musical Artist Jay Cass will be opening the event, with DJ Zeke closing out the night on the turntables. Guests will be treated to a sneak peek of the first 5 minutes of “Willow: State of Emergency,” specialty theme drinks, and the opportunity to buy specialties from local vendors like Black Thoughts Mango Shea Butter.
So, whether you come as Drolta from "Castlevania: Nocturne," Akasha from Queen of the Damned, Willow from “Willow: State of Emergency,” or Blade - we wanna see it! Best Costume receives a prize at the end of the night!
SYNOPSIS
After Peer Consumption is legalized in Moja One, their utopian governance and ideals like universal healthcare, universal education, universal employment, and a Ban on Police are overshadowed by a predatory housing market paired with vampiric cannibalism. Desperate to pay rent, or risk being eaten alive, Willow, a brooding elected observer of alt worlds & timelines, better known as a Griot, navigates her way to Power.
DIRECTOR'S NOTE
“Willow” is the culmination of evidence-based storytelling, visually-striking cinematography, and editing. Moreover, I’m tying emotional journeys to a larger understanding of policy, action, and politics. This is an alternate reality where the 1811 German Coast Slave Revolt leads to a multi-ethnic utopia that bans White Supremacy and most systemic instruments it uses. However, in this reality, consuming others grants one electrical power, regenerative healing, and the memories of their victim - a metaphor that viscerally reveals Capitalism’s inherent violence, and toxic allure. And much like Gold and Enslaved people, entire economies are built upon the consumption of the marginalized, who in this case, are the segregationists wishing to bring back the “old” pre-1811 America, to “make America Great Again.” However, once the population of White Supremacists dwindles, Americans must face the problem of Capitalism once more. “Peer Consumption” is legalized.
A tale that embodies Audre Lorde’s adage: “For the tools of the Master cannot dismantle the Master’s house.” Willow is an Afrofuturist Social Thriller that combines Horror and Satire into a satisfying tale of Womanism, Anti-Capitalism, and the hidden treasures of Community.
Based on the short film, “Willow: House of Griots" is an Afrofuturist TV series that wields the non-linear nature of time & alt-world travel as a vehicle to examine the ways in which sociopolitical events of the past can impact the present and future.
This project is made possible, in part, with funds from the Media Arts Assistance Fund, a regrant partnership of NYSCA and Wave Farm, with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.
See BronxNet's Kibin Alleyne's interview w/ Writer & Director Paul A. Notice II below:
THE SHORT FILM
Thanks to your support in our 2020 crowdfunding campaign, were able to raise over $2k to shoot the "Willow" Proof-of-Concept / Short Film, called: "Willow: State of Emergency" is now available for Rent and Purchase on Amazon! Go out and buy it today! What began initially as a 10-minute piece, slowly grew into a 30-minute dip into a larger world. The script had expanded and evolved, and with it, so did the short film. I took on the out-of-pocket costs for further shoots, and worked hundreds of hours editing countless revisions before finally landing on one that worked.
With producers Suswana Chowdhury and Pierre Jean Gonzales, we ran "Willow: State of Emergency" through the film festival circuit, winning the 2023 Best Short Film in the Black Film Fest, 2023 Semifinalist of the Brooklyn International Film Awards, and 2023 Official Selection of the New York Lift-Off Festival.
It will be screening at the Sacramento Black Film Festival and Denton Black Film Festival in 2024 as an Official Selection in both.
"Willow: State of Emergency" is now available for Rent and Purchase on Amazon! Go out and buy it today!
We later earned a Media Arts Assistant Fund grant from Wave Farm to present our work to the public. So, we hosted a screening October 22, 2022 at Nuyorican Poets Cafe, another screening at the Black-owned Stuart Cinema June 18th, 2023, and even hosted a live stage reading of Episodes 1 - 4 at Here Performing Arts Center on June 2nd, 2023.
See the trailer below:
WE'RE FINALLY HERE
Ten years ago, when I was writing the original stage play, in which the series is based; I could only dream of the possibility of this moment. But here we are. Realizing the first stages of our TV show, “Willow: House of Griots.” And I’m so very thankful for the people who’ve joined me on this journey.
After the 1st rehearsal, I remember pacing back and forth in a basketball court at midnight, talking to my lil brother on the phone about how I knew this was a turning point for me and this project.
