The Southern Circuit Tour of Independent Filmmakers connects US-based documentary filmmakers with communities throughout the South for screenings and conversations around important stories and the art of filmmaking. This special screening of THIS WORLD IS NOT MY OWN will be followed by a post-film discussion with writer/producer Ruchi Mital and O Cinema's Head of Programming Matt Walter.
THE FILM
Beginning with her birthday July 4, 1900, artist Nellie Mae Rowe’s life spanned the 20th century. For most of her life, Nellie made art in obscurity, propelled by a force she viewed as a God-given gift. As the daughter of a sharecropper and former slave, she made art from whatever she could find. As an adult, she transformed her home into her “Playhouse,” an imaginative oasis filled with vibrant drawings, handmade sculptures and dolls, and collected objects. Six years before her death, a wealthy gallerist, Judith Alexander, “discovered” and introduced her work to the art world.
Over four acts, This World is Not My Own traces the lifespan of an artist who struggles to dedicate her life to art while exploring the personal and political events that shaped her singular body of work. The film mixes traditional documentary techniques with animations and scripted scenes shot in intricately detailed sets to bring her dynamic story to life.
SPECIAL GUEST
In 2014, Ruchi produced the feature documentary, We Could Be King, which won the Emmy for Outstanding Sports Documentary. Her next two features, Sky Ladder: The Art Of Cai Guo-Qiang (2016) and This is Personal (2019) premiered at Sundance Film Festival. Most recently, she produced two documentary series, The Case Against Adnan Syed for HBO (2019), and The Me You Can't See for Apple TV+ (2021).