Independent filmmaker, author and actress Sonya Jenkins’ first animated film Smiley, The Flight Attendant will screen at Indie Night Film Festival hosted by founder, Dave Brown and Q&A host, DJ Q Nice at the TCL Chinese Theater in Hollywood, Saturday, May 17. Jenkins’ book-to-film project, a 10-minute short, features Smiley working a quick flight with rough air, a passenger with a peanut allergy, and safety and courtesy tips. “Smiley, The Flight Attendant marks Jenkins’ fourth film as an independent filmmaker and her first screening at a major film festival. Along with Smiley, The Flight Attendant, Jenkins prior films include Shayla’s Catch, Shayla’s Catch Prequel and Fiery Charm, all streaming on Prime Video. Jenkins also authored Motivation: The Path to Inner Power in 2018.
“In a world where safety in air travel is a trending topic, I’m excited that my animated short film, ‘Smiley, The Flight Attendant’ helps audiences feel more at ease about flying,” Jenkins said. “To have my first animated film screened at the historic TCL Chinese Theater in Hollywood is a dream come true.”
Jenkins, an Atlanta native and former flight attendant for Delta Air Lines, studied Communications at the University of Tennessee, where she earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Communications with an emphasis in journalism. During a college internship at “Entertainment Tonight” in Hollywood, she learned the intricacies of broadcast journalism, celebrity interview techniques and show business. Soon thereafter, Jenkins became an entertainment journalist, interviewing celebrities and writing for several publications. In the early 90s Jenkins became Upscale Magazine’s first entertainment editor and created her own entertainment column and magazine, Spotlight Entertainment, now Sonya’s Spotlight. A few additional publications Jenkins wrote for included The Atlanta Voice, The Atlanta Tribune, The Atlanta Metro, The Tennessee Tribune newspapers and Black Elegance, Urban Influence, Gospel Today, Atlanta Christian Family, Sophisticate’s Blak Hair and Season magazines. In broadcast journalism Jenkins worked at CNN world headquarters in Atlanta as a video journalist during the historic 2000 Presidential Election. In 2013 she was a Trumpet Awards Foundation honoree for High Tea with High Heels, an event where her present mentor, Dr. Xernona Clayton, honored her and a select group of distinguished women.
Jenkins recalls being bitten by the acting bug when she was in the stage play, The Wiz while in high school. She would go on to perform in other stage plays in college and was cast in a BiLo commercial in Knoxville, Tennessee when a director approached her while she was walking inside the grocery store. Years later Jenkins pursued acting more intently and worked on a myriad of film sets. When she was cast as a Stand-In and marcher in the Academy-Award nominated film Selma, award-winning director Ava DuVernay gave her an opportunity to direct a small scene of actors marching, while singing an old-time hymnal. The directing experience gave her an adrenaline rush and fueled her directing aspirations. Jenkins has worked with several other producers, directors and actors who inspired her, from Oprah Winfrey, Tyler Perry, Roger Bobb, Lee Daniels, Lynn Whitfield and Lamman Rucker, who encouraged her to take the driver’s seat by adapting her first book, Shayla’s Catch into a film. Jenkins was also cast opposite the late Cicely Tyson in Lifetime TV’s The Trip to Bountiful.
“Cicely Tyson was one of the first African-American women I recall seeing on the big screen as a child, so being on set with her and literally being stared down by her in a scene was surreal for me,” Jenkins recalls. “Working beside her allowed me to incorporate the professionalism, work ethic and attentiveness she exuded on set into my own life.”
With her latest project, Smiley, The Flight Attendant taking flight, Jenkins is contemplating turning the animated short into a series and hopes to collaborate with more established producers, directors and writers for her series and her melo-dramatic films.
“Waiting for a mogul producer to take notice of your work or waiting on a Hollywood budget to get started is like an aspiring author stalling for a book deal when the book isn’t even complete. Why don’t you finish the book first?” Jenkins asks emphatically. “Waiting on any deal can be frustrating. That’s why festivals like the Indie Film Festival is a viable option, because it offers screenings, networking and helps elevate the craft of independent creators like myself.”
Moving forward, Jenkins envisions her brand evolving with content that resonates within, enabling young readers and viewers to gain more knowledge about life principles that will increase their self-esteem and people skills. She hopes her more mature projects will allow readers and audiences to escape and learn from her melo-dramatic and inspirational storytelling.
Smiley, The Flight Attendant features children voiceover actors Bronx Pankey and Zino Antonio Scott. Dr. Angela Johnson, New York Times best-selling author Omar Tyree, Rommie Hawkins and Jenkins herself, as “Smiley,” are the adult voices in the film. Visit indienightff.com for more information about Indie Night Film Festival.
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