North Texas sisters start a film company, and their first movie is getting attention
The Wimbrey sisters of Southlake weren’t born yet when the film they are producing takes place.
The movie, “Summer of Violence,” written and directed by Nicki Micheaux, is hitting home with viewers as it makes its way through the film festival circuit. It also attracted the interest of Psalms Wimbrey and her sister Hannah, young entrepreneurs looking to make a name for themselves in the film industry.
So they joined forces with Micheaux to create Three60Films, with “Summer” being their first release. The sisters are executive producers of the movie, which tells the story of Naomi, who turns down law school to pursue a career of writing poetry and then struggles to survive in 1993 Denver after being cut off during a period of violent crime known as the Summer of Violence.
It has found big success at a variety of film festivals, including:
▪ DTLA Film Festival, Los Angeles — Best Picture, Audience Award.
▪ Tallgrass Film Festival, Wichita, Kansas — First Time Filmmaker Award.
▪ Denver Film Festival — Nominated for Best Narrative Feature.
▪ Austin Film Festival — Nominated for Narrative Feature Jury Award.
It also has upcoming showings at:
▪ American Black Film Festival, June 12-16, Miami.
▪ Essence Film Festival, July 5-7, New Orleans.
▪ Heartland International Film Festival, Oct. 10-20, Indianapolis.
▪ Black Harvest Film Festival, Chicago, dates TBA (usually late in year).
“I’m just thrilled that people are responding to the film. It proves that there’s room out there for stories that capture the human condition through the gaze of a young black woman,” Micheaux said. “We hope to bring this film to a wide audience and touch more hearts.”
Unlike her partners, Micheaux, who is from Detroit, has been in the industry for close to three decades. Her first acting gig was the famous live episode of the hit TV series “ER” in 1997.
“I’ve been fortunate to work with some of the biggest names in television and had some great mentors that have supported my dream to be here right now,” she said.
Getting into the business
Psalms, 22, and Hannah, 20, have been in the entertainment field for several years. Acting since their early teens, they have both appeared in several commercials and ads.
Both studied acting and film at KD Studio Conservatory in Dallas. They are also social media content creators.
And they both also appear in “Summer.”
But this venture is something entirely new to each of them.
“I have learned so much from the entire experience that will further prepare me for future projects,” Hannah said.
They come from entertainment genes. Their father, Johnny Wimbrey, also has a degree from KD Studio Conservatory. He is now an inspirational/motivational speaker, author of the best-selling book “Building a Millionaire Mindset,” an executive film producer and co-founder of Three60Films with his daughters and Micheaux.
Likewise, their mother, Crystal Wimbrey, is the author of “Alphascripts: The 123s of the Bible.” She passionately believes the Proverb “Train up a child in the way he should go” is an essential parenting tool.
Hannah said it was through their parents that she and her sister “learned to seek after your calling.”
Psalms said after finding her love for theater as a child, “I knew I wanted to spread joy to those around me with entertainment.”
She then got signed with agencies in Dallas for commercial work, along with Los Angeles representatives for film.
“My ultimate goal is to bring more positivity to the world through all my projects,” she said.
Three60Films
Micheaux is friends with Johnny, the two having met over seven years ago. When they discussed starting the company, he asked if she would mentor his daughters.
“I’ve always loved helping the next generation of filmmakers, especially young women,” Micheaux said. “I have loved teaching them the business and they’ve been great to work with. I’m hoping Psalms will be directing her first short film this year.”
Psalms said: “We knew Three60Films was the right name for us because everything was full circle. We knew Nicki Micheaux was not only the perfect business partner to start a production company, but also the perfect mentor for us. We got two in one.”
Hannah added, “Everything in our life is a 360 moment.”
She noted the company was created to be a foundation for telling other people’s stories in a “beautiful cinematic way.”
Micheaux said the idea was to come up with a name that is reflective of the kind of entertainment they want to produce.
“We want to create stories that give a full experience of the human condition,” she said. “We are all more alike than we think and our stories, although focusing on BIPOC (black, indigenous, people of color), are stories that anyone can relate to.”
Why this film?
Micheaux wrote “Summer Of Violence” based on some events that happened in her own life. Psalms said her story needed to be shared with the world.
“I am so grateful to be able to support that,” Psalms said.
Hannah said the movie is truly a love story.
“It’s about a young woman trying to figure out where she fits in the world while so much violence is happening around her, so she uses poetry to share her message of hope and love with the community,” she said.
Micheaux said: “Gun violence continues to plague our communities and I wanted to share an intimate view for young people living through such situations. I wanted to show the challenges of coping with violence.”
The plan is to have the movie in selected theaters by summer, Psalms said.
Up next
The sisters and Micheaux are preparing for their next project. It’s a documentary titled “My Brother’s Keeper.”
“We wanted to tackle black men, mental health, and the path of healing from trauma,” Micheaux said. “We’re fundraising for the documentary and looking for a producing partner. We think the topic of black men and their mental health has to be discussed more. It’s a deep subject.”
