Azzan Quick 2019-2020

Azzan Quick (they/he) is a filmmaker, photographer, and visual artist based out of Durham, NC. Quick’s work focuses on self discovery, identity, and the concept of becoming. As a black trans person, they grapple with the concepts of identity and intersectionality, both in their personal life and through their work. They use visual art as a medium for processing and exploring the intersections of blackness and queerness, specifically, what it means to embody both of these experiences in a society that is based in white supremacy and cisheteronormativity. “Our people are conjurors of culture. We are constantly creating new forms of expression and existence, yet we are often denied basic human kindness and recognition in return,” Quick says.

Social justice and equity are also major themes in Quick’s work. As an artist in the movement, they seek to bring light to and spark conversations about the many injustices experienced by black and brown people in the United States.

Quick is a graduate of North Carolina Central University and a certificate graduate at the Center for Documentary Studies at Duke University. Their work spans from documentary, experimental, narrative, conceptual, and socially engaged pieces. They have worked on several projects including ‘Translucent’, a short film dealing with Quick stumbling their way through self discovery. In the film, they document their struggles and triumphs exploring their gender identity and figuring out unapologetic ways to explain it to friends and family. The film was an official selection for the 2019 Black Star Film Festival.  

Quick believes that art is the vehicle that will carry stories of queerness, blackness, and the movement for future generations. They believe in the power of storytelling in all its forms and what it can do for the autonomy of diverse communities and young people.

Azzan will be working with DreamYard.

To see their work, please visit: https://briamcneill.wixsite.com/amcneillfilms