Grace Gibson is a fourth generation musician/performer and now a second generation filmmaker. Helming from Louisiana & England, independent rock’n’roll artist and new filmmaker Grace Gibson blends her raw roots: A bluesy aesthetic inspired the black Deep South, her Berklee College of Music & Columbia University training, with high-powered energy of the “British Invasion” creating an authentic sound, musical philosophy, and fledging directorial style all her own. She’s starred in films & television such as Fox Searchlight’s Black Nativity and Netflix’s Unsolved, founded Rock Noire (A movement, community and genre based on the black roots of Rock’n’Roll) and now she is stepping into her own with her debut multi-part music project and film RIVER QUEEN which honors her late father, filmmaker Brian Gibson. She’s a quadruple threat on the rise: philosophical, raw, thought-provoking, and authentic, Grace Gibson is taking a fresh approach to filmmaking & music with many stories to tell.
Director Statement
My name is Grace Gibson I’m a fourth generation artist from Louisiana, for years I’ve been dreaming of this body of musical & visual work inspired by a song I wrote called RIVER QUEEN. I come from a deep southern American legacy of black hardworking people, who happened to be gifted in the arts, but were never encouraged to fully develop their gifts into a career… My first series of short films, RIVER QUEEN is a multi-disciplinary piece of work highlighting the importance of this legacy through my original music, my personal story, and also decades of home-videos. The project stars myself, narrated by my 90 year old grandmother, and features my mother Lynn Whitfield (Emmy award winning actress) as it explores the realities of our family overcoming multi-generational challenges, through the eyes & experiences of our protagonist. This is auto-biographical, and extremely personal, each segment of the project reflects a season of life represented by a stop on this metaphorical boat called The River Queen. I wrote this music and this script in my 300 year old French quarter apartment as I reflected on 300 years of my ancestors fighting for the right to dream. I’m proud to say our family now owns the plantation our ancestors once worked on and through this piece I pray that our family will begin to own our story as well…. This is an on-going artistic exploration into becoming our ancestors wildest dreams, and the vessel we can all grow into for others should we get onboard with ourselves. This first short film is in honor of my late father filmmaker Brian Gibson, making it has brought me closer to his spirit and he has served as a guiding light. Thank you so much for your work, time, & consideration!
Experimental Film & Music Video Festival 