Genre
Synopsis
CHOCOLATE MILK aims to answer the question of “why don’t more Black women breastfeed” by following the stories of Tami, a first time mother who wants to breastfeed; Lydia, a lactation educator at a local WIC center; and Racha, a third generation homebirth midwife. Tami has no family history of breastfeeding and only a basic knowledge of what to expect. Lydia dreams of providing the more advanced care so desperately needed by her community, but the prerequisites to becoming a certified lactation consultant are steep without a college degree. Racha must fight to keep her birth center open in the midst of racial discrimination and non-paying clients. From an experimental video project in 2014 to a fully-funded feature documentary today, Elizabeth Gray Bayne fought to convince funders that the birth stories of Black women deserve to be told.
Bio
Elizabeth Gray Bayne is the founder of graybayne film/media, a health and social issue-based production company, where she produces films, PSAs and digital content for universities, nonprofits and government agencies, as well as teaches community-based storytelling and documentary filmmaking to high school students in the Los Angeles Unified School District. She is a recipient of generous grants from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, Glassbreaker Films, and the Center for Cultural Innovation.
An award-winning filmmaker, her work centers on the use of storytelling and behavioral psychology to motivate audiences to change behavior and adapt new habits for improved health outcomes. Elizabeth has a Masters in Public Health from Yale University and a Masters of Fine Art from the ArtCenter College of Design. She has produced documentary and PSA content for MIT, USC, the LA County Department of Public Health, and her work has appeared on ABC, the Smithsonian Channel and Magic Johnson's Aspire TV Network.
Elizabeth's short documentary "Continuing A Legacy" about black cowgirl and junior rodeo competitor London Gladney earned Best Documentary Short at the BronzeLens and Reel Sisters of the Diaspora Film Festivals in 2021. She recently completed her first feature documentary "Chocolate Milk" about birth and breastfeeding gaps for Black mothers in the U.S. which will have its West Coast premiere in 2024 at the Pan African Film Festival.
Screening History
World Premiere - Tallgrass Film Festival 2023
Pan African Film Festival 2024
Essence Film Festival 2024
Awards History
W.K. Kellogg Foundation 2017 - Grant Award
Tallgrass Film Festival 2023 - Honorable Mention for The Gordon Parks Award for Black Excellence in Filmmaking
Pan African Film Festival 2024 - Best First Feature Documentary Nominee
Credits
Cinematographer - Sandra Valde-Hansen
Cinematographer - Kalilah Robinson
Composer - EmmoLei Sankofa