Russian speaking, award-winning film maker, and AI specialist: meet M.
Giving a Tuesday shout out to M. (Michele D’Acosta) — an incredible award-winning filmmaker, artist and human being. She was the producer behind Biggie and Tupac (2002) which was voted one of the 50 influential docs in the UK.
Couple of months ago I came across her AI work. It blew me away. I’d met her seven years ago when Simone Pennant MBE and I produced the TVC Leaders’ List — 57 of some of the UK’s top Black and Brown producers. But we didn’t get the chance to speak much.
I was planning an article on AI and Talent ( people of colour) and we had a truly nice zoom. Her background and portfolio is mesmerisng, so much so she has a Brighton film school bursary named after her. That’s some legacy.
The interview was an eye opener; NFT’s, living and working in New York, imposter syndrome, family. I finished by saying we should work together, a podcast, a film, anything.
We also discovered we were “Janet Babies”. It’s a term Janet Street Porter uses on those that she brought onto BBC Reportage Def II. Remember that. Michele started telling me about how she wanted to make a programme on the fall of the Soviet Union.
She spoke Russian, so Janet said, “fine of you go”, and with a camera person, she boarded a plane to look for someone who’d shot an incredible video capturing an integral part of the soviet’s fall.
What! I said
You with your camera person, a Black woman, speaking Russian, no fixer?
Yep she said. No guesses the authorities thought she was an intelligence agent. I mentioned I’d been to Russia, and even though I was getting that suspicion stare, I’d imagine it was nothing compared to what she’d done.
We laughed about the fact that working on Reportage was a baptism of fire. You came up with an idea and had a week to turn it around.
The article on AI comes out in January. Then we both struck on an idea.
Two Janet babies, working in film and AI, from the mutual respect club, what could we do? Because, another coincidence; we also found out that both our AI films had been chosen to be shown in November in US cinema at the first AI film and Art festival in Arizona.
Then we saw the SXSW London conference in 2025. What if?
We submitted. The public vote closes on Wednesday 18th Dec.
What if we had 25 minutes on the stage to share, interview each other, giving insights into AI, storytelling and the future of the web3, wouldn’t that be something?
Well, if you think it would too, following this link here and voting for us. We’d be highly appreciated. You’ll find us under the filter AI Robotics & Automation with an image of a surreal Black astronaut with a blue background covered with flowers.
Watch her video here.
1. Log in to link https://sxswlondon.com/conference#4DYpUajmxIUHcCeLmPu1y2
2. Register with your email.
3. Code will be sent you. Copy and paste into sxsw platform
4. Provide your first name and last name
5. Create a password
6. Company name is required.
7. Click “I have read and agreed”
8. Click registration.
Next page
9. Browse by submission type
10. Select AI Robotics and Automation
12. Then Vote
