Kasi Lemmons and Malcolm D Lee
Professor Kasi Lemmons and alum Macolm D Lee are featured in HBO Max’s One Perfect Shot, a docuseries in which filmmaker Ava DuVernay invites Hollywood’s top directors to take an in-depth look back at one of their most memorable and iconic film scenes - one frame at a time.
In the third episode of the docuseries, Professor Lemmons details the journey that led her to direct 2019's Academy Award nominated Harriet, which tells the heroic story of abolitionist Harriet Tubman after she risks her newfound freedom to liberate hundreds of slaves through the Underground Railroad. Lemmons told Indie Wire, “I wanted to really be able to represent Harriet as as accurately as I could, while still making an entertaining movie that would reach a broad audience.” In the episode, Lemmons focuses on her film’s most moving sequence, in which abolitionist Harriet Tubman crosses over state lines into freedom.
Lee shares insights from the set of 2017's Girls Trip in episode 5 of the docuseries, deconstructing the behind-the-scenes magic that brought the unforgettable Mardi Gras zipline sequence to life. Girls Trip, which made history as the first black-led movie to cross $100M at the box office, follows four lifelong friends who travel to New Orleans for the annual Essence Festival, where they rekindle their wild side by dancing, drinking, brawling and romancing to excess.
Watch now on HBO Max.