Lana Garland
Lana Garland has worked as a Creative Director, Director, and Writer/Producer in television and film in the US and Europe. Her work has included creating content for HBO and BET in America, and TV2 in Denmark. In documentary film, she has freelanced on films such as Bowling For Columbine and HBO’s Unchained Memories: Readings from the Slave Narratives. Lana is a Gordon Parks IFP screenwriting finalist, a Worldfest Houston finalist, a Telly Award winner, and a NATPE fellow. As a Fulbright Specialist, she taught film at Makerere University in Uganda. As the festival director and curator of the Hayti Heritage Film Festival, Lana is focused on developing a Black & Southern film ecosystem. She is the recipient of the Ella Fountain Pratt Emerging Artists Award from the Durham Arts Council and serves on Gov. Roy Cooper’s Advisory Council on Film, Television, and Digital Streaming.
Presentations from Facing Race 2020
Race Flicks Panel (Q&A)
Join filmmakers of our Race Flicks films for a Q&A session.
- All Skinfolk Ain’t Kinfolk - Angela Tucker (Director/Producer)
- Belly of the Beast - Erika Cohn (Director/Producer)
- Standing Above the Clouds - Jalena Keane-Lee (Director/Producer)
- Stateless (Apátrida) - Michèle Stephenson (Director)
- The Passing On - Nathan Clarke (Director), Lana Garland (Producer)
- Through the Night - Loira Limbal (Director/Producer)
- While I Breathe I Hope - Xuan Vu (Producer/Editor)
The Passing On
Three professions ushered Black former slaves from poverty to the American dream: preacher, teacher, and undertaker. Lewis Funeral Home has functioned within this tradition, having been a pillar of the Black community in San Antonio, Texas since 1909. While Black funeral homes close across America as a result of the loss of Black neighborhoods and gentrification, Lewis’ current chief embalmer James Bryant cares deeply about this institution after a career of preparing over 10,000 bodies. And he’s damn good at it, having been named the National Embalmer of the Year in 2016. Now, James puts his faith in a new generation to continue this vanishing legacy. He’s met with resistance from his young intern, Clarence Pierre, who himself is conflicted about his commitment due to the judgment he feels from the Black community as a queer, Christian man.
Directed by Nathan Clarke, Produced by Lana Garland and Tyler Trumbo
Speakers: Nathan Clarke, Lana Garland, Tyler Trumbo