Atelier: The Story of Brownmill Company Makes Its Festival Debut at the Newark Black Film Festival
- Jenevesque Media
- Jul 27
- 5 min read
Updated: 3 days ago
And there wasn't an empty seat in the house!
On Wednesday, July 22nd, Jenevesque Media hosted the homecoming premiere of its newest film, Atelier: The Story of Brownmill Company, at the Newark Museum of Art, as part of the 52nd Newark Black Film Festival. The highly anticipated short film, directed by Anya Dillard and made possible in part by the Gucci Changemakers Creative Fellowship, screened as the grand finale film in the festival's New Jersey Filmmakers Showcase. The showcase's earlier screenings included WTH? Studios' OPERATION: Is Jersey the New Hollywood? and Season 6 Episode 6 of the OmeProTV series Talks With Myself.
The museum opened its doors to guests promptly at 6 PM that evening. The lobby was filled with natural light and music by Newark's own, DJ Dana J. During the welcome hour, hundreds of festivalgoers took to the Atelier red carpet and got their photographs taken by ABN Photos.
Throughout the museum lobby, guests also passed by the numerous models in Jenevesque Media's "Brownmill: A One-of-One" — a pop-up exhibition, co-hosted by Brownmill Company, that provided an interactive first look at some of the brand's iconic one-of-one pieces. The exhibition was curated by Elijah Pitt Goodson and Jennifer Edwards in partnership with Jenevesque Media's creative direction department, Studio Jenev. Throughout the museum, models stood like human statues, greeting guests and welcoming festivalgoers into the world of the Atelier movie.
In the museum's south wing, Jenevesque Media also hosted its exclusive NBFF welcome mixer, sponsored by Audible and Poppi. The mixer, which meant to foster meaningful connections between the creative professionals in attendance, featured a highly curated VIP photo-op experience by Ben Jethro Pierre and an audio-visual experience made possible by Audible and After the Tone.
Guests had the opportunity to stand behind a rotary phone that, when picked up, recited a special prompt from Jenevesque Media's founder, Anya Dillard:
Close your eyes and think about your dream. Now, what would you say if someone told you to "Think Bigger"?
Serving as a call back to the Brownmill's iconic "Think Bigger" collection, the prompt encouraged guests to look inward and share their wildest dreams. At the tone, guests recorded their messages, some reciting their desires to be famous actors, filmmakers, and entrepreneurs; others expressing their desires to find happiness and contentment.
As audience members continued to flood the museum's auditorium and murals atrium, Jenevesque Media prepared to close out the festival's program in a manner uniquely their own.
We wanted to do something completely immersive and give people a chance to step into the world of the Atelier: The Story of Brownmill Company ... creating those kinds of experiences around movies is something I want Jenevesque Media to be known for. — Anya Dillard (Founder & CEO of Jenevesque Media, Director of Atelier: The Story of Brownmill Company)
Shortly after credits rolled on Talks With Myself, the Jenevesque Media logo cascaded across the screen and "Right Down to the Brownmill" an orginal song by Sekani Springer (featuring Godard Aristil and Anya Dillard) began to play.
Then, down the isles of the museum's Billy Johnson Auditorium came the models wearing looks comprised of Brownmilll's never-before-seen one-of-one pieces. This spontaneous display served as the transition into the film, with Tristan Jones — the very first actor to appear in the Atelier movie — closing the show with the Brownmill flag, the same motif that opens the film.
It was so heartwarming to see so many family, friends, and acquaintances pack the theater for a project we started in a college classroom. Then hearing everyone express their amazement of the final product was the cherry on top. — Godard Aristil (Director of Photography)
Invoking everything from laughter, to tears, and thunderous applause, the film proved to be a highlight of the evening, uniting festivalgoers in feelings of joy and inspiration. When asked how it feels to see Atelier make such a big splash in Newark, Jones expressed gratitude for his involvement in the project.
It feels like a victory. I was able to create lasting art that has a historical weight to it, with people that I love. There's nothing more to say but "there's more to come." Brick City Up! — Tristan Jones (Former Brownmill Intern and Actor in Atelier: The Story of Brownmill Company)
"Being able to say that we came together as a crew to represent this city...and [hold] space for community and art admiration has been the highlight of my life," says Darion Cotton, the producer of Atelier: The Story of Brownmill Company. "I hope to keep making more of those highlights for Newark."
Atelier will be making the next stop on its east-coast premiere tour in Philadelphia, on August 27th. Tickets will be going live this week. Audience members can stay up to date by registering for updates via the Atelier Showtimes link.