Hello! I’m Nia.

I am a doctoral candidate in anthropology at Cornell University and a film worker based in New York. I study housing, memory, and the black middle class in Harlem. My research has been supported by the Wenner Gren Foundationand the Zhu Family Graduate Fellowship.‍ ‍I am currently writing my dissertation.

Alongside my studies, I work as an archival researcher and apprentice editor on Florentine Films’ new multi-part documentary series, Emancipation to Exodus.‍ ‍

I am a member of MPEG 700.

Previously, I worked as a film programmer at the Maysles Documentary Center.

This website is a portfolio of films I’ve shot +/or edited, my writings, conference presentations, and programs I’ve put together.

Thanks for visiting. I’d love to hear from you 🌸

HAMMER OF EDEN (2025; post-production)

This short film and accompanying paper by Annie Horner participate in emerging mediascapes that speculate on the aesthetics of post-oil modernity. A peculiar story that intersects cultural production and fossil fuel extraction at their algorithmic, software nexus will act as the point of departure from which we will explore the transformation of location and land through a social imaginary and digital imaging into a resource commodity.

Shot in Boulder, Colorado, and Casper, Wyoming in June 2025.

16mm photography by Emily Rose Apter

Jade the Icon

JADE THE ICON  (2024) dir. Katie Spear is a satirical short film about the absurdity of internet fame and celebrity culture. The film follows Jade, a barista in Bushwick who is deemed a "queer icon" after they accidentally go viral playing harmonica on the subway.

Uncolored stills below

A young person with short curly hair, wearing a black tank top, gray shorts, and black sneakers, sitting on the ground in a subway station, holding a drumstick across their lap. The background features tiled walls with a mosaic sign reading "ICK EN"
Three young adults sitting on a couch in a dimly lit living room, with two more sitting on chairs nearby. The person in the foreground has short dark hair and is wearing a black t-shirt with a graphic design, looking surprised or confused. Behind him
Two women walking on a city sidewalk next to a graffiti-covered pink wall. One woman is wearing a pink top, colorful skirt, pink sunglasses, and a baseball cap, carrying a pink purse, and holding a drink. The other woman is wearing a black tank top,
A woman with curly dark hair and wearing a red outfit is sitting on a couch, looking at her phone in a dimly lit room with pink and purple lighting, with a kitchen and dining area visible in the background.
Two women sitting on a couch in a cozy living room, having a conversation while one holds a soda can and the other holds a small snack. A person is in the kitchen background, preparing food.
A woman with short, curly dark hair and earrings looking to her left in a dimly lit room with wall art and lights.
Two women sitting at a table in a cafe, engaged in conversation, with a woman in the background sitting alone at a separate table reading a book.
A woman with short dark hair, tattoos, and a black tank top that says 'ICON' is standing outside a brick building, smoking a cigarette. Another person with long hair tied back, wearing a black shirt and dark pants, is hanging posters on the wall of t
A young woman with brown hair tied up, smiling with her eyes closed, leaning over and hugging someone, inside a store with large windows and shelves.
A woman with short dark hair and tattoos on her arms is sitting on a bench at an underground subway station, with the sign behind her reading 'Bushwick Ave Aberdeen St'.
A woman with short dark hair and earrings, wearing a plaid shirt, is looking at a computer screen in a coffee shop or cafe, with a menu and framed certificates on the wall behind her.
View of the exterior of a boutique or cafe named 'Love of Coffee' with a window where people are talking inside and a 'Thems in' poster on the wall outside.

Reflections in Synagogue

I had the pleasure of serving as the digital director of photography on Amir Moverman’s experimental documentary Reflections in Synagogue (2024).

The film will premiere at the Jewish Film Festival of Berlin & Brandenburg in June 2024.

Stills from Reflections pictured below

Uncolored stills from Reflections in Synagogue.

Uncolored stills from Reflections in Synagogue.

Stills from Reflections in Synagogue.

Stills from Reflections in Synagogue.

Stills from Reflections in Synagogue.

Stills from Reflections in Synagogue.

Stills from Reflections in Synagogue.

Stills from Reflections in Synagogue.

Stills from Reflections in Synagogue.

Stills from Reflections in Synagogue.

Stills from Reflections in Synagogue.

Stills from Reflections in Synagogue.

Stills from Reflections in Synagogue.

Stills from Reflections in Synagogue.

Feature-length documentary directed by Malcolm St. Pierre about the life and career of Harlem-based historic preservationist Michael Henry Adams.

My role: Digital photography, B camera operation, archival research, location scouting.

Mr. Adams (Ongoing)

This film is fiscally sponsored by the Maysles Documentary Center.

Still from Whitmal short documentary Ticker

10 mins, documentary short

Shot in New York, a city full of strangers, Ticker explores the anxieties produced by the influence of mass media in everyday life, and the specter of men and women we learn to fear and love through the continuous stream of signs. Influenced by the writings of sociologist Christopher Rojek.

TICKER (2022)

TICKER (2022)

DANCE OF THE BOX GIRL

An archival short about female sexuality online and the slippage between humans, dolls, and robots. Inspired by writings of sociologist Kim Toffoletti