Q&A with Filmmaker Shareina Chandler
Shareina Chandler
Shareina is an award-winning copywriter by day and a writer/director by night. Born in the French Caribbean, she has lived in London, Paris, and now calls the U.S. home. She has worked as a freelance writer and most recently at Wieden+Kennedy, the renowned creative advertising agency in Portland. Passionate about storytelling across mediums, she brings wit, humor, and a global perspective to her work. Beyond her professional life, she is a lover of toast and an unapologetic hater of carpet.
This Q&A is part of the Bushwick Film Fest Filmmaker Q&A series
No Black Dancers in Portland (2025)
What inspired you to create this film, and how did the initial idea come to you?
In 2023, I fulfilled one of my life long dreams and started my pole dancing journey. I had images in my head of being FKA Twigs, gracefully sliding down a pole. I discovered two things very quickly: gracefully sliding down a pole is really hard, and the pole dancing community, the wider dancer/stripper world is very white. Atleast in Portland. It made sense but I was still surprised (mostly about the White pole dancing community thing, my of lack coordination, less so). I had been to strip clubs in the past but always in other cities; always with predominantly Black and Brown bodies on stage. I took another class, this one taught by a Black and Korean woman whose Mom had danced in strip clubs for years. In a sunlit, post pole stretch session, she talked about her experiences as a woman of color in this world. The ups, and the downs. It made me realize there were Black and Brown women out there. It’s just we haven’t really heard from them yet. My film was an attempt to right that wrong.
What do you hope audiences will take away from watching your film?
That every preconceived notion you had about these dancers is wrong. They're smart, funny, interesting and all around badass humans.
What was your favorite part of making your film? Memories from the process?
I love shooting movement so just shooting our cast as they played around the pole was really special. They're all really talented dancers and I loved watching them flow without any restraints.
What’s the last book you read?
The latest Emily Henry romance novel
Early bird or night owl?
Early bird
This Q&A is part of the Bushwick Film Fest Filmmaker Q&A series