The Breakthrough Series–Short Form award went to the vibrant and serio-comic 195 Lewis at The 2018 IFP Gotham Awards this week at Cipriani Wall Street.
The show follows a black lesbian couple in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn.
The Knockturnal: What was your role on the show?
Chanelle P: Sure, I’m Chanelle Aponte Pearson and I’m the director and executive producer for 195 Lewis.
Rae Allen: I’m Rae Leone Allen. I’m a writer, producer, and actress on 195 Lewis.
The Knockturnal: What does this honor mean to you?
Chanelle P: It means everything. I think it means our stories are important, and we’re here to talk about queer black women just living our lives, and loving each other. I think that’s the most important thing.
Rae Allen: Yeah, it’s validation. We were starting out in this world… This is Chanelle’s first time directing, my first time writing, producing, acting. So it’s a stamp. IFP is a home for great, independent films. So it’s lovely to be recognized in a space, we’re in great company. We’re truly honored.
The Knockurnal: Tell us a little bit about the project?
Chanelle P: 195 Lewis is a dramedy web series about queer, black women living in Brooklyn, and specifically around this one couple that decides to open up their relationship. Just all the ways that we love each other and we fail, and we succeed, and the ways that we show up.
The Knockurnal: What was the collaborative process between you two?
Rae Allen: Yeah we begged Chanelle to direct this project, and she took it to another level. What she didn’t say is that the project is based on real-life events. Some of the things are taken verbatim from our lives. It’s nice to see it resonate, and for people to connect with it. Because it’s really about relationships and how you love one another, and can be honest, and struggle through hard things.
The Knockurnal: How long is each episode?
Chanelle P: The episodes vary from 8 minutes to 15 minutes. The entire first season is 48 minutes long.
The Knockturnal: Are there hopes for a new season?
Chanelle P: Yeah, we’re seeing what the next steps are. We self-funded the first season, so we’re looking for partners. To figure out a way to make it sustainable for us.
The Premier Sponsor of the 2018 IFP Gotham Awards was The New York Times, and the Platinum Sponsor was GreenSlate. The Official Water Partner was FIJI Water, the Official Chocolate Partner was Lindt Chocolate and the Official Wine Partner was Robert Hall Winery.
