Comb Back Home (2023)
Documentary Short
20m 11s
featuring
Shayna Maleson, Jewel Merriman, Tati Stewart, Janeen Constantino, Ruby Constantino, JoAnne Elliot-Pugh, Judy Elliott-Pugh, Colleen Thompson, Georgette Assiongbon, and Olivia Cook.
directed, edited, animated, and scored
by Lola Bean Constantino
Awarded Lucas Award in Visual Arts
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After going through the process of planning, shooting, and editing the film, my takeaways from the experience are so radically different from the goals I initially intended. I would say that I have still not figured out my hair and that I look forward to many years of experimentation and trial and error as I test out different styles and products.
My whole perception of my hair has shifted drastically. I came away from the project loving my hair and understanding that my issues with how it looked before embarking on this journey were all exterior beauty standards. Now, free from those standards I am able to do whatever I want with my hair and I feel like a liberated woman!
Documentary Short
20m 11s
featuring
Shayna Maleson, Jewel Merriman, Tati Stewart, Janeen Constantino, Ruby Constantino, JoAnne Elliot-Pugh, Judy Elliott-Pugh, Colleen Thompson, Georgette Assiongbon, and Olivia Cook.
directed, edited, animated, and scored
by Lola Bean Constantino
Comb Back Home explores multicultural hair through the filmmaker's experience as a Black, biracial woman with type four hair. The film recounts her lifelong frustration and need to understand how to take care of her very thick and kinky hair, watches as she seeks help from family and Black, biracial friends, and ultimately, reflects back on her childhood experiences.
After going through the process of planning, shooting, and editing the film, my takeaways from the experience are so radically different from the goals I initially intended. I would say that I have still not figured out my hair and that I look forward to many years of experimentation and trial and error as I test out different styles and products.
My whole perception of my hair has shifted drastically. I came away from the project loving my hair and understanding that my issues with how it looked before embarking on this journey were all exterior beauty standards. Now, free from those standards I am able to do whatever I want with my hair and I feel like a liberated woman!
When I started working on this film, I struggled to both take care of my hair and style it with confidence. I initially hoped the film would force me to learn how to take care of my hair so that I could graduate and enter the workforce with hair figured out and looking professional.
