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This week sadly proved yet again that, presidential hopeful or not, being a woman in any field doesn’t exactly come easy. That’s why it’s important to uplift and celebrate all the ladies who dare to defy the odds, fearlessly go for their dreams and never settle for less.

Anndi Jinelle Liggett is an exemplary example of what it means to represent those qualities and so much more. As a young Black woman balancing her thesis year at NYU Tisch’s graduate film program alongside a burgeoning career in filmmaking, you can imagine her story comes with all the twists and turns you might find in a feature film. It’s through those big screen narratives where she can bring it all to life, as many witnessed with her 2023 award-winning short, Jelly, and what we witnessed this past summer at the 2024 Tribeca Festival with her “Rising Voices” short film submission, Tender Thoughts.

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RELATED: Rising Voices – Omar S. Kamara And The Thriller Tech Tale Of ‘Bitter Leaf’

Liggett’s approach to the competition’s theme of envisioning “the future of work” incorporated a common microaggression that many Black woman in the workplace can relate to: hair. Through her clever understanding of cinematography and a bit of tapping into imagination, the concept of afro hair texture being comparable to an ever-growing bouquet of flowers felt equal parts inspiring and heartwarming to say the least. Mixed in with a touch of comedic relief throughout, Tender Thoughts only takes a short amount of time to get the message of self-love across while further asserting that our curly kinks in all forms should always be cherished.

Sitting down with us for a special look into her story, Anndi Jinelle Liggett explains the nuances behind Tender Thoughts and why she’ll always find a way to depict those many complexities of Black women in her future film projects. We can’t wait to see more!

Enjoy our one-on-one with director Anndi Jinelle Liggett below, and stay tuned this week as we chop it up with more “Rising Voices” of Black Hollywood:

• Rising Voices: Anndi Jinelle Liggett And The Afro Love Story Of ‘Tender Thoughts’
• Rising Voices: Omar S. Kamara And The Thriller Tech Tale Of ‘Bitter Leaf’
• Future Focus: How Breion Moses Is Ushering In Black Filmmakers Of Tomorrow