Out of Tune
Directed by AFI alum & Project Involve Fellow Portlynn Tagavi. Written by SAG-Aftra actress Erika Hamilton. The 2020 Page Award winning, awkwardly personal script about a proud Black woman, who after a childhood incident, hides her love for the classic rock band Journey.
OUT OF TUNE screened nationally to rave reviews. From the historic Martha’s Vineyard African American Film Festival to Sun Valley Film Festival. Audiences of all hues and generations sang along and were eager to share personal stories of when they too felt at odds with themselves & their community. In the process, we won 3 audience awards. And as mentioned above, the script itself took Gold amongst over 8,000 submissions in the Page International Screenwriting Awards. The comment we received most — “What’s the next chapter for these characters? I want to see more.”
Stigmatized since childhood by her love of the rock band Journey, Maya finds her voice in a world where she doesn't always feel "Black enough."
Synopsis
Out of Tune is a proof of concept short that centers MAYA, a proud, awkward, 30-something Black woman harboring a childhood secret— her profound love for the white boy rock band, Journey. Maya has recently uprooted her life to work for her childhood friend at the Black-owned, tech company LYRICAL. There, workers transcribe lyrics, allowing app users to identify rap songs in seconds.
We follow Maya as she navigates her new job, hiding, stumbling, and otherwise challenging what it means to be Black. A grown woman, still in search of her authentic voice. Yearning to live comfortably, Out of Tune.
Writer’s Statement
There are many ways to be Black. We are not a monolith, right? However there are plenty of examples across Black Twitter of Black folks quick to call each other out for being deemed insufficiently Black. Sure it's complicated. And yeah, there’s truth in the saying “all skinfolk ain’t kinfolk.” I know our history and why we are more culturally inclined to behave this way. Still, being considered a "sellout" or told that I “act white” has always been a source of fear and shame for me.
Growing up, I spent my Sundays in a Black Baptist Church, surrounded by intelligent, dignified, resilient Black people. My adolescence was filled with celebrations of Black History and Black Culture. I love being Black. But, I have long hidden an uncomfortable secret... I love rock - the white boys, wearing spandex and mullet hair, kind. Classic Rock. Arena Rock. Hair Metal. Yacht Rock. Stadium Rock. Dad Rock... all of it. Yeah, I know it’s derived from Black Soul. And yes, plenty of other Black folks like it. But for me, it just tipped the scale. I wasn't about to jam out (air guitar style) to November Rain with the Black kids at church. Hell no. Not when they were already teasing me for how I talked and danced and smiled (yep, "you smile like a white girl" was sorta my thing). Some things were out of my control. Sharing what I listened to was not.
Clearly, this film is personal to me. I, like many others, have grown tired of watching Black bodies being mentally and physically abused. Tired of seeing us beat down and lashed open. I wrote this out of my desire to see a corny Black girl bursting out in a cheesy, anthem rock song. Our film is specific and unique, but it also has the opportunity to connect across different ethnicities, generations and sexualities. Anyone that has ever felt the sting of being rejected by the culture they identify with most can be Out of Tune.