HEADLINER
KASI LEMMONS
DIRECTOR. PRODUCER. ACTRESS. WRITER.
Kasi Lemmons:
HER STORY
it's important that you keep your dream alive, because you're going to encounter a lot of obstacles. no one can dream big for you.
The Mega MiXer is thrilled to welcome powerhouse director, writer, producer and actor Kasi Lemmons to Minnesota! The talented force in film will participate in the “Fireside Chat with Kasi Lemmons” moderated by Van Hayden on Sunday October 20th at 3:30 p.m. during Day 2 of The MegaMiXer at the Minneapolis Insitute of Art.
Her directorial debut came more than 25 years ago with Eve’s Bayou (1997), the first screenplay she had written by herself. The film starring Samuel L. Jackson, Jurnee Smollett, Meagan Good, Lynn Whitfield, Diahann Carroll, Lisa Nicole Carson and Debbie Morgan became the highest grossing independent film of 1997.
Since then, Lemmons has directed films featuring some of Hollywood’s most talented stars including Don Cheadle and Taraji P. Henson (Talk To Me,2007) and Cynthia Erivo (Harriet, 2019) among others. Her work continues to captivate audiences at the Sundance Film Festival (The Caveman’s Valentine 2002) and beyond. Her recent work includes Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance With Somebody (2022) and the limited Netflix series Self Made (2020).
Lemmons acting talents have shined on films including Spike Lee’s School Daze (1988), the Vampire’s Kiss(1988) The Silence of the Lambs (1991) and Candyman (1992). She has also appeared for parts on shows like The Cosby Show, ER, Murder She Wrote and As the World Turns.
The sought after speaker, mentor and educator attended New York University School of the Arts, UCLA and The New School of Social Research Film Program. She received an Honorary Degree, Doctor of Human Letters, from Salem State College in 1998.