(In)Visible Portraits, the feature documentary and directorial debut from Oge Egbuonu, shatters the too-often invisible otherizing of Black women in America and reclaims the true narrative as told in their own words. The film illuminates the history of how we got here, dismantles the false framework of the present-day reality, celebrates the extraordinary heritage of exceptional Black women, and ignites hope for the next generation.
FOLCS offered a screening of (In)Visible Portraits ahead of a Conversation with director, Oge Egbuonu; President of OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network, Tina Perry; best-selling author and public speaker, Iyanla Vanzant; renowned researcher and educator, Dr. Joy DeGruy; and visual artist, Victoria Cassinova on March 8, 2021, International Women’s Day.
Watch (In)Visible Portraits: Screening and Conversation here.
Oge Egbuonu
Director
Oge Egbuonu is a filmmaker focused on disruptive inspirational storytelling. By creating compelling content that entertains, educates, and inspires, she aims to support the healing of the individual and the collective.
Prior to becoming an independent filmmaker, Oge worked at the independent production company Raindog Films alongside its co-founders Ged Doherty and Academy Award®-winning actor Colin Firth.
Oge sat on the board of the Diversity Committee for the BRIT Awards, where she collaborated with the CEO, chairman, and other senior executives on revamping the voting academy, and tackling diversity within the music and film industries.
She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Communication from the University of Houston.
Tina Perry
President, OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network
Named president of OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network in 2019, Tina Perry oversees all operations and creative areas of the network, reporting to OWN Chairman and CEO Oprah Winfrey. Her leadership is a driving force behind the network’s ongoing evolution to become the leading destination for Black audiences. She also oversees OWN’s robust digital division including the Watch OWN app, the network’s award-winning website Oprah.com, and its growing podcast business.
Perry was instrumental in OWN’s successful launch into scripted programming with popular drama series Queen Sugar, Cherish the Day, Greenleaf, The Haves and the Have Nots, the Peabody Award-winning David Makes Man, and the upcoming Delilah. She oversees the continuing success of the network’s lineup of unscripted hits that includes Iyanla: Fix My Life, Love & Marriage: Huntsville, Black Women OWN the Conversation, Family or Fiancé, Black Love, Put A Ring On It, Behind Every Man, and Ready to Love in addition to the Daytime Emmy-award winning Super Soul Sunday.
Perry has spearheaded the development of OWN’s first food programming block of cooking shows including Tregaye’s Way and Lovely Bites, as well as the first holiday movies on OWN. She has also shepherded the creation of special OWN spotlight programming that tackles important issues affecting Black women today. Oprah’s two-night town hall on racism in America simulcast across all of Discovery’s networks and platforms reaching over 18 million viewers worldwide.
Perry serves on the OWN Board of Directors, The Paley Center for Media’s Los Angeles Board of Governors, The Television Academy Foundation’s Board of Directors, the Board of Directors of The Friends of the Saban Community Clinic and was recently elected to the Board of the Hollywood Radio and Television Society (HRTS). She has a passion for art and also serves on the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) Board of Trustees, Stanford University’s Cantor Arts Center Advisory Board, and is a founding board member of The Mistake Room, LA’s independent, non-profit global platform for contemporary art and ideas.
Perry was named to Ebony magazine’s Power 100 list, was honored at the Multichannel News Wonder Woman Awards in 2020, as one of the Cablefax 2020 Most Powerful Women “Wavemakers” in 2020, and received the Women in Cable Telecommunication’s LEA Award in 2019.
Dr. Joy DrGruy
Scholar; Professor; Author
Dr. Joy Angela DeGruy is an internationally renowned researcher and educator. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Communication, a master’s degree in Social Work and Clinical Psychology, and a Ph.D. in Social Work Research. For over two decades, she served as an assistant professor at Portland State University’s School of Social Work where her research focused on the intersection of racism, trauma, violence, and American chattel slavery.
Dr. DeGruy has published numerous journal articles and book chapters and authored her seminal book entitled Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome: America’s Legacy of Enduring Injury and Healing. She currently serves as president and CEO of Joy DeGruy Publications Inc.
Iyanla Vanzant
Author; Public Speaker
From welfare mother to six-time New York Times’ best-selling author, from the Brooklyn projects to multiple NAACP Image Award winner from broken pieces to peace, Iyanla Vanzant is one of the country’s most prolific writers, public speakers and among the most influential, socially engaged, spiritual life coaches of our time. Executive Producer and Host of the critically acclaimed Iyanla: Fix My Life on OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network. Iyanla Vanzant’s focus on faith, empowerment and loving relationships has inspired millions around the world.
Victoria Cassinova
Visual Artist
Victoria Cassinova is a Los Angeles-based visual artist. Her work is rooted in her desire to inspire, empower, and be a positive contributor through the art of visual communication. Cassinova’s range of work varies from murals to digital illustration, graphic art, and painting, and has served as an integral contribution to many social justice movements including Blackout for Human Rights’ annual MLK NOW event, We Rise, and Sons & Bros, among others.