Ezekiel J. Walker is a screenwriter from Charlotte, North Carolina. After attending HBCU, Winston Salem State University, Walker released his first nonfiction book, "Reminiscent of a Familiar Face" detailing shared Black experiences after which point he would go onto author three more books related to African American culture. In 2019, Walker chose to try writing screenplays to express his love for African American culture, telling stories popping with authenticity, relevance, and nuance. To date, Walker's screenplays have won awards and been selected by over ten film festivals as he continues to write powerful stories about powerful people.
Tell us about your experience at the Hip Hop Film Festival. The zoom's were fun, informative, and communal; I was unable to attend the Writer's programming due to work obligations.
Why are stories from the culture important? Our stories are important because we live under the realist circumstances and in turn we produce the most creative, illuminating, and dopest representations of our collective experience.
What projects are you working on now? I actually just completed my latest screenplay, Charlotte Dandelions, which is a feature length drama: A southern city responds to America's original sin after George Floyd's murder as a local news station seems to only make things worse.
Why do you think the Harlem Film House and Hip Hop Film Festival are important? It's important for us to have control of not only narratives but the platforms themselves, so we can put each other on, build and grow professionally together in an industry where not enough of us exist.