Queen Collective

The Queen Collective – a program developed in partnership with Procter & Gamble, Queen Latifah, and Tribeca Studios – aims to accelerate gender and racial equality behind the camera by opening doors to the next generation of multicultural women directors through mentorship, production support, and distribution opportunities.


2020 Queen Collective Films

Gloves Off
Co-directors: Nadine Natour & Ugonna Okpalaoka
Gloves Off follows the story of Tiara Brown, a young police officer who forges new ways to serve her community by day, then laces up and fights to make a name for herself in the boxing ring by night. As she works to excel in two worlds where she has often been told she doesn’t belong, Tiara perseveres, not only for herself but for everyone like her.
Tangled Roots
Director: Samantha Knowles
Tangled Roots follows Attica Scott, the only black woman in the Kentucky state legislature, as she fights to dismantle a system of discrimination against black people penalized for something seemingly innocuous – their hair.

Meet the Filmmakers

Nadine Natour

Co-director: Gloves Off

Nadine Natour was the associate producer of "RBG," the Oscar-nominated, Emmy-award winning Ruth Bader Ginsburg documentary, which premiered at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival and was released theatrically by Magnolia Pictures. Nadine shot, field produced and edited the feature-length documentary “American Veteran”, and she co-edited “The Sturgeon Queens.” She is a 2009 graduate of the University of Virginia, a 2012 graduate of the Columbia Journalism School, and a 2012 – 2013 News Associate at NBC.

Ugonna Okpalaoka

Co-director: Gloves Off

Ugonna Okpalaoka is an Emmy-nominated television producer. She has directed, field produced, and written interviews and feature stories around the world for nearly a decade. Ugonna was recently awarded the Best Overall Feature of 2019 by the New York Association of Black Journalists. She is a graduate of Ohio University's E.W. Scripps Journalism School.

Samantha Knowles

Director: Tangled Roots

Samantha Knowles is a Brooklyn-based filmmaker. Her most recent film, The Blue Line, is a New York Times Op-Doc and premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival. She also directed the award-winning film Why Do You Have Black Dolls?. Her recent credits include Dirty MoneyHungry to Learn, and Why We Hate.


2019 Queen Collective Films

Ballet After Dark
Director: B. Monét
Producer: Ayana Barber
Ballet After Dark tells the story a young woman who found the strength to survive after an attack. She created an organization that is helping sexual abuse and domestic violence survivors find healing after trauma through dance therapy.
If There Is Light
Director: Haley Elizabeth Anderson
Producer: Swetha Regunathan
Fourteen-year-old Janiyah Blackmon wrestles with her new life in New York City as her mom tries to move her family out of the shelter system and into a stable home.

Meet the Filmmakers

B. Monét

Director: Ballet After Dark

B. Monét is a writer/director holding an MFA from New York University. She was named the 2017 Horizon Award Winner (Sundance Film Festival) and won the #NewView Film Competition (Glamour & Girlgaze). Among her accolades, she made history as the first black woman to direct a Cadillac commercial.

Haley Elizabeth Anderson

Director: If There Is Light

Haley Elizabeth Anderson is a filmmaker, writer, visual artist from Houston, TX with a graduate degree from NYU’s Film Program. Her work has premiered at Sundance Film Festival, Rotterdam International Film Festival and been showcased widely including at New Orleans Film Festival and on Hulu.