Shamar's Senior Film Thesis (My Shining Gem)

Hello, my name is Shamar Binns and I am a senior film major at The University of the Arts in Philadelphia, PA. As an Jamaican American student, I decided to produce a film about black mental health. Unfortunately, film production can be costly, especially when an Arizona iced tea no longer costs 99 cents. Any donation would be appreciated to help me bring this vision to life.

About The Film:

I'll give a concise summary of my film as I know you don't want to be stuck here reading for an hour. My Shining Gem explores the emotional struggle of a college student Diamond Johnson, as he tries to come to terms with the suicide of his girlfriend. He is haunted by nightmares and memories of her. He tries to incorporate these feelings into his poetry, but whoever reads it believes he isn’t truly expressing his full emotions about the loss of his lover. When a partner is assigned to help him work on a poem about the feeling of loss he encounters someone who would help him delve deeper into his feelings from a source that is unfamiliar to him, but he must learn to trust it.

My Goal:

The main goal of this film is to explore black trauma while depicting the struggles that many go through in silence. Mental illness in the black community is often disregarded and when it is talked about often has negative connotations. Many black communities/cultures face depression, anxiety, and even suicide. The stigma of black people always having to be strong and deal with their emotions without getting help or therapy never felt right to me. I want to create a film to bring awareness to black mental illness.

About Myself:

Since a young age, I've always been interested in the filmmaking industry. In high school, I was fortunate enough to be able to take classes on the subject including honors classes my senior year. I decided to go to The University of the Arts for film to pursue my passions. Some of my previous work has been nominated at film festivals where I was able to show my mettle as a young black filmmaker. In my time at the university, I've made multiple films with ideals centered around black excellence.

Your Donation:

All donations will go towards the production of My Shining Gem. If we are able to surpass the goal, the remainder of the money will be donated to help bring awareness to black mental illness.

Follow us on Instagram: myshininggem_film

Thank You

-Shamar (Vibez) Binns