It’s a wrap! Shooting for the New Orleans 48 hour film festival, August 2023Raeshelle Cooke at the 2023 New Orleans 48 Hour Film premiere, August 2023“Woke” won Best Director & Best Short at the Shawna Shea Film Festival, 2021With Natalia PlazaWith filmmakers Andrea Wolanin & Natalia PlazaWith filmmakers Andrea Wolanin & Natalia PlazaRaeshelle Cooke with Warren Matson at the AOF International Film FestivalRaeshelle Cooke with Tamia Dow at the AOF International Film Festival“Woke” wins Best Thriller in the Writer’s Awards at AOF (2021)“Woke” won Best Thriller in the Action On Film International Film Festival screenplay awards in 2021
Update November 2022: Hello! I lived in Massachusetts for 20 years, and while the last 10 years brought a lot of success and acclaim, the northeast was not the right fit for me, and I’ve been very comfortable, happy, and WARM ;p living in the south.
I’ve been taking a break from films and just focused on living life at the moment, getting my Master’s degree, and getting re-focused as far as a full-time career goes (library science is my full-time career choice)…but films will be coming back, recreation-wise, soon… as well as, wait for it…..making music! That’s right! Singing lessons are in the plan!
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Biography: Raeshelle writes about the many misadventures of love, with music and spoken word often leading the narratives. She also writes films with social commentary regarding the current state of the country and the errors of human nature in general. Raeshelle thrives with the genre blend. In 2014, her film Monae’s Room won Best Genre Blend at the Stories by the River Film Festival, and Best Newcomer at the Shawna Shea Memorial Film Festival.
In 2015, Sometime Around January was nominated for Best Short Film at the Shawna Shea Memorial Film Festival. In 2016, Mt. Washington won a Special Mention award for an Indie Film at the LA Film Awards, and was selected to screen at the Reel to Real Film Promotion featuring Omari Hardwick in 2018.
Her last film “Woke” [2020] is a 3-time award-winning science-fiction short, and a new and original take on interracial relationships, set in the year 3000 and using sci-fi elements and more twist endings. “Woke” [2020] won Best Thriller in the screenplay awards at the Action On Film International Film Festival in 2021, and won Best Director and Best Short at the Shawna Shea Film Festival in 2021; it was also recognized for “Meritorious Appreciation” at the Boston Science Fiction Film Festival in 2021.
Raeshelle has screened her films all across the country from Los Angeles, Las Vegas, New York, Texas, all over New England, and even internationally in Berlin and Switzerland.
Raeshelle Cooke and Teajuana ScottRaeshelle Cooke and an audience member Raeshelle Cooke speaking at a focus group in NYRaeshelle Cooke and a filmmaker at the focus groupRaeshelle Cooke at a live panel talk in Somerville, MARaeshelle Cooke and Omar BurtonRaeshelle Cooke at a BossChicks event in NYRaeshelle Cooke on set of Andrea Wolanin’s filmWith Charmin Lee at the Black Women in Film Summit in ATLWith Play at the Hip-Hop Film FestivalWith William Michael Barbee and Dominique LaFleur at the African-American Martha’s Vineyard film festivalRaeshelle Cooke with an artist in Providence, RIRaeshelle Cooke and filmmaker Rosemary PachecoPhoto by Leah PhotoWith Antoine Allen at the Validate Yourself Film FestivalBy Slavin ProductionsShawna Shea Memorial Film festivalWith Dominique LaFleur at the Hip-Hop film festivalRaeshelle Cooke on the set of her film Mt. WashingtonSpeaking at Bridgewater State UniversityBy Slavin ProductionsBy Slavin ProductionsBy Slavin Productions
Wow! My 2015 film ‘Last Words’ was mentioned in the 2023 book, “Speculative Film and Moving Images by or about Black Women and Girls: Watch It!” I can’t believe the whole year went by and I did not know it. After my 2020 film “WOKE”, Last Words is my second-most viewed film on my vimeo. … Continue reading →
I am excited for a few things… 1) my MLIS is just about done. I am ready to be done with this degree and be done with homework assignments. If anyone is looking to get their MLIS, I highly recommend the University of Kentucky’s online program. It is of high quality. That should matter to … Continue reading →
I’m happy because my short film Mt. Washington [2016] will be screened at the Boston Film Gala 2016, this August 19-20. Exact time and day to be determined. Mt. Washington is about a woman who is pressured to leave her room to join her friends at a party that’s happening outside her door. The up-hill battle: her ex … Continue reading →
After posting my newest film Mt. Washington [2016] online, people have reached out for help on their creative projects. New work is coming soon: 3 music videos and 1 short visual project (don’t know what to call it yet lol) & it’s all because I put myself out there; Instagram is key y’all. FB is alright, but … Continue reading →
Omg omg omg omg. Our newest short film Mt. Washington [2016] was inspired by a Local Natives song of the same name. There’d be no film without the song. The song is how I was able to write the film. I love the song so much. It’s passionate, beautiful, dynamic, emotional, relatable…it’s perfect for the … Continue reading →
Raeshelle Cooke 