Attending Cayuga Film Festival in Auburn, NY

*This post was sponsored by the Cayuga County Office of Tourism but reflects my own experiences and honest opinion

Nestled in downtown Auburn, NY, surrounded by cafes, restaurants, and pedestrian-filled streets, sits the Auburn Public Theater. A home for artistic and cultural celebration in the city and also the location of the annual Cayuga Film Festival.

The Cayuga Film Festival highlights and showcases the work of both young and emerging New York filmmakers. Hosted by the Theater, in association with Cayuga Community College, this festival originated in 2020 and is completely free to the public. I had the opportunity to attend the  two-day festival on my visit to Auburn.

What made this festival especially meaningful for me was being in attendance to the special screening of Black Barbie: A Documentary, directed by Lagueria Davis.This powerful film delves into the story behind the creation of Black Barbie, offering a personal lens through the experiences of Beulah Mae Mitchell, Davis's aunt, who worked at Mattel. Through the 1980 release of Black Barbie, the documentary highlights the lasting impact this doll had on both the industry and on young Black girls. 

Davis was a recipient of the Harriet Tubman Freedom Award, an honor sponsored by the Cayuga County Office of Tourism, and given to a filmmaker who utilizes their talents in storytelling to create powerful and meaningful art. She was presented with the award at the Friday night screening.

A Texas native, Davis moved to Los Angeles to pursue her filmmaking dreams when she began to work on Black Barbie. It started with just a question to her aunt Beulah Mae about her extensive doll collection. 

Without giving too much away, I’ll say that the documentary is very insightful and thought provoking with elements of humor. It walks through how the development of the Black Barbie shaped the way Black girls saw themselves in a time where the white Barbie had long been the standard. 

The documentary even hit on sensitive topics such as “The Doll” test, an experiment conducted in the 1940’s by psychologists Kenneth and Mamie Clark, that revealed the psychological effects of segregation on African American children.The experiment was conducted using several dolls, all identical except for skin color. Young Black children, ages 3–7, were asked to identify which doll they preferred. The majority preferred the white doll, proving that segregation had negative effects and resulted in feelings of inferiority amongst Black children.  

Throughout the documentary I found myself laughing, empathizing, and at times feeling sad. Watching the film stirred up many emotions and made me reflect on my own childhood playing with dolls. I never realized how much having a Black Barbie in my collection shaped my sense of self. In a time when the white Barbie was still seen as the “main” doll, Black Barbie was revolutionary.

After the screening, Davis took part in a special Q&A session moderated by National Park Service Ranger Brittany Lane. The Q&A was intimate and really allowed for attendees to see the passion that Davis poured into the film and how important sharing this story was to her. 

When asked about the 13 year process of creating the film and the challenges that she endured, Davis reflected on what it taught her. 

“Having an understanding and a respect for the journey, there were definitely times where there was anger — in the sense of the work it takes, the barriers to entry, and the challenges. Just thinking to myself, it shouldn't be this hard. I get emotional talking about it because I feel like it shouldn't take the blood in the streets, like what we were seeing in 2020, for the story to be relevant.” 

She also touched on how the process changed her. 

“I learned a lot and I grew and evolved and changed. In the film, I refer to myself as a shy, soft spoken, black girl — not playing with dolls. And I’m still soft spoken but I’m a little less shy because what I learned in this process is to come into my voice, being okay taking up space.

It was an education and journey with Black Barbie —having an understanding of wanting to tell my aunt’s story, Kitty Black Perkins’ story and to do so in a celebratory way while also being able to tackle the themes that we were able to touch on. In sometimes funny ways and sometimes in very poignant and resonating ways. 

I’m an Aquarius, I love a good cause (haha). I’ve definitely been an activist in my life. I worked for a domestic violence shelter for seven years and it was this interesting thing where I would be advocating for women and talking to them to empower them and be in a place where I would be asking them to potentially do things I couldn’t do myself and that was something I would ponder and wrestle with and would give me the courage to step out in my life and do the things that I would ask the women in the shelter to do.

I saw this as a similar situation. I’m asking for us to see Barbie differently, to think about her story in that Barbieverse in a different way then what we are used to seeing. Should we see it as important? And knowing that I am going to ask that of the participants, the audience, to be the person in the room to ask the question, because it started with a question. Why not make a Black Barbie? Why not make a doll that looks like me?”

Talking with Davis, you can tell feel the passion she has for her work. Even more so her passion in telling and uplifting Black Barbie’s story in a time such as now. I was able to talk to her after the screening and asked her what she felt was her biggest takeaway from creating the film. 

“That’s a question that I am still discovering. We are here today,...having experiences like this. So stay tuned. I think all of this will end up in a book at some point. I walked away from this journey with a lot. I'm inspired to continue to tell stories, not if possible...but when possible. So stay tuned all around.”

Learn more about Davis and Black Barbie here

The screening concluded an eventful day for me, one where I had just visited the home property and gravesite of Harriet Tubman. So I was feeling extremely introspective, especially as it pertains to Black womanhood in our country. It reminded me of the power of storytelling and how important it is to share your story. Beulah Mae sharing her story with her niece Lagueria, resulted in a powerful documentary now seen around the world, impacting Black women and young girls. There is so much power in telling your story. 

The next day was the festival's main event, featuring over 20 films screened throughout the afternoon, followed by a Q&A session with the filmmakers and an awards ceremony. All films were submitted under the categories of either documentary, fiction, experimental or animated shorts with filmmakers of all age and experience levels.

What stood out most to me was the sense of community present. Many in attendance knew each other and would take the time to talk to the filmmakers. The festival wasn’t just a showcase of talent but a celebration of local filmmakers, their stories, and their creativity. The films ranged from a documentary about an art program at the local prison to a music-video-style short filmed deep in the woods. The diverse range storytelling was inspiring, deepening my appreciation for Auburn's vibrant love of the arts.

Meeting and being able to speak with many of the directors of the film festival, I could see the love and passion they had for the arts and providing a platform for the local community to showcase their work. It really does seem to be sewn in the fabric of what makes Auburn such a special place. 

I was so grateful to be able to experience the festival and such a special opening screening on my trip to the city of Auburn. It’s truly a hidden gem! If you are a lover of film, arts and community, I strongly suggest making a stop at Auburn Public Theater AND attending their film festival on your visit to Auburn.

To learn more about Cayuga’s Film Festival, visit their website here.