mariama diallo Creating Original Artwork (For the Crown) (5 points)

  

Creating my narrative film For the Crown allowed me to explore themes of identity, pressure, and performance in a way that was deeply personal. My main character, Simone, is under the crushing weight of stress, scrutiny, and the expectations of Black excellence as she strives to become a pageant queen. In many ways, the story mirrored what I was going through at the time. During production, I was barely sleeping more than five hours a night, and the process had to be extended for an extra month due to recasting, crew members not showing up, and ongoing scheduling conflicts. On top of that, I twisted my ankle and was involved in a car accident, which only added to the pressure I was already under. Needless to say, my main character and I had a lot in common. The film taught me that I am capable of handling far more than I initially thought—that I have a level of grit and resilience that I hadn’t fully recognized before. At the same time, it also taught me something more important: just because I can handle everything doesn’t mean that I should. That realization felt especially significant, as it reflects a broader issue that many Black women face—the pressure to carry everything on their own without rest or without leaning on their community.