ABOUT

Zaire Love is an award-winning filmmaker, music maker, writer, and educator whose mission is to honor, amplify, and immortalize the stories and voices of the Black South focusing most of her work in Memphis, TN, and Mississippi. Bringing honor to the Black South, its people, its traditions, and its cultures in the past, present, and future is her life’s work.

As an emerging artist, Zaire has been awarded honors at multiple film festivals, created work for PBS, and granted the If/Then and HULU grant to produce her award-winning short documentary, SLICE. Her artistry is an ode to being Black and southern in America because the Black South has always had meaningful “cornbread” to share. Zaire calls her work creative cornbread because it is Black Southern sustenance filled with knowledge, discovery, imagination, and authentic artistry that nourishes those who partake.

Zaire Love is a graduate of Spelman College [BA], Houston Baptist University [M. Ed], and the University of Mississippi [MFA]. She directs the Southern Foodways Alliance film program and is the Creative Director at Scalawag Magazine. She is writing new narrative scripts and exploring new documentary ideas with her studio, Creative Cornbread.

in the skillet…

THE BIG WE SHE STORIES STORYTELLING GRANT | 2023

BEST SHORT DOCUMENTARY | OXFORD FILM FESTIVAL 2023

PBS | WYNCOTE FOUNDATION FELLOW | 2022

OURAY FILM FESTIVAL | FILM IN ACTION HONOREE | 2022

IF/THEN X HULU FOR SLICE DOCUMENTARY | 2021

THE CATALYST COHORT | MADE IN HER IMAGE | 2021

NPN’S SOUTHERN ARTIST FOR SOCIAL CHANGE RECIPIENT | 2021

INDIE MEMPHIS | BLACK SCREENWRITER FELLOW | 2020

SOUTHERN DOCUMENTARY FUND | RESEARCH + DEVELOPMENT GRANT 2020

WALTER ANDERSON CURATORIAL FELLOW  2020

CROSSTOWN ARTS RESIDENCY | MEMPHIS, TN | FEBRUARY- MAY 2020

MAGNIFYING GLASS FELLOWSHIP OXFORD FILM FESTIVAL | DECEMBER 2019

SOUTHERN FOODWAYS ALLIANCE FILM INTERNSHIP | JUNE 2019

GRADUATE SUMMER FELLOWSHIP | JUNE 2019

RURAL PROJECT GRANT | INDIE GRITS | DECEMBER 2018

BLACK CREATORS FELLOWSHIP | INDIE MEMPHIS NOVEMBER 2018

articles

TREES in Southern Cultures 

Uncovering the South in the film “TREES” on WUTC Chattanooga’s NPR Station 

IFxThen Hulu Announcement

Director Boots Riley selects Indie Memphis grant winners 

Highlighting 8 Memphians That are on Their Grit N Grind!