I had worked with casts before, I had written & directed plays (and films) before. Nevertheless, this was the culmination of years of experience - of triumphs and hard-taught lessons. My writing matured, evolved - and now with this cast’s insight and notes: it’s flourishing.
We have arrived.
By showtime, my eyes were already watering at merely saying the words out loud: “I DREAMT of being here over a decade ago…”
“Here” wasn’t just the name of the venue. It was how I arrived, and who I arrived with.
“Here” was smarter, with a more nuanced understanding on how the world works, and how to work with different people. “Here” was listening and humbling oneself, adapting and trying again. “Here” was working with friends and loved ones to make something truly meaningful and worth telling.
And we’re finally “here.”
I have plans for this series. Stories to tell, that I wished I’ve seen when I was young. And this is just the beginning.
Over the next two years, my goal is to turn what we performed that Friday night, into the first four episodes of “Willow: House of Griots,” to be self-released on Amazon. I have plans for this series. Stories to tell, that I wished I’ve seen when I was young. And this is just the beginning.
With Gratitude,
Paul A. Notice II
THE GOAL
At least $30,000 to help pay for Principal Photography
Crew: $15,000
DP, 1st AC, 2nd Cam, Audio, Gaffer (8-10 Shoot Days)
Cast: $9,000
Starring:
Ashley Noel Jones as Willow
Suzanne Darrell as The Foundress / Janet
Kirrin Tubo as Taina
Cameisha Cotton as Diane
David J. Cork as Chegge
Glenn Quentin as Cece
Paul A. Notice II as Marc
James Edward Becton as Sterlin (HNIC)
Devon Malik Beckford as Kalief
Asha John as Keisha
Costume & Production Design: $2,000
Creatively using indie filmmaking tips and tricks from the most talented people we know to build a whole new unseen world of Moja One and other realities.
Locations: $2,000
From a field in NJ, to Office Space overnight rentals in East New York, we’ll make this stretch for the entire production
HMU: $2,000
Wardrobe + Hair and Make-up for 10 shooting days
Mission Statement
PRESS
PAUL NOTICE INTERVIEW W/ CHRISTIAN MADERA OF ONCE & FUTURE NERD PODCAST
5 THINGS I WISH SOMEONE TOLD ME ABOUT PRODUCING | AUTHORITY MAG
MAKING MOVIES IS HARD PODCAST | EPISODE 288
INTERVIEW W/ FILMMAKER & QUEENS RESIDENT PAUL NOTICE |BOAST
SASHA OBAMA'S GRANDDAUGHTER WILL SAVE US IN "WILLOW"
BONUS CONTENT
NEW TRAILER
THE WHOLE THING | WILLOW | EPISODE 1
WHY DOES THE PRESIDENT HAVE AN AFRICAN ACCENT IN “WILLOW?”
MEET THE PRODUCERS | KATRINA REID
MEET THE PRODUCERS | SUSWANA CHOWDHURY
"WILLOW" IS LIVE ON SEED & SPARK - AND MY HAND IS ON FIRE!!!
HERE'S WHY "WILLOW" ACES THE BECHDEL TEST...
DREAMS | WILLOW
"I CAN SEE CLEARLY NOW THE RAIN IS GONE..." | WILLOW
MEET SASHA OBAMA’S GRANDDAUGHTER IN “WILLOW"
OFFICIAL TRAILER
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What happens after the Revolution?
As Black folx, we’ve never had the chance to draw a picture of our wildest, most radical dreams. “Willow” seeks to remedy that. After being fed on for hundreds of years by man-eating White Supremacists, Black folx in the world of “Willow” are now the eaters. But what happens, when the “White meat” runs out?
In an alternate reality, where the bodies of Black and Brown folx were once consumed for power, White people - now food for the powerful - are running out. After her roommate dies the night President Sasha Obama II legalizes "Peer Consumption," Willow is forced to search for stability in a new world, where every moment is a wager in flesh.
I wrote the first version of “Willow” ten years ago in 2012. After partnering with director Reg Douglas and producer Glenn Quentin George, we had it go up on its feet at New York Theatre Workshop in 2014, w/ an absolutely stellar cast:
Original Cast List
Willow - Keona Welch
Chegge - Paul A. Notice II
Taina - Kristin Watson
Vanessa - Simone Leonora
Diane - Ashley Samona Baker
Janet - Bianca LaVerne Jones
And he told me that a few of the scenes in the original play might look better on screen. I agreed - and 6 years later, here we are!
