We sit down and chat with Winnie Imara, founder of Seven Black Women, a collective of Black women aiming to create work for film, TV and theatre. With support from industry professionals including the BBC, Channel 4, Fable Pictures, Searchlight and more, they’re certainly a force to be reckoned with.
Winnie – can’t stop, won’t stop – has also started a new project called ‘The Heritage & Honour Collection’. A creative social enterprise documenting and sharing Black Women from 1500 – 1999 who have made a significant impact in Britain during this time, that she holds creative workshops on.
Doing incredible things for the sisterhood, we sit down and get to grips with what a typical day in life is like for Winnie, the inspiration behind Seven Black Women and how her work is making waves in the scene.
1. How are you, really?
I’m great! I’m in this phase of getting into the momentum of this new year and finding my way through it.
2. What’s a typical day in the life of Winnie Imara?
Wake up. I’ll have scrambled eggs with a seeded bagel. Lots of water and vitamins, and pretty much from then I’m on my laptop all day doing work. If not, I’ll most likely be in a meeting.
I’ve also been trying to go to art exhibitions recently. There are so many amazing Black artists out there showcasing phenomenal work that’s been beautiful to see.
3. What’s your background – how did you get to where you are today?
I studied acting, graduated and then found a passion for writing. I continued venturing in both creative paths and eventually found myself producing in the last year or so. It’s been great being able to not have just this one thing that I do, each one has been a blessing in its own way and helps me grow in other areas too.
4. What was the inspiration behind Seven Black Women?
Seven Black Women stemmed from a sense of frustration. I remember thinking, “who are we waiting for?”. I felt like sometimes we were waiting for someone to make things happen for us and Seven Black Women was just us creating work with what we had and doing it ourselves.
It started off with seven actors and then grew rapidly in less than two months. From there we knew that this was needed – creating opportunities and new work with what we had.
5. Sisterhood plays a big part in YES GURL, as it does for Seven Black Women. What’s it like working with predominantly Black women?
In the main team, we’re all Black women. The projects we run and the creative team are made up of Black women too! It’s been amazing to be a part of and lovely to see everyone grow in their individual paths too.
6. What do you think of on-screen representation currently? How will Seven Black Women impact this?
I believe representation is important and something we should see consistently. It has such an impact seeing someone who looks like you in a career you’d like to venture into. I remember seeing Noma Dumezweni on stage at The Royal Court playing the lead role years ago and that was the first time I’d seen (or remembered) someone that looked like me in that position.
I remember saying to myself if Noma can play a lead in a West End theatre so can I and more. There was something about her performance and seeing her up there that made me think, I can do it too.
7. Any films or shows (TV/theatre), created by Black women, that have stood out to you recently? If so, why?
‘Mood’ by Nicôle Lecky. I’m currently on episode three. As soon as I started watching the first episode I knew it would be brilliant. It’s so well written, with so many different layers in the story to uncover. It’s a great watch so far and I look forward to the rest. Also ‘Stay Close’ which is written by Victoria Asare-Archer. Cush Jumbo plays the lead and it’s on Netflix. Again, great writing, brilliant story and Cush is fantastic in it.
8. You’ve started a new project called ‘The Heritage & Honour Collection’. Tell us more about this.
It’s a creative social enterprise documenting and sharing Black Women in history who have made a significant impact in Britain or made some contribution to their community. We currently share the names of these women on our social media page and a bit about them. We also provide creative workshops and presentations at schools, colleges, universities and corporate companies sharing more on Black history.
9. What are your words of encouragement to Black women trying to work in the industry?
There’s so much I can say. However, what I’ve found helpful is finding people I can connect with and creating work together that we all love. When you have that it’s super encouraging as you’re all going on a similar path together. Also, being bold, not shying away from sharing your talents and being consistent with it as much as you can really.
10. If you could only watch either films, TV or theatre for the rest of your life, which one of the three would you pick – and why?
Oooo, I love them all… However, it would have to be TV. I love TV dramas! I like the plots, twists and unpredictable parts of the story, as well as the characters that you don’t expect. Also, the wait for the next season – so long sometimes lol but I get excited because I can’t wait to see what happens next.
Follow Seven Black Sisters and The Heritage & Honour Collection on Instagram
