Atlas O. Phoenix, they/them/theirs, is an award-winning director, writer, producer, actor, and editor who creates compelling, provocative film work. Based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, their previous artistic work has been about the darkness of human nature, child abuse, and familial dysfunction. Atlas’ work has been screened at multiple film festivals, Intermedia Arts, online, and MNTV. In 2020, Atlas helmed their third short successful film, Do I Qualify for Love? which details an evening of child abuse they survived. In 2021, Do I Qualify for Love? began its festival tour at the Flikkers Queer Film Festival in Birmingham, England and in March 2021, it was invited to the Minneapolis St. Paul International Film Festival in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The film also competed at this festival for Best Short Documentary and was invited to be included in the Best of the Fest. In 2018, they received a Minnesota State Arts Board Artist Initiative Grant to produce and direct their short screenplay, Little Men. In 2020, Little Men won Honorable Mention at the Black Continental Independent Movie Awards festival and was nominated for six awards, including Best Director and Best Short Film. Also, in 2020, Little Men won an Award of Recognition from IndieFEST, among other awards from various festivals. Little Men was also an official selection for the 17th annual Seattle Black Film Festival and the 39th annual Minneapolis St. Paul International Film Festival amongst other festivals including tours in Bucharest and the UK. In 2018, Little Men won a Platinum Remi Award from the WorldFest Houston International Film Festival for the short screenplay category. Atlas is the recipient of multiple grants including the Jerome Foundation Media Arts Grant, The Jerome Foundation Travel Grant, and the VSA Emerging Artist Grant. In addition, they ran a highly successful campaign on GoFundMe for their film, Little Men, raising over $8,000 with another $2000 in private donations.
The Power to Tell Everyone’s Story: An Interview with Cheryl Dunye
“I wanted to have the ability not just to tell the ‘Black lesbian’ story but to tell everybody’s story—especially if it’s a powerful one, one that’s about the people.” As the Walker Cinema screens two of her New Queer Cinema classics, filmmaker Cheryl Dunye speaks with Minneapolis-based filmmaker Atlas O. Phoenix about her “dunyementaries,” her 1999 Walker residency, and what the future holds.
