Christalyn Hampton has gone through several life-changing events in recent years. After living in New York for 30 years, Hampton just moved back to Atlanta, where she was born and raised. At the same time, after more than 15 years as a professional dancer, choreographer, and artist, Hampton moved i nto producing and directing. She’s since produced the Peabody-winning The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks for Peacock, Born in Synanon for Paramount+, and Maxine’s Baby: The Tyler Perry Story for Amazon Prime. Hampton’s directorial career couldn’t have got off to a better start, too. Her debut as a filmmaker, The Devil is Busy, which she co-directed with Geeta Gandbhir, has been nominated for the Best Documentary Short Film at the 98th Academy Awards. Set at a women’s healthcare clinic in Atlanta, the film shows a day in the life of Tracii, its head of security. She looks to keep patients that travel there from across the country safe from the tighter abortion restrictions after the end of Roe v Wade and the constant presence of protestors outside. The documentary streams on HBO Max. Director Christalyn HamptonPhotograph by Shenika Linen To mark The Devil is Busy’s Oscar nomination, Atlanta spoke with Hampton about the film, why documentaries are so important, and what she hopes the film’s impact will be.  What was your reaction to the Oscar nomination? I screamed. This is my first directing credit as well. So it was just like, Wow. And I’m so proud of the film. I feel like Tracii is the heart of the film. She’s such a beautiful person. The clinic is such a great clinic and healthcare facility. I felt like it was honoring them in a way. I think that’s why I screamed. These are brave women that do this work day in and day out. They create a safe environment. In the past, a protester snuck into the main lobby and created a scene. They had to work even harder to keep the people safe. Because it’s a very vulnerable situation for people. I keep reminding people, abortion is a healthcare service. What was the origins of The Devil is Busy? As a woman, I was really infuriated about the Supreme Court decision. I wanted to do something. I had been working with Soledad O’Brien Productions [O’Brien is an executive producer on the film] on the Rosa Parks documentary. It was easy for us to come together. I’ve also worked with Geeta on many projects. She was my best friend in college. So we brought her on board. Did you always know the film would be set in Atlanta or Georgia? Our producer Amber Fares went to different cities throughout the country as research. They asked me specifically to go to this clinic, before we started to do any kind of filming, just to get a vibe from it. I spent a week with them. You could really feel the community. I had never seen that before. Tracii is just so courageous and compassionate about what she does. Plus she’s a woman of faith, which I just found very interesting. That was in 2022. A year and a half later is when we went back. In that time period, in Georgia, there was this back and forth between the Georgia Supreme Court, a pro-life organization, and the governor over the heartbeat [bill, which bans abortion after six weeks gestation]. When that was decided, we knew we needed to revisit this story. Because women are still fighting and losing access to healthcare. Abortion is just one service that is provided. So we have to sort of keep this conversation going. We also wanted to reveal the humanity of what the women who work at these clinics, who are on the front line of what’s happening, have to deal with. What did you learn when you researched the clinic? I was able to just sort of sit with no camera and observe the people. It allowed me to see where the story could go. How we could elevate what the women were doing inside. We were very communicative with each other, as far as the producers, Geeta and I. We really put our heads together to figure out how to show this unique perspective through Tracii. That was such a unique point of view that we had not seen before. Being in the clinic also allowed me to hear the constant noise from the protestors. That’s why we included so much of it in the documentary. When I was there, I was on the phone talking with the team. They were like, Can you go somewhere that’s a little quiet? I was like, I’m in an office. They have bull horns outside. That helped us to make it feel immersive. I wanted to make sure that the sound showed the cacophony of the protesters. Because that’s what you feel when you’