Nobody Knows My Name

A film by Rachel Raimist

1999 | 58 minutes | Color | DVD | Order No. 01719

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SYNOPSIS

NOBODY KNOWS MY NAME tells the story of women who are connected by their love for hip-hop music. Despite the fact that these talented female artists exist within a culture that revolves around self-expression, the subjects of Raimist’s documentary must struggle to be heard.

Asia One has found a niche as an organizer of the B-Boy Summit, but longs for a sense of female community. DJ Symphony is the sole female member of the The World Famous Beat Junkies. Leaschea lives a turbulent life, even though she has been signed by a major label. Lisa married in the hip-hop lifestyle, and now raises a hip-hop family. Medusa is the successful queen of the L.A. hip-hop underground. T-Love, an ex-Cripette, hopes her creative talents will help her change her lifestyle.

Through the candid study of these women, documentarian Raimist explores a fascinating and diverse feminist community, which yearns to find a place in a male-dominated subculture that is, in itself, marginalized. Ultimately, Raimist succeeds in empowering these self-actualized women by giving them the voice for which they struggle.

PRESS

"Conversational, intimate and heartfelt but never less than brutally honest."

Nicole Campos LA Weekly

In a culture and society where men rule and sex sells, 'Nobody Knows My Name' goes deep into the hearts and souls of the women whose voices continue to be silenced because they refuse to fit in to the narrow molds that are set before them. Filmmaker Rachel Raimist gives us a taste of the blood, sweat and even tears that some of the most prolific artists within our culture have shed.

Tre Boogie Urbanearth.com

A one-of-a-kind beautifully rendered portrait of women in hip hop: these are not the skeezers and hos of the corporate music video world that the mainstream media has led us to believe define women in hip hop. No, these women in Raimist's documentary--d.j's, b-girls, and rappers--are complex: wise, sometimes vulnerable, yet triumphant, all of great ethnic diversity and talent who believe in hip hop as a way of life.

Fatimah Tobing Rony University of California, Irvine

SCREENING HIGHLIGHTS AND AWARDS

  • South By Southwest Film Festival South By Southwest Film Festival
  • LA Pan-African Film Festival
  • Denver Pan African Film Festival
  • Women In The Director's Chair Film Festival
  • San Jose Cinequest Film Festival, San Jose, CA
  • NY Girl’s Film Festival
  • Popular Culture Association Conference
  • Gender Issues in Classrooms, Corridors, and Communities Symposium

ABOUT FILMMAKER(S)

Rachel Raimist

Dr. Rachel Raimist is a filmmaker and associate professor of media production at The University of Alabama. She is an award-winning filmmaker whose most known for Nobody Knows My Name, the first documentary about women in hip-hop distributed by Women Makes Movies. Her work has aired on HBO, VH1, PBS, and The BBC. She has screened at numerous film festivals including SXSW, Women in the Director's Chair, Slamdance, and The Los Angeles Film Festival. She has received grants from Women In Film, The Minnesota States Arts Board, Independent Feature Project, and was selected as a Faculty Fellow of the Emmy Foundation's Television Academy. She holds a B.A. in Film & Television and an M.F.A. in Directing from The UCLA School of Film and Television, and a M.A. in Women's Studies and a Ph.D. in Feminist Studies from The University of Minnesota. The Rachel Raimist Feminist Media Center in the Department of Gender, Women and Sexuality Studies at The University of Minnesota is named in her honor. (12/15)

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