Spotlight: Ebony Blanding (A Mess of Memories)
September 19, 2026
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Filmmaker Spotlight
A Mess of Memories
Ebony Blanding · USA · 78 min
What led you to creating A Mess of Memories?
The weight of my own mess and the deep desire to see Black women on screen reclaiming their healing journeys—has become a driving force in my work. I’m interested in the messy, complicated, often nonlinear process of healing, and in creating stories where Black women are allowed to confront their wounds, reckon with their pasts, and imagine what it means to become whole on their own terms.
I’ve watched a staggering amount of Hoarders, and the show has always held my attention in a deeply personal way, particularly through the lens of my own journey.
What were some inspirations going into the creative process?
Ensemble films about families clashing, unraveling, and ultimately figuring their shit out have always inspired me.
I’ve watched a staggering amount of Hoarders, and the show has always held my attention in a deeply personal way, particularly through the lens of my own journey.
My creative process often explores the tension between family drama, humor, hard truths, and surreal, reflective moments.
Tell us what you hope the audience gets from A Mess of Memories and why is a story like this important to tell?
With this film, I hope we remember we were never meant to carry the weight of our pain, our past, or our healing alone — that there’s grace in beginning again, in continuing, in simply trying.
How did you become a filmmaker?
I first found my desire to become a director by being spellbound by good-ass storytelling. Raised in a blue-collar Atlanta community and under the care of my elders, I was introduced to Southern Gothic tales and Black folklore. The living archives of my family, griots in their own right, told me tall tales and stories of their “spiritual awakenings”.
I began reimagining the universe through an Afrofuturist lens, which taught me to see coming-of-age in the historically Black neighborhoods of my childhood as something magical. I wrote about Black girls with intricately braided hair, fresh perms, and the candy ladies who seemed to feed the whole neighborhood. These girls, their friendships, contradictions, and everyday adventures became a source of endless creative exploration.
As rewarding as writing was, scenes on my desktop and character studies in my journals could only take me so far. I wanted to bring those imaginative worlds and carefree, complex Black girls to life. The real lives of the girls and women around me made me want agency behind the camera and representation on screen for girls who looked like me.
| Film | A Mess of Memories |
|---|---|
| Director | Ebony Blanding |
| Section | Narrative Features |
| Runtime | 78 min |
| Screening | Fri 25 Sep, 3:10 pm |
