amelia ray

We are so excited to share some preliminary stills from our principal photography shoot! 🪡 Help us finish the film by donating through our fiscal sponsor, @southerndocfund . (link in bio) Dev + scan by @kodakfilmlabatl

the Benders and I 🩵 so grateful for my week in the Bend with some of the most incredible women and artists alive who graciously shared their stories, songs, homes, and joy with me. photos by my dear producers @twincoves_ and @kafui_sakyiaddo . 🪡

Today we’re getting to know Alabama artist and filmmaker Amelia Ray. Additionally, Amelia is currently working on “The Quilt at the End of the World,” (@quiltatthendoftheworld ) a film about the quilters of Gee’s Bend, that she describes as “an ethnographic tapestry.” We can’t wait to see that film—you can learn more on their profile and support them if you’d like through @southerndocfund .

Jesus with sparrow (2024)

an anthotype made with a magnolia leaf from my childhood home and blueberries from MeMe’s yard <3

mama with beauty berries (silver gelatin print)

We are proud recipients of the Alabama State Council for the Arts’ 2025 project grant! We are honored to represent the rich culture, artistic traditions, and history of the state of Alabama through our film. The Alabama State Council on the Arts also awarded several quilters of the Gee’s Bend community with traditional arts grants to support their practice! Thank you so much to the council for recognizing the importance of the craft! 🪡

Tinnie’s house

Jackson, Coney Island

Julia with muscle, AL

Ten years after the sudden death of her grandfather, Alabama born filmmaker Amelia Ray unravels her grief by going to Coosada for a visit with her 76 year-old grandmother “MeMe.” A gentle snapshot of Southern womanhood, Portrait of MeMe is an intimate examination of familial grief and an exercise in unpacking the intergenerational effects of death. “Portrait of MeMe” is a personal documentary about how we grieve and remember–– as individuals and as a collective. The film centers two people on different sides of the same loss: Kate “Meme” Houston, a widow, and her granddaughter Amelia. As they unravel the events of the death, old tensions arise. Watch “Portrait of MeMe” by Amelia Ray with the link in our bio! CREDITS Director/Cinematographer: Amelia Ray (@millierayroll ) #VCmember Producer: Aaron Cecil Price Co-producer: Shin Yu Liu (@shinyuliuu ) Editor: Alia Toorani (@aliatoorani ) Composer: Leia Bulger (@leia._b ) Colorist: Rutuj Acharya (@rutujacharya ) Graphic Designer: Chloe Farlow (@chloefarlow ) Sound Designer: Mark Otim (@therealm.n.o ) #documentaries #widow #shortfilmfestival #intergenerational #indiefilms #unpacking #indiefilmmaking #grieving #directors #filmfest #beyondtheshort

Handyman, Deatsville, AL