Her Story
About Erica
Erica Sandifer is a filmmaker, director, writer, and author based in Birmingham, Alabama. She began writing films in 2018 and produced her first documentary feature, Mission Recompense (Love Letters to a Mississippi Delta), in 2024, serving as both writer and director. Sandifer earned a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from Full Soul University in Winter Park, Florida, in 2019, and she teaches English at Miles College. Her main expertise lies in writing screenplays and creating dynamic characters, which she merged with directing for her nonfiction documentary work. She has received the Black Caucus of the American Library Association eBook Fiction Award in 2018 for her novel and awards at film festivals in 2023 for her screenplay Blue as Indigo, including Best Cinematography at the Jackson Film Festival. Sandifer attributes her success to God and values equality in the male-dominated film industry, advising young women that they do not need to attend film school to become great filmmakers as students of life.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Erica
01What do you attribute your success to?
I would have to say God. He's given me these gifts to use, and I do understand that if I don't use them, he will take them away from me, so I give those attributes to God.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
Every day that you breathe, write. This came from a conversation with a writer about a man from the Mississippi Delta during the Civil Rights era.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I don't really have to go to film school to be a filmmaker. You can be a student of life and still be a great filmmaker.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
Some of the biggest challenges are financial. It can be very expensive to make a film, and trying to get funded could be very competitive. However, the biggest opportunity is, of course, winning an Oscar or an Emmy.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Equality. I know that film is a male-dominated field, and I want to be taken serious as a filmmaker. As a woman.
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