NYWIFT Blog

By Marchelle Thurman

Welcome to NYWIFT, Louisa Brown!

I had the pleasure of interviewing Louisa Brown. She is a storyteller, connector, and unapologetic champion of underrepresented voices in film and media.

At Urbanworld Film Festival, she builds bridges between artists, audiences, and cultural institutions, creating moments that matter. She’s a founding member of M.A.D.E., where she produces the award-winning MADE Talks series, celebrating Black creativity and bold ideas.

Her own films, including Family Time and Mila and Mimi Too, have won Lionsgate recognition and festival accolades. In addition, she has collaborated on various projects, headed initiatives for commercial brands, and serves on the management team for musical artist Laila!

Louisa brings heart, humor, and a global perspective to everything she does.

NYWIFT Member Louisa Brown

Tell us about yourself — what’s your elevator pitch?

I’m a community-driven storyteller who builds partnerships and cultural experiences that elevate underrepresented creatives and connect films with the audiences who need them. I bring people together to make a meaningful, joyful impact through storytelling.

What brought you to NYWIFT?

I came to NYWIFT because I believe in supporting and being supported by women in film and media (particularly women of color). So much of my work centers on making sure underrepresented storytellers and communities have access, visibility, and voice. NYWIFT is one of the few organizations that not only talks about equity but actively builds it, which I feel aligns with my values and my mission. 

Louisa Brown on the set of an indie feature

When did you first realize you wanted to be an artist?

I’ve been creative for as long as I can remember. As a young girl, there was never a world where I wasn’t going to be an artist in some shape or form. I started with dance and theater and found anywhere or anyway I could express myself.

And when I couldn’t find the space I needed, I built it myself. That instinct to create led me to writing and producing film, and I have slowly (sometimes painfully) come to realize: Whether feast or famine, being an artist was always going to be a part of me. 

Directing the MADE series

Your work on the MADE Talks series is fantastic — and so impactful. Winning the OOTX Social Impact Award was well deserved. Can you tell us more about the organization M.A.D.E. and how the series came to life?

M.A.D.E. is a creative collective and support system built by and for Black creatives and entrepreneurs. We’re rooted in community, collaboration, and the belief that when we share knowledge and resources, we all rise together. Our goal is to create pathways for visibility, sustainability, wellness, and long-term community impact. The MADE Talks series grew out of that mission.

During COVID, when our community needed connection, honesty, and support, we realized we needed a space where Black creatives could speak candidly about their journeys, so we built one. I started shaping the series as a way to highlight voices across film, music, activism, tech, and beyond, while centering joy, and real talk.

The fact that the series resonated so deeply and led to the OOTX Social Impact Award, really affirmed what we already knew: that our stories, our wisdom, and our collective brilliance deserve platforms. MADE Talks is just one expression of that larger purpose.

Directing the MADE series

Huge congrats on your award-winning short film Mila and Mimi Too! Winning the Lionsgate Female Storytellers competition and Best Screenplay at The Broad Humor Festival is an amazing achievement. What inspired you to write the film?

Mila and Mimi Too was born out of The Moonshot Initiative Film Challenge, which at the time was the very first Women’s Weekend Film Challenge. I was selected for the inaugural cohort as one of two writers and placed on a team with eight incredible women across crew and cast. There were nine teams in total, and each team pulled a genre out of a hat. We drew “Buddy Comedy,” which immediately set the tone for a wild, creative ride.

We had 72 hours to create, write, film, and edit a complete short film, no time to overthink, just pure collaboration and instinct. That weekend happened to coincide with the second Women’s March, and we were all so energized by the collective spirit of women showing up and showing out. We decided to lean all the way in and embrace the moment: go big or go home.

That spark is what inspired Mila and Mimi Too. It came to life because a group of women were given a challenge and chose to respond boldly! Winning the Lionsgate Female Storytellers competition was an incredible moment for us. Not only did it come with a $15K prize that helped us continue developing our craft, but it also gave our little 72-hour film a massive platform. Lionsgate showcased Mila and Mimi Too at the premiere of The Spy Who Dumped Me, the buddy comedy starring Mila Kunis and Kate McKinnon with director Susanna Fogel in attendance.

To have our work lifted up in that space, in front of women whose careers we admire, was surreal and deeply affirming. It felt like the perfect full-circle moment for a film that started as a celebration of women creating boldly together.

On the set of Native Sisters

I noticed your short film Family Time was filmed in Cape Town, South Africa. What inspired you to film there, and what was that experience like? 

Family Time was filmed in Cape Town initially for a very practical reason; it was more cost-effective than shooting in LA, full disclosure! But that decision ended up opening a beautiful creative door. Because we filmed in South Africa, we were able to cast the incredible Bonnie Mbuli in the lead role, which elevated the entire film.

The experience completely shifted my perspective on what’s possible outside the U.S. Filming in Cape Town showed me the richness of talent, the professionalism of the crews, and the overall beauty and energy that the city brings to a production. In fact, over the past two years, I’ve returned multiple times to film for a cocktail festival in both Cape Town and Johannesburg four times in total. Each trip has deepened my connection to South Africa as a creative home away from home.

Louisa Brown at the My Trident Writers Retreat

What’s the most valuable lesson you’ve learned on your creative journey?

The most valuable lesson I’ve learned is that community is everything. Creativity can feel isolating, but the work becomes richer, and the journey becomes more sustainable when you build with people who believe in you. Collaboration, generosity, and showing up for others has opened more doors for me than anything else.

On the set of Native Sisters

What exciting projects are you working on next?

I’m currently working on a few projects at different stages, and one I’m especially excited about is a short documentary called Native Sisters. It follows two Navajo sisters, Nicolle Gonzales, a midwife and activist, and Kansas Begaye, a recording artist and former beauty queen.

The film centers on their journey, and the journeys of other first-generation native women since the Indian American boarding school era, as they navigate what it means to reconnect with culture, identity, and community. It’s an intimate, intergenerational story about healing, reclamation, and what it means to return to yourself.

Connect with Louisa Brown on her website louisabrownfilm.com and follow her on Instagram at @lulub1.

 (All images courtesy of Louisa Brown)