Melvonna Marie Ballenger was born in 1954, in Missouri. After studying at Stephens College in Columbia and finishing the BA in Communication through Howard University, she moved to Los Angeles - where she would complete an MA in UCLA’s School of Theater, Film and Television, and become associated with the movement L.A. Rebellion, also known as ‘Los Angeles School of Black Filmmakers’: a generation of filmmakers from the 60s to the 80s of UCLA, creators of a revolutionary Black Cinema diverging from Hollywood conventions and attentive to the real african-american lived experiences.
After graduating from Howard, Ballenger relocated to Los Angeles where she entered UCLA’s M.F.A. program in film and television production. In her first film, Rain (Nyesha), Ballenger offered a poetic portrayal of a young woman’s growing political awareness and received an honorable mention at Los Angeles' Black Talkies on Parade festival in 1982. Her second film, Nappy Headed Lady (later renamed Pigtail Blues) explores the effects of beauty’s white standards on black women’s self-concept. Documentary footage from the 60’s connects the protagonist’s struggle to the nationwide black movement.
After UCLA, Ballenger worked in production for the local television focusing on issues pertinent to the black community. She was passionate about teaching the younger generation to love and appreciate the art of filmmaking. She worked with the Pan African Film Festival as the Director of the Student Festival for many years, and taught Humanities and Film to middle and high school students. In 2003, Mel passed away from breast cancer - but her spirit and love for film lives on in her close circle and the thousands of people she impacted through her life’s work.
