Amber Sharp's "Triple Minority" - Best Short In MGLFF

At it's east coast premier, this was the first film I have seen at this year's Miami Gay and Lesbian Film Festival that truly caught my attention. It was definitely a relief, in a way, since I am her official "Miami Host." I have to say that after watching the films in the Shorts Program, What Girls Like, on Sunday evening that I was beginning to wonder if the short format is viable. On Monday at Cries of Freedom, the Shorts Program for films by African American women, I was thrilled to see some great pieces.

Amber Sharp wrote and directed "Triple Minority." This 15 min short is about a Black woman named Clair who seeks to negotiate familial ties, religion, and years of ostracism from family and church brought about after she "comes out of the closet." Her partner, Rebecca, has a powerful role in the film as confidant and heroine - unwilling to lose her love to society's norms.


Amber Sharp, Photo from Triple Minority Website

When speaking with Sharp, she explains that this film is not autobiographical, but of course, there are elements "which I can relate to, as most Black women can." In the Q&A following the film, she explains that she comes from a "dysfunctional family and had to learn to just leave the garbage behind." In this film, Clair tries to deal with her family's dysfunction at the encouragement of her partner, Rebecca. Eventually, though, she does chose herself and her love for Rebecca over family and church acceptance in a bittersweet ending that had me nearly in tears. Despite the short nature of the film, it is easy to get emotionally involved with the characters and wish them well when it's over.

Interestingly enough, the title "Triple Minority" comes from a scene that was ultimately cut. Coming from the film program at University of Southern California, "we had strict time limitations . . . every film had to be 12 1/2 minutes." Her partner and producer, Seema Gaur, explains that Sharp had to petition for the extra time to extend her film to 15 minutes. After comparing this film, with other shorts, I tend to agree with those strict time limits. It forces the filmmaker to narrow in on their artistic voice and the actual story they want to tell. As Sharp says, "get in, tell the story, get out . . . that's pretty much how I am anyway."

As for what she'll do next, Sharp plans to write a television series and is already busy working on a pilot. She tells my partner and I that we might end up being part of composite characters in an upcoming project. Wow! That's great. Can't wait to see us on the big screen. Although we probably won't be able to tell which character we are, since as most writers do Sharp takes a little something from someone interesting and blends that into a character. Gaur,also a middle school therapist, commends her style and the "way her mind works . . . it's fascinating . . . you know, tonight, she'll go back and get right on her laptop and start writing."

I am fully impressed with the work of Sharp thus far, and look forward to whatever she pursues in the future.