Local Quiet and Clear film debuts

Imagine a space in your mind, in your body and in your spirit so quiet and so clear that your heart can gravitate to the voice of a 15-year-old girl gaining confidence in her ability to speak about her power as a female and her own unique presence as a person.
The voice of Johnise “Peezoo” Bowie, a 15-year-old from Verdunville, is the main character in a locally-produced film titled “Quiet and Clear” that has been selected to screen at The Louisiana International Film Festival in Baton Rouge April 6-7 and the National Black Film Festival being held in Houston, Texas May 1-4.
Bowie is a student at Centerville High School and the daughter of Leslie Green. Her story is that of a young girl who overcomes her need to be heard by an overbearing father and the loss of a boyfriend after she gives herself to him.
There to capture her thoughts and story was her cousin and budding filmmaker and local talent Andre Verdun Jones. He is known by many in the Franklin community because of his family’s business Jones Funeral Home. Jones teamed up with Andre Rangiah, a South African-born native he met in previous short film experiences, and together, a 22-member crew shot the film “Quiet and Clear” in Verdunville and parts of Franklin.
“I hope the audience falls into the world we created, rather than glean any specific single message,” Rangiah said. “I wanted there to be enough room for each audience member to bring their personal life experiences to the sounds and performances that encourages the audience to consider what the actors are thinking as well as what they are saying.”
Jones’ vision for the film was universal since its inception. “We entered the film on Film Freeway, which is a film festival platform which features filmmakers and writers in festivals worldwide,” he said.
Both Jones and Rangiah were both drawn to the project that would give life to a perspective on black feminism. Both filmmakers are members of the LGBTQ community. Jones has found an expression for the gay culture as cofounder of the black LGBTQ publication “The Tenth Magazine” and has had a previous film credit for his award-winning short film titled “Mr. Okra.”
“Intersectional feminism was quickly becoming a talking point online,” Rangiah said. “I became curious about its reach in Louisiana. As a queer filmmaker of color, Rangiah naturally gravitates toward spotlighting stories of minority groups.”
The director/producer duo say they have submitted “Quiet and Clear” to several festivals that they are awaiting notification from that could place the film in the spotlight well into 2020.
Anyone interested in seeing the trailer for the film can visit www.quietandclear.com