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and working a part-time job at a local grocery store. Despite this, she earns mostly As and Bs in school, and is fully determined to receive an education beyond her primary one. Much to the chagrin of her teachers, she wants to graduate early, in order to get into college as soon as possible. Her dream is tested by her constant clashes with her school's administration, along with her romantic involvement with her seemingly rich boyfriend Tyrone. Lacking a proper
360:," she ran into resistance from potential producers and financiers. She said "I knew I always wanted to do a feature-length film...but for a woman⊠I really wasnât encouraged. People feel that a woman canât handle a feature-length. I was told, âHey, why donât you make it into a documentary?â" At that time, the only prior feature-length film to be directed by a Black woman and get theatrical distribution was 1991's
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titled âAnother Girlâ, as well as a personal experience Harris had as a teenager when her friend became pregnant. "And we were actually, like, the kind of smart kids at school. It really profoundly affected me when I found out she was pregnantâjust how it changed her life, the whole responsibility of
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Chantel
Mitchell is a 17-year-old African-American high school junior who lives in Brooklyn, New York. Chantel is very smart, but her sharp tongue, abundant ego, and occasional naivete undermine her efforts to achieve her ultimate dream: to leave her poor neighborhood, go to college, and eventually
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Of her film's central character, Harris said "I wanted a 17-year-old, and from a creative stand point, I wanted to avoid delineating bad girl or good girl. Itâs as if you canât have a central character whoâs not good at all, and from my experience I think people are a combination of bad and good.â
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She lives with her struggling working-class parents and her two younger brothers. With her mother at work during the day and her father working the night shift (and thus, sleeping all day), Chantel is given the responsibility of taking care of her brothers, in addition to going to school full-time
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wrote "Harris offers an adrenalin rush of energy and talent. Her artfully stylized, explosively funny film also manages to be deeply moving without jerking easy tears", and that Harris represents "a bracing new voice; she keeps her big little movie brimming with the pleasures of the unexpected."
355:
Harris knew she wanted to make a film that centered on a Black woman, explaining she "was just tired of seeing the way black women were depicted, as wives or mothers or girlfriends or appendages. All from the point of view of male directors. the central character. There's no male character to
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is "a faithful portrait of teenage emotional life" and "ultimately offers a welcome glimpse of one of the individuals behind the sea of faces racing by in the subway cars -- the kind of face and individual that
Hollywood customarily has never given a second look."
31:
476:." Though some critics described the film as "awkwardly staged" and said the second half loses its footing, many agreed the film was groundbreaking for featuring the perspective of a teenage girl, in comparison to other Black coming-of-age films like
438:
the first film directed by a Black woman to get wide-release distribution. The film opened in select cities on
February 26, 1993, expanding to a wide release on March 19. The film grossed $ 479,169 on a budget of $ 130,000
573:
Leslie Harris has spoken of the difficulty of producing any further feature-length films despite positive reviews of her directorial debut. Her career has drawn comparisons to other Black women directors such as
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style, giving the audience "the feeling that youâre experiencing this girlâs life along with her. I wanted to have the film very bright, not dark and bleak, just a difference in perspective of how life goes on.â
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was released on VHS in
October 1993 and on DVD on May 21, 2002. In September 2021, it was featured as part of the "New York Stories" streaming lineup with 62 other films on
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The film was shot entirely in New York City. With a budget of only $ 130,000, the entire film was reportedly shot in just 17 days. Funds came from
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230:. The film addresses a variety of contemporary social and political issues including teenage pregnancy, abortion, racism, poverty, and HIV/AIDS.
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to acclaim, winning the
Special Jury Prize for Outstanding First Feature for director Leslie Harris and securing distribution with
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719:""Have I Mentioned I'm Working on a Sequel?" Leslie Harris on Her Groundbreaking 1993 Film Just Another Girl on the I.R.T."
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validate her." Because Harris "wanted to avoid the clichéd drug obsession accompanying male violence of most
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and explains that she wants to be seen as more than just another teenage black girl on the subway.
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future projects. According to Harris, despite the success of Black directors such as
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794:"Leslie Harris' Just Another Girl on the I.R.T - Filmmaker Magazine - Winter 1993"
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829:"Leslie Harris: 'You just can't get a film financed with a black woman lead'"
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884:""Just Another Girl on the I.R.T." Is This Year's From the Collection Film"
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1137:"From 'Jinn' To 'Just Another Girl On The I.R.T.': Black Girlhood On Film"
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helped to finance the post-production when it was running low on funding.
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Ariyan A. Johnson was cast in the role of
Chantel from over 200 hopefuls.
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is Harris' first and only feature film to date. The film premiered at the
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Writer Tyler Young has argued the film "open the door" for films such as
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stating she "seizes the camera's attention like no other performer since
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The idea for the film generated from a short film Leslie Harris made for
226:. The film follows Chantel, a Black teenager living in the New York City
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1280:"Criterion Channel Launches Ultimate "63-Film Salute" To New York City"
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Positive reviews praised Ariyan
Johnson's performance as Chantel, with
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and was shown on the 2022 Sundance Film
Festival's digital platform.
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is a 1992 American drama film written, produced, and directed by
749:"A Trip Straight Out of Brooklyn To the Sundance Film Festival"
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On the 30th anniversary of the film's premiere at
Sundance,
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1194:"The Still Astonishing "Just Another Girl on the I.R.T.""
1163:"The Lasting Appeal of 'Just Another Girl on the I.R.T.'"
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on
September 17, 1992. It went on to screen at the 1993
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1254:"Just Another Girl on the I.R.T. (1993) - Releases"
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1112:"Movie Review: Just Another Girl On the I.R.T."
257:The "I.R.T." in the film's title refers to the
274:become a doctor. Throughout the film, Chantel
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1051:"'Irt' Focuses On The Girls In The 'hood"
655:"Just Another Girl on the I.R.T. - Notes"
374:Harris also chose to shoot the film in a
910:"Just Another Girl on the I.R.T. (1992)"
859:"Just Another Girl on the I.R.T. (1993)"
236:1992 Toronto International Film Festival
1173:from the original on September 11, 2021
1110:Baumgarten, Marjorie (April 16, 1993).
839:from the original on September 11, 2021
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242:, where it won the Special Jury Prize.
1135:Castillo, Monica (November 16, 2018).
747:Weinraub, Bernard (January 26, 1993).
566:. In 2020, a retrospective article in
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1049:Steinmetz, Johanna (April 2, 1993).
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1192:Brody, Richard (January 24, 2020).
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601:was given a digital restoration in
424:Toronto International Film Festival
1450:English-language independent films
1430:American coming-of-age drama films
1061:from the original on April 7, 2016
974:from the original on March 5, 2016
630:List of films about black girlhood
394:through organizations such as the
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1204:from the original on May 13, 2021
1082:"Just Another Girl on the I.R.T."
1080:Travers, Peter (March 19, 1993).
994:"Just Another Girl on the I.R.T."
965:"Just Another Girl on the I.R.T."
935:"Just Another Girl on the I.R.T."
684:"Just Another Girl on the I.R.T."
526:has been praised as a pioneering
1278:Yakas, Ben (September 9, 2021).
1230:. March 14, 2018. Archived from
1161:Young, Tyler (August 27, 2018).
827:Marshell, Kyla (July 12, 2018).
717:Keogan, Natalia (May 27, 2022).
540:, a coming-of-age film starring
317:Karen Robinson as Debra Mitchell
1390:1990s coming-of-age drama films
1355:Just Another Girl on the I.R.T.
1342:Just Another Girl on the I.R.T.
1331:Just Another Girl on the I.R.T.
1320:Just Another Girl on the I.R.T.
1309:Just Another Girl on the I.R.T.
1018:Ryan, Desmond (April 2, 1993).
614:Just Another Girl on the I.R.T.
599:Just Another Girl on the I.R.T.
524:Just Another Girl on the I.R.T.
511:Just Another Girl on the I.R.T.
422:The film first screened at the
400:National Endowment for the Arts
326:Monet Cherise Dunham as Denisha
238:and later screened at the 1993
232:Just Another Girl on the I.R.T.
219:Just Another Girl on the I.R.T.
24:Just Another Girl on the I.R.T.
1:
963:Hinson, Hal (April 2, 1993).
682:Peters, Ida (April 3, 1993).
659:Turner Classic Movie Database
1425:African-American drama films
1410:1992 directorial debut films
1395:1990s English-language films
1348:AFI Catalog of Feature Films
580:premiered a film at Sundance
323:Kisha Richardson as Lavonica
320:Johnny Roses as Mr. Weinberg
314:Tony Wilkes as Owen Mitchell
139:September 17, 1992
1475:Films shot in New York City
311:Jerard Washington as Gerard
1506:
1480:HIV/AIDS in American films
1470:Films set in New York City
1435:American independent films
528:film about Black Americans
329:Wendell Moore as Mr. Moore
16:1992 film by Leslie Harris
1460:Teenage pregnancy in film
1445:American teen drama films
332:William Badgett as Cedric
308:Chequita Jackson as Paula
259:IRT Lexington Avenue Line
28:
1440:American pregnancy films
491:Straight Out of Brooklyn
434:. The Miramax deal made
248:Independent Spirit Award
158:March 19, 1993
687:Baltimore Afro-American
505:Marjorie Baumgarten of
396:American Film Institute
302:Kevin Thigpen as Tyrone
1420:1992 independent films
1405:1990s teen drama films
792:Coleman, Beth (1993).
428:Sundance Film Festival
305:Ebony Jerido as Natete
276:breaks the fourth wall
240:Sundance Film Festival
1465:Films set in Brooklyn
1400:1990s pregnancy films
1234:on September 20, 2022
1091:on September 18, 2022
1024:Philadelphia Inquirer
618:The Criterion Channel
363:Daughters of the Dust
1455:Films about abortion
1385:1990s American films
1115:The Austin Chronicle
869:on November 7, 2007.
507:The Austin Chronicle
473:Saturday Night Fever
263:New York City Subway
166: (United States)
999:. December 31, 1991
968:The Washington Post
557:Akeelah and the Bee
522:Since its release,
464:The Washington Post
299:as Chantel Mitchell
1336:TCM Movie Database
890:. January 26, 2022
863:The New York Times
798:Filmmaker Magazine
753:The New York Times
722:Filmmaker Magazine
544:, was inspired by
443:Critical reception
352:it," said Harris.
349:Planned Parenthood
1030:on April 17, 2016
582:but struggled to
449:review aggregator
404:Women Make Movies
297:Ariyan A. Johnson
244:Ariyan A. Johnson
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