Anthem Film Review: ‘Freedom Hair’ Top Prize Winner

(Originally published on https://blogcritics.org/ )

Freedom Hair surprised me. Given the unusual name, and when I realized this film was a production of the Moving Picture Institute (MPI), I was expecting a documentary or a comedy like Melons or A Piece of Cake, MPI films which had shown at previous Anthem Film Festivals. ?Instead, I saw an incredibly impressive narrative about an impressive woman: Melony Armstrong.

The film won Anthem Grand Prize, Best Libertarian Hero, Best Original Score, and Best Narrative Feature at this year’s Anthem Film Festival, which ran July 10-13, at Caesars Forum conference center in Las Vegas, Nevada. These awards added to the film’s impressive list of accolades from over fifteen film festivals, a list which at this moment continues to grow.

So, what makes this film so special? The story of Melony Armstrong, who attended the screening, and the incredibly well-done filmmaking of Director Dianne Houston.

The Injustice

Back in the 1990s, Melony Armstrong, a young mother, decides to help her family by seeking financial independence. She learns how to braid hair from a friend, then sets up her own hair braiding salon in 1999.

Then she runs into the Mississippi government.

Laws had been passed at the urging of a powerful cosmetology special interest group to discourage competition. Government workers tell Armstrong that she must attend “cosmetology school” to become licensed at a cost of thousands of dollars. They tell her she must attend this school even though the school does not teach one minute of the hair braiding she intends to do, and she does not intend to offer any of the services it teaches.

The Result

Even if she wanted to attend the school, she did not have the money to pay for it. She decided to fight and was helped by an attorney working pro bono.

It took till 2005, but she succeeded in getting a law passed which released those who wanted to braid hair for a living from the restrictive regulations. Since then, hundreds of Mississippi entrepreneurs have created more than 4000 jobs in hair braiding. With Armstrong’s help, similar efforts have succeeded in other states, including Arkansas, Texas, and Kentucky.

The Film

Director Dianne Houston begins Freedom Hair in 1972 with Melony Armstrong as a little girl. We see her playing, with her hair kind of crazily messed up. Five-year old Melony is corrected by one of her grown up relatives that she is “not acting like an angel”.

Melony replies, “I don’t want to be an angel. I want to be a lion.” As we watch the rest of the film, we realize she succeeded in that goal.

Simona Brown (Netflix’s?Behind Her Eyes) brings grown-up Melony to life. She comes across as both strong and vulnerable and viewers will root for her throughout her journey.

Houston structures the story in such a way that it keeps building positive vibes for Melony, so that when she does finally run into the crooked government roadblocks, you cannot be anything but totally on her side.

For More Info

The message of this film transcends party affiliation and should be seen by all Americans. I spoke with Producer Lana Link who said the film would continue its film festival run through the summer and become available for wider viewing in the fall.

Visit the Freedom Hair website to find additional screenings and follow Freedom Hair on X, Instagram, or Facebook for more updates.

Next year, Anthem and the FreedomFest libertarian gathering of which it is a part move to Palm Springs, California, June 11-14. Check the event websites for more information at FreedomFest and Anthem Film Festival.