Matthew A. Cherry
Writer/Director/Producer/Editor
Hair Love, is a 7 minute animated short film that centers around the relationship between an African-American father, Stephen, his daughter, Zuri and her hair. Despite having long locks, Stephen has been used to his wife doing his daughter's hair, so when she is unavailable right before a big event, Stephen will have to figure it out on his own. This sounds simple enough, but we soon come to find that Zuri's hair has a mind of its own.
This story was born out of seeing a lack of representation in mainstream animated projects, and also wanting to promote hair love amongst young men and women of color. It is our hope that this project will inspire.
The Hair Love Picture book hit stores on 5/14/19 and made the New York Times best seller list.
The Hair Love short film hit theaters August 14th in front of Angry Birds 2 and won the 2020 Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film.