Meet the Filmmaker Danielle Black Lyons
Danielle Black Lyons is a free surfer and an ambassador for ROXY, Stewart Surfboards and Birdom Surfboards. She works as a content creator and broadcast captioner providing transcription services to the Deaf and hard of hearing community. She is a co-founder of Textured Waves, a surf collective created to promote the sport of surfing towards women of color with an aim to shift the narrative in modern day surf culture. When she is not in the water she can be found gardening, swimming, creating art and hiking with her family where she resides in Southern California. She directed “Jamaica” which will be screening at this year’s festival.
Where did you grow up and where do you call home now?
I grew up in Northern California and the Pacific NW. I currently live in Southern California with my husband and our son.
How did you get started in the surf film industry?
My first opportunities to work on surf films came from other women in the industry; The Gnar Gnar Honeys, the Seea and Roxy offered me my first opportunities through Textured Waves. I was able to be part of the creative process and share parts of my life along with my fellow co founders Chelsea and Martina— our journey and our community.
What inspired you to make “Jamaica”?
I’d been trying to make my way back to the island for the past few years, but work schedules, raising my son, life was always so busy. We kept saying next year, next year. Then we finally decided 2020 we would go — the pandemic halted those efforts. Two years ago when I signed with Roxy, they encouraged me to propose projects and create content that was meaningful to me. I immediately expressed my desire to do a surf trip to Jamaica and connect with my family. The seed was planted, and at the end of that first year my mom had completed a purchase of her new home on the island. Everything fell into place from there and I finally made it back to the island.
The idea of returning home after time away is something we can all relate to. What was the experience of returning to Jamaica like, especially being able to now share it with your son? Was there anything unexpected that happened?
The experience was very cathartic for me. Being a child of divorce, my family history is complex and although I grew up visiting the island fairly often, it’s not the same when you live thousands of miles apart and oceans divide your worlds. It was a sweet homecoming that I was able to share with my husband and son. They were welcomed warmly by my family and everyone we came across on the island. I think the biggest surprise was how much they fell in love with Jamaica too. We ended up returning again only a few months later as a family!
How did you come to meet the surfers in the film?
Chrissana and I met online around 2018. We took a surf trip to Nicaragua together at the end of the year where we met in person for the first time. We often talked about me visiting Jamaica over the years. There was no question about including her and her family at Jamnesia in the film. The Wilmots are Jamaican surf royalty and widely known as the first family of surf in Jamaica. Kayla Wheeler is another woman whose work I had followed via social media over the years. Her contribution to Jamaican skate culture with Girls Skate Jamaica along with Kadiya McDonald is inspirational and my admiration for the work they are doing runs deep.
What do you hope the audience takes away from the film?
I hope this film offers a sweet escape into a part of the world that is very dear to me and the people who live there. My goal was to showcase my love for Jamaica and highlight the people who make it so special.
Where can we learn more about your work?
You can explore Danielle's work on Instagram @danielleblacklyons.