I grew up spying on my mom, auntie, and grandma's weekly movie nights w/ my cousin. Candyman, Star Trek Deep Space 9, Tales from the Hood, Vampire in Brooklyn - all became the building blocks of my nascent Blerdom.
Black women introduced me to Horror/SciFi, and yet were barely present on the screen. I wasn't satisfied with one - or even two! Black folx surviving until the end.
I wanted to push the Overton Window. Why not make an all-Black cast? Why not have 90% of the principal characters be Black women, and let the one male character talk about the women for a change? And... while we're at it: why not discuss some present issues about exploitation, capitalism, and liberation in the subtext too. And thus, came "Willow."
"Willow" is part of a larger project, sponsored by The Notice Foundation, Inc - a 501(c)(3) private foundation that develops and supports narratives from marginalized communities. The "Willow" project focuses on hiring BIPOC folx behind the camera, as well as in front of the camera.
And that’s not just through furthering representation of BIPOC in “White spaces,” but by continuing to encourage their employment in positions of power throughout the entire filmmaking process.
We’re also requiring that the production hire 90% BIPOC folx, hire locally, work safely (according to SAG-AFTRA safety guidelines), AND to host an ongoing series of panel discussions and workshops for BIPOC/Queer/Marginalized folx in media.
This project is meant to serve as a guide point, a Green New Deal for Hollywood’s problem with White Supremacy, Queerphobia, and Misogyny.
Our Mission includes employing Black Women and BIPOC folx behind the camera. Not only will Willow employ an entirely Black principal cast, made up of mostly Black women, but all of our Department Heads will be Black Women as well.
I placed particular care in the world-building of “Willow.” Her work ID shows the symbol for the US House of Griots, which is composed of four the Sankofa symbol facing in four different directions surrounding & a Dame Dame, the Adinkra symbol for intelligence and ingenuity. It represents the Griots’ job: looking back into not just our past, but every other alternate reality past, creates and fosters ingenuity and intelligence. They could be described as elected alt-world observers; a mixture between Journalists, Public advocates, and U.S. Representatives.
The dress and style of “Willow” is intricately intertwined with world-building. Pins/brooches evolved into a subtle nod to social standing, while signifiers of “eaters” like gold-adorned talons and fangs - demonstrate wealth and prestige.
Gold + Dark Skin is a beautiful combination, and I want this film to pay homage to that. Furthermore, I wanted to play with the shadows and the dark.
During the early start of my career, I’ve encountered so much prejudice against darker-skinned subjects in Film - including having a fellow crew member “joke” that the worst thing to light for is a Jamaican wedding (dark skin w/ bright colors). I, for one, have a Jamaican father. But what bothered me more, was that bright colors bounce lighter than darker tones. It’s actually a great lighting situation - if you’re accustomed to people with darker skin.
I want “Willow” to add to the canon of films that seek to deconstruct that - NOT through centering Whiteness or oppression - but simply showing a better world, and a better sort of film.
Paul A. Notice II | Director | Writer | Executive Producer
As a 2017 NY Emmy award-winning producer, with over 12 years of filmmaking and journalism; Paul A. Notice II has produced, directed, or edited projects for a wide scale of artists including Mykal Kilgore, Cedric Leiba Jr., J. Read, Melanie Charles, Taja Lindley, David Whitwell, Kendra Foster, and Von Middleton.
Paul’s latest work, “Shaw Boyz” earned the 2019 ISA Bronze Award for Best New Web & Media and the Official Selection, while the music video Notice directed for Hip Hop artist J Read, “Everything,” earned them the 2019 Audio Shoot Unsigned Festival Award for Best Hip Hop Music Video. For more info, please contact them at [email protected], or visit www.thenoticeblog.com to see more work.
Suswana Chowdhury | Producer | 1st AD
Suswana Chowdhury is a first-generation Bengali-American born and raised in Queens, New York. A multimedia artist and journalist, Suswana works full-time as a digital marketing video and audio producer where she manages high-budget productions. Most recently, Suswana acted as the executive producer of an independent short film titled "Dawat" which is currently running on the film festival circuit. She is committed to serving her communities through her work, dedicating her time to develop projects particularly narrative films and documentaries that are reflective of the diverse world she has grown up in. Passionate in her belief that education is a human right, Suswana also actively fundraises to build sustainable and accessible education for girls in India with WE Charity.
