Sola Fasehun.
Art Continues to Matter
Sola Fasehun’s Passion Equates to Arts for All
BXA Intercollege Degree Programs
written by
Pam Wigley
Simply put, Sola Fasehun is passionate about the role that the arts play in people’s lives. She has built a career helping to ensure that exposure to the arts is accessible to all. To that end, she founded the Diversity & Inclusion Film Festival (DIFF), which launched in November 2022 at Lincoln Center in New York City. DIFF also co-presented and sponsored networking panels, performances and receptions at Sundance Film Festival and, this spring, during the Cannes Film Festival, DIFF presented several programs and panel discussions. Forbes hailed DIFF as a “Visionary Film Festival.”
"I launched DIFF as a way to not only help clients, but to also help filmmakers from all over the world to present their projects, help with networking and provide mentorship. With all that is going in the world, the mission of continuing to bring people together from all walks of life through film, TV, theater, music and all art, continues with DIFF."
Sola Fasehun
To bring the festival to fruition, Fasehun (pronounced fah-soon), tapped into her training from the BXA Intercollege Degree Programs at Carnegie Mellon University, combining studies in the arts and other subjects that allow students to earn a degree. Fasehun graduated with a BHA from CMU (with college and university honors) with a double concentration from The School of Drama (directing) and the Dietrich College (creative writing) with a minor in film & media studies.
“I look at my time at CMU in the BHA program as an important time of growth that helped me to be where I am today,” she said. “CMU and BXA gave me the confidence to launch my own companies: DIFF, Fasehun Films and The Distribution Collective (TDC).”
Accomplishing one of these goals would be an achievement in itself, but Fasehun clearly is a driven professional who isn’t easily dissuaded from following her dreams.
Those dreams began early. Born in New York and raised in New Jersey, Fasehun said she always knew she wanted to somehow be involved in the arts. Her father, (a musician and music label founder) and her mother (a business owner), served as major influences at home. At CMU and within her BHA studies, she found further inspiration from faculty members Patricia Maurides, Ari Blackford-Rupp, Thomas W. Douglas, Sharon Dilworth and Shirley Saldemarco.
“They gave me the confidence to start my own projects,” Fasehun said. “I had the support to do things that I really wanted to try.”
After graduating from CMU, she worked in film and TV development at Lighthouse Productions under Academy Award-winning producer Michael Phillips (“The Sting,” “Taxi Driver,” “Close Encounters”). She then graduated from Columbia University's MFA Film Program with a focus on creative film producing.
She later worked at Submarine Deluxe/Entertainment as a sales agent and distribution consultant. During her time at Submarine, she worked on multiple films, and Submarine hired her production company, Fasehun Films, to consult on film projects. She also worked at United Talent Agency, where she helped to launch their first diversity initiative. At another agency, she was also an MP/TV literary agent, co-head of the Indie Film Division and Inclusion Board Chair.
Currently, she manages writers and directors for TV/Film and consults for DEIJ initiatives at other organizations as the founder of The Distribution Collective. She continues to produce projects through Fasehun Films.
DIFF remains a primary focus. She describes DIFF as a “resource to connect diverse filmmakers with industry professionals.” DIFF screens films, organizes panels and hosts networking events, all with the focus of cultivating a more diverse film industry. The bottom line, she said, is that DIFF believes in using film to inspire social change for a more equitable future.
“Art continues to matter,” she said. “Don’t give up on your art.”
featuring the following:
photography by Pam Wigley
DIFF poster courtesy of Sola Fasehun
read more:
Inspired To Create Opportunities She Didn’t Have, She Launched A Visionary Film Festival
Columbia Alums Share Work at Diversity and Inclusion Film Festival
Film Festivals In America That Are Changing the Narrative
Jaime King, Emma Comley, Sola Fasehun Form Production Banner (Exclusive)
Recent festivals offer opportunities for filmmakers and the community
Buchwald Adds Sola Fasehun and Tim Patricia As Literary Agents
