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Joelle Simone Powe is a Jamaican documentary film director, writer, and anthropologist.

She is well known for capturing interesting angles of Jamaican personalities, culture and history in ways that engage young audiences.

Joelle Simone is the founder of the educational outreach program, Out There Without Fear Dialogues. These events combine film screenings with discussions, artist talks, and live performances featuring dancers, artists, academics and iconic personalities from the Caribbean.

She is the creator of Out There Without Fear, is a 45-minute documentary on Jamaica’s Dancehall dancers.

Her second film, Beverley Manley Uncensored, is a 4 part series documenting the life of Beverley Manley, the former wife of Jamaican Prime Minister, Michael Manley.

There have been screenings of Joelle’s documentaries in Africa, Europe, the Caribbean, North and South America.

Out There Without Fear Dialogues have been presented at the Open Society University Network, University of Pennsylvania, Brandeis University, Luther College, Bard College, Barnard College, the Stratagem Black Queer Futures Conference in Canada, the AJ Williams Myers African Roots Center in New York, and Spanish Cultural Center in the Dominican Republic among other learning institutions in the Caribbean and United States.

Joelle Simone Powe is also the producer of the mini-documentary series ButSeeYa. “But See Ya” is a colloquial Jamaican saying that expresses shock or dismay at what is being said. The series features Caribbean personalities with controversial opinions. Jamaican personalities such as culture and language expert Dr. Carolyn Cooper, Rastafarian music executive, Maxine Stowe, and feminist icon, Beverley Manley, have been featured commenting on Jamaican Patois language, Jamaica’s music and marijuana industries, color and class prejudice in Jamaica and sexual relations for older women (80+).

In 2021, Joelle Simone Powe was recognized as a 30 Under 30 Changemaker by the Institute of Caribbean Studies in Washington, DC.

She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Anthropology from Bard College. Early life and education

Born in Kingston, Jamaica, Joelle Simone Powe attended Immaculate Conception High School. As a teenager, she was immersed in arts and culture, completing musical examinations in three instruments and taking classes in popular and traditional dance at Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts.

In 2015, Joelle received a scholarship to complete high school at one of the United World Colleges in the Netherlands.

After graduating from United World College Maastricht, Joelle was awarded a Shelby Davis scholarship for the Semester at Sea program in 2018.

Joelle pursued a bachelor's degree in Anthropology at Bard College in New York. She was named the Harry J. Carman Scholar and John Bard Scholar for excellence in the Social Sciences. CAREER Joelle Simone Powe is a documentary filmmaker, writer, cultural anthropologist and the director of the educational program Out There Without Fear Dialogues.

In 2020, Joelle Simone produced and directed her first documentary, “Out There Without Fear,” in partnership with Adtelligent, a Jamaican media house. The film explores the global impact of Jamaica's Dancehall dancers and their struggle for recognition. A cross section of Jamaican dancehall choreographers explain the creative process fueling their iconic dance moves. The documentary features interviews with Dancehall experts, scholars, and award-winning dancers including Colo Colo, Herbie Miller, Dr. Carolyn Cooper, Kool Kid, Maria Hitchins, and Latonya Style. The film highlights the cultural tension between the controversial dance form and the societal and religious opposition rooted in legacies of colonialism. The film is available in both Spanish and English subtitles on YouTube on Adtelligent TV.

Her second film project is Beverley Manley Uncensored: An Intimate Portrait of a Jamaican. It explores the impact of the IMF (International Monetary Fund) and on the Jamaican society in the 1970s and the long term consequences of their influences. Beverley reflects on the excitement of having an extra marital affair while married to the Jamaican Prime Minister, Michael Manley. The film combines personal revelations with historical reflections.

Joelle Simone Powe writes on dance, culture, and social transformation projects for academic and popular media platforms.

Filmography

Publications “How to build a global brand without the government or bank” (2023) Our Today “Why do so many of our national programs fail?” (2023) Our Today “Is this the pathway to solving Jamaica’s crime problem?” (2023) Our Today “How a Jamaican Girl with Disabilities can learn” (2022) UNICEF “How new tech turns child with a disability into his teacher” (2022) UNICEF “Why Beverley Manley Deserves a Documentary” (2022) Jamaica Observer “Beverley Manley, Afrocentric Icon in Hair and Fashion” (2022) Jamaica Observer “'Out There Without Fear: Jamaica’s Dancehall" (2020) Jamaica Observer “Cuando Letra Salva al Mundo” (2019) La Voz Magazine, NY “Almost Around the World in 120 Days” (2018) Jamaica Observer “Out There Without Fear at Home and Abroad” (2021) Jamaica Journal, “(E)thnographic Correspondence and Improvisation,” (2020) anthro{dendum

Awards 2022 Rhodes Scholarship Finalist 2021 30 Under 30 Changemaker -Institute of Caribbean Studies, Washington DC 2022 Best Dancehall Documenter -Dance Jamaica