Pierre Jean Gonzalez | Producer | Acting Coach
Pierre Jean Gonzalez is a New York-based actor, singer, and producer hailing from the Bronx, NY. Since a very young age, Pierre has worked in many theatrical productions. Currently Playing Alexander Hamilton in the National North American Tour of Hamilton. Some favorite credits that have influenced Pierre include In The Heights and The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity. He has also appeared in episodes of NCIS: NOLA, Gotham, and P.O.S.E. Pierre received his BFA Acting Conservatory from Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University.
"Let’s not forget to still create and cherish Black stories. Because, if we don’t write our stories, someone else will?"
Regardless of who is in office, the images, subjects, and approach in this story are crucial in the challenging harmful practices/beliefs that led us to where we are today.
We witnessed Stacey Abrams deliver Georgia to the Democrats with her “Fair Fight 2020” initiative. We witnessed Black churches and seniors hand Biden the Democratic Primary in South Carolina. And we witnessed a Black Woman single-handedly turn the tides of the 2020 Presidential Debates with a simple reminder to an interrupting Vice President Pence, that she, was “Still Speaking,” declares Paul Notice, Writer, Director, and Executive Producer of Willow, “And yet, this still is not nearly enough of these people reflected in our movies. We need to see more images of Black Women in power. We need to depict them as the saviors they are in real life, on screen.
We need a film like “Willow."
There’s a reckoning happening - and it’s not restricted to policies, but across all industries, including film. “Willow” is a reckoning with America's obsession with White Supremacy.
It’s taken me 7 years to get to this point, and with your contributions - we can make yet another iconic Black film. One that doesn’t just speak to where we are now, but is already deconstructing a path we could take in the future.
We understand that we are in a global pandemic, and have currently planned for production to start in 2021. Pending any changes in COVID-19 prevention regulations, we will be implementing the following measures to ensure the safety of our cast and crew:
- Mandatory 2-week quarantine before production.
- We are following production guidelines in the state of New York.
- We will be offering masks and gloves to everyone.
- Limited cast and crew size.
- Following the SAG-AFTRA regulations
- Hiring a Health & Safety Officer
Because of the 2-week quarantine for out-of-state travelers - We’re casting exclusively from New York City.
Local actors and crew only need to submit a negative test, within 48 hours of the shoot -
along with an at-door temperature check. We’re also following SAG-AFTRA safety protocols, which require that you must have a Health Safety Supervisor present at all times, along with a HEPA-certified Air Filter, Separating the production crew and cast into two separate zones (Zone A & Zone B). For the least exposure and contact possible between folx, and so on and so forth.
Keeping things local, and by the book Has been a big benefit for this production.
PAST LIVE EVENTS:
To help foster a discussion on the topics prevalent in both Willow and our own lives, we're hosting a series of public screenings, panel discussion, and Q & A Discussions with creator, Paul A. Notice II. Take a look below:
WILLOW | SHORT FILM SCREENING
Screening w/ Q & A Discussion
Sunday, June, 18th @ 6pm
Stuart Cinema & Cafe
79 West Street Brooklyn, NY 11222
Tickets: bit.ly/Willowscreening
Click here to see this event’s Digital Program.
Willow (House of Griots)
Friday, June 2nd @ 8:30pm
Here Arts Center | 145 6th Ave, New York, NY
Doors open at 8:00pm.
Tickets: bit.ly/willowstagereading
Written & Directed by Paul A. Notice II
CAST
Ashley Noel Jones ........................…Willow K. Brown
David J. Cork …..............................…Chegge
Kelly Thomas ................................…Vanessa
Cameisha Cotton ..........................…Diane
*Suzanne Darrell ..........................….Janet Capri
*Kirrin Tubo ...................................…Taina
D. Malik Beckford ..........................…Kalief Diallo
*James Edward Becton III ...............HNIC
Glenn Quentin George .................... Cece
Paul A. Notice II ...............................Marc Aware
Asha John ………………………………………….Narrator
*These Actors are appearing courtesy of Actors' Equity Association
for the Stage Reading!
“Willow” Screening + Q & A Discussion
Saturday, October 22nd @ 4-6pm
Nuyorican Poets Cafe
236 East 3rd St, New York, NY 10009
Tickets $10 advance | $15 at the door
"After the Revolution: Reimagining Black Utopia"
Wednesday (12/2/20) @ 7PM EST at: www.twitch.tv/willowhorror
“The Pivot: Filmmaking & How to Run a Creative Non-Profit during COVID”
Friday, November 20, 2020 at 6PM EST
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