Black Superhero wins ‘Silver Music Video of the Year’ at this year’s shots awards.

A filmmaker living in Los Angeles, Charlie Buhler pursues the kind of projects she wishes Hollywood would take on more often: stories about people and communities that break outworn molds. She draws upon her background growing up biracial in a mostly white part of rural South Dakota, where she rarely felt she saw her experiences reflected on movie screens.

You only need to meet Charlie Buhler once to understand her work: the stories she has documented and the communities she has worked with speak to an extraordinary level of trust between filmmaker and subject. From kid cowboys in Compton, to Indigenous hip hop artists in Rosebud, South Dakota, it is clear to see how people would be drawn to Charlie’s infectious energy and authenticity – and why, in turn, they have been happy to open up their lives to her.

ROLLING STONE: Robert Glasper has assembled an all-star crew of collaborators for the pianist’s upcoming new album Black Radio III, the third volume in a series of LPs Glasper began 10 years ago with 2012’s Grammy-winning Black Radio.

Born in an interracial family, Buhler brings her multicultural background to the table. Her work, as she describes, is majorly inspired by nature and the people around her. Buhler takes pride in being influenced by the experiences of women, people of color and little nuances of life that do not often make it to the screen. She is all set to showcase her latest project 'Before the Fire', which is also her first feature film.

In 2019, only 15.1% of directors of theatrical films were women and 14.4% of directors of theatrical films were people of color. Underrepresented groups are landing more roles on screen but being inclusive behind-the-scenes remains a challenge. Changing this narrative requires leveraging underrepresented groups and highlighting their abilities as storytellers.

“Men are allowed to have all different layers, but as women, especially young women, people are always trying to put you in a box, and it can be limiting to not just your career but also to your emotional and mental health. They’ll project onto you based on the sliver of you they’re seeing at the moment. So don’t let people define you. Don’t let yourself get stuck.”

Before the Fire director Charlie Buhler and writer-star Jenna Lyng Adams didn’t have millions of dollars when they started work on their sci-fi drama, but they did have access to a few things they knew could be very cinematic — planes, Humvees, a farm, and a house that needed burning down.