BGDM Member Films at True/False 2024

Lissa Deonarain • February 28, 2024

Columbia, Missouri — a tiny town beloved by Mizzou fans and, interestingly enough, the documentary industry. Every March, members of the doc industry descend upon Columbia for the renowned True/False Film Fest. This year, Brown Girls Doc Mafia members have nine films at the fest and a handful of members involved in other ways.

2024 Original Voices Accelerator Mentors

The NBCU Academy Original Voices Accelerator is a six-month fellowship for student filmmakers and film critics interested in documentary, journalism, and inclusion.

Artist Mentors from BGDM include Isabel Castro (Mija, Director), Mars Verrone (UNION, Producer), Stephanie Wang-Breal (Florence From Ohio, Writer/Director/Producer) and Sura Mallouh (Untitled, Director/Producer). Industry Mentors from BGDM include Dessane Lopez Cassell (Independent editor, writer, and curator), Farihah Zaman (Independent filmmaker, critic, educator, and curator), Iyabo Boyd (Independent filmmaker and founder of BGDM), and Ximena Amescua (Manager of Artist Programs at Firelight Media).

It's great to see our members embodying the BGDM spirit of giving back and sharing their knowledge.

2024 True/False Films by BGDM Members


Lissa Deonarain
Lissa Deonarain

Lissa Deonarain (she/they) is a queer, disabled, multiracial Guyanese-American documentary filmmaker, editor, communications specialist and producer. She has produced films around the world, and worked with award-winning directors.