“In addition to the incredible Black women in my life, I had two main sources of inspiration for this film: Time by Garrett Bradley and the song 'To Be Invisible' by Gladys Knight & The Pips.

When I saw Time for the first time, it completely altered the way I understood documentary filmmaking. Time is a film that breaks almost every convention of documentary filmmaking and pushes the boundaries of what the art form can look like.

The title of my film comes from the 1974 soundtrack of Claudine, a romance-comedy film starring Diahann Carroll and James Earl Jones. I was introduced to Claudine when I was a child, watching it with my mother on the floor of her bedroom. So when it was time to start finding inspiration for the story I wanted to tell, I started withClaudine, and I particularly started with the soundtrack.”

“Overstreet’s frame is filled with the courage and love of her subjects—two young Black mothers fighting to regain custody of their children from Child Protective Services in Durham, North Carolina. To Be Invisible is imbued with black-and-white freshness and a tremendous perspective of care that helps uplift the strength and softness of Black women. It’s an act and exhibition against abandonment, a testament to the gravity of Black love to bring us back together and heal the pain of loss.”

“The film captures the drive and conviction of these mothers who seemingly do everything right, but slip through the cracks as bureaucrats, judges, and program officers fail to see them. Overstreet finds a devastating portrait of a broken system as Alexis and Kellie connect with advocates and mentors who advise them to put a human face on a problem that divides families across America. The film stresses how these stories are just two among many. It asks what hope America’s children can have if they lack the foundational support of a loving home.”