Originally posted onSeptember 14, 2023 @ 10:57 am
The Other Black Girl Wins SOFEE
The Critics Choice Association (CCA) Women’s Committee is pleased to announce that “The Other Black Girl” (Hulu) will receive the Seal of Female Empowerment in Entertainment. Called the “SOFEE,” the Seal recognizes outstanding new films and television series that illuminate the female experience and perspective through authentically told female-driven stories.
With a sharp focus on the loneliness of Black women in the workplace, “The Other Black Girl” is a series that works within a kaleidoscope of genres ranging from horror to comedy to satire to thriller. Creators Zakiya Dalila Harris and Rashida Jones lift the curtain on Wagner Books, a fictional publishing house, where veteran employee Nella (Sinclair Daniel) and new girl Hazel (Ashleigh Murray) are magnetized to each other as the only Black colleagues in an environment otherwise devoid of people of color. However, what starts as a supportive relationship between colleagues soon devolves into chaos. Through a domino chain of reversals, twists, and othering, the question becomes: How much of ourselves are we willing to trade for success?
“We’re so grateful that ‘The Other Black Girl’ has been given the SOFEE Seal!” said Co-Showrunner and Executive Producer Jordan Reddout. “This show wouldn’t have been possible without the talent and hard work of hundreds of women behind and in front of the camera, who understood that we were trying to tell a story about what happens when a woman is trapped in an oppressive system, and the sacrifices she is forced to make. It’s a lonely and complicated experience, but we hope that by putting Nella’s journey on screen, others can identify with her, feel seen, and maybe even feel less alone.”
“The Other Black Girl” received a perfect score in the numerical formula that is used to determine if new titles, nominated by CCA Women’s Committee members, are eligible for a SOFEE. Qualifying projects will have a prominent female character arc, give female characters at least equal screen time to male characters, have female leaders behind the scenes, and pass elements highlighted in the Bechdel test. To be considered, new film and television releases must possess an artistic and storytelling value and exceptionality, and score at least 7 out of a possible 10 points in the SOFEE rubric, which can be found at CriticsChoice.com.
The Seal of Female Empowerment in Entertainment is issued by the CCA Women’s Committee. Members include Tara McNamara (Chair), Hillary Atkin, Semira Ben-Amor, Christina Birro, Lauren Bradshaw, Jamie Broadnax, TJ Callahan, Catalina Combs, Toni Gonzales, Teri Hart, Susan Kamyab, Destiny Jackson, Lilly Liu, Louisa Moore, Gayl Murphy, Mary Murphy, Sherin Nicole, Patricia Puentes, Amanda Salas, Rachel Smith, Sammi Turano, and Lynn Venhaus, and Lauren Veneziani.
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