Monika Watkins(I)
- Producer
- Director
- Cinematographer
Monika Watkins was born in Atlanta, GA on October 8. Both of her parents attended HBCUs; her
father Morehouse and her mother Bennett College. Monika is an award-winning independent filmmaker, director, and producer with a boundless sense of wonder and a passion for impactful, meaningful storytelling. The founder of Bird Set Free Films, Monika's work invites the viewer into a world designed to challenge, inspire, educate, and empower her audience through stunning visuals, thought-provoking writing, and emotional storytelling told through the lens of social justice.
Leveraging her filmmaking skills to advocate for non-profit organizations doing important work worldwide, she has directed videos for the Embody Love Movement, HRC, the Boys and Girls Club, and LaunchAbility, as well as contributed to several Black history documentaries. Her work has been seen on television and featured at festivals, including the Urbanworld Film Festival in New York, Chicago's International Film Festival, the Pan African Film Festival in LA, and the International DocuFest in her hometown of Atlanta.
Throughout her 16-year career, Monika has created powerful pieces of visual art capable of transforming emotions, thoughts, messages, and memorable narratives into actual social change. A seeker of knowledge, an explorer of truth, and an advocate of authentic expression through film, she believes in the power of film to educate and inspire audiences to experience the full depths of human emotion and connection.
Leveraging her filmmaking skills to advocate for non-profit organizations doing important work worldwide, she has directed videos for the Embody Love Movement, HRC, the Boys and Girls Club, and LaunchAbility, as well as contributed to several Black history documentaries. Her work has been seen on television and featured at festivals, including the Urbanworld Film Festival in New York, Chicago's International Film Festival, the Pan African Film Festival in LA, and the International DocuFest in her hometown of Atlanta.
Throughout her 16-year career, Monika has created powerful pieces of visual art capable of transforming emotions, thoughts, messages, and memorable narratives into actual social change. A seeker of knowledge, an explorer of truth, and an advocate of authentic expression through film, she believes in the power of film to educate and inspire audiences to experience the full depths of human emotion and connection.