Damien Coor has been working in film for the last 10 years and has produced, directed and shot an array of film and media projects. He is the founder of Heavy Contrast Film Productions, where he currently works as a Producer and Cinematographer. Heavy Contrast Film Productions is a full service media and film company specializing in feature and short form film production.
Damien’s passion for telling stories through the lens drew him to the art of cinematography. Damien completed his MFA in Film Production with a concentration in cinematography at Howard University, where he was a two-time recipient of the prestigious John H. Johnson Fellowship. During his MFA program, Damien worked with and learned from award-winning cinematographers Ernest Dickerson (Malcolm X, Mo Better Blues, Juice), Arthur Jafa (Daughters of the Dust, Eyes Wide Shut), Bradford Young (Selma, A Most Violent Year) and Hans Charles (The Game, Pariah).
Having traveled extensively and lived abroad, Damien considers himself to be a true “Globetrotter.” He has incorporated his international experiences into his film projects in order to bring a global perspective to the finished product. Damien has spent significant time in South America, where, as a Black American, his interest was piqued in the Afro-descended populations of countries like Brazil, Colombia and Venezuela. In 2013, Damien shot a photo journalistic account of Carnival in Barranquilla, Colombia. The carte blanche press access to one of the most popular and festive celebrations in Latin America and the exposure to the vast culture of Colombia, would galvanize Damien’s largest production to date.
Inspired by the music of Cartagena, Colombia, Damien crafted a story that could bring the lives and faces of the Afro-Colombian community to the masses. His film, Rebelión, which was shot entirely on location in Cartagena and San Basilio de Palenque, tells the story of one man’s struggle for justice against his ruthless and abusive boss. Damien wrote, produced and directed the film and used an entirely Colombian cast and crew to maintain the authenticity of the story. The film’s production has been covered in El Universal, Cartagena’s oldest newspaper, and a behind-the-scenes video on a local Cartagena television broadcast. Rebelión is currently in the final fundraising and editing phases. Damien plans to have the film’s international debut screening at the 2016 Cartagena International Film Festival.
In addition to Rebelión, Damien and his colleagues at Heavy Contrast Films have worked on a variety of productions, including commercials, music videos, and both documentary and narrative films. Over the years, Heavy Contrast Films has built an extensive network in the Washington, D.C., New York, and Cartagena, Colombia media markets and Damien has transformed his passion into his profession.
Damien is also a core member of the D.C. based non-profit organization Parallel Film Collective, which promotes, produces and exhibits independent films from around the globe. From Black radical thought to the female Middle Eastern experience, the goal of Parallel Film Collective is to create a platform for voices that are seldom heard and for stories seldom told. Parallel Film Collective, which has a working relationship with award-winning filmmaker Ava Duvernay and her company AFFRM, holds a monthly screening of these independent films at an event called “Hair in the Gate.”
For more information on Damien Coor or the Rebelión film, visit www.DamienCoor.com and www.HeavyContrastFilms.com.
Follow Damien on Twitter (@dpcoor) and stay up to date on his latest work.
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