Alile Sharon Larkin

Alile Sharon Larkin is an artisteducator and awardwinning independent film and video maker Larkin was a public school teacher in Los Angeles for over 25 years She taught at 32nd StreetUSC Visual and Performing Arts Magnet School from 19932013 Her teaching experience ranges from preK to college and filmmaking is part of Larkins interdisciplinary curriculum She has received 10 Video in the Classroom Awards for teacherproduced films documenting students learning about textile arts storytelling yoga jazz womens history Kwanzaa and AfricanAmerican dance Her film Your Children Come Back To You 1979 presents a childs perspective on wealth and social inequality and has screened throughout US and Europe A Different Image 1982 about an AfricanAmerican woman contemplating selfidentity heritage and perception received critical praise and earned her first prize from the Black American Cinema Society won Best Production of 1981 from the Black Filmmaker Foundation and was named runnerup for best short film at FILMEX The screenplay of A Different Image was published in Screenplays of the African American Experience Indiana University Press 1991 Larkins critical essay Black Women Filmmakers Defining Ourselves appears in Female Spectators Verso Editions London Larkin was honored to write the prologue for Charles Burnett A Troublesome Filmmaker PlayDoc Books 2016 Her essay is titled Who Will Protect and Respect Inspire and Nurture This Black Woman Filmmaker For Charles and All the Brothers Larkins production company Dreadlocks and the Three Bears Productions creates Afrocentric and global multimedia and arts experiences for children and families Larkin recently resumed shooting TieDye after 26 years with a multigenerational crew including her son and granddaughter Tiedye features black children celebrating everyday life through global black music genres The music is available on iTunes Larkin hopes to complete the DVD for release in 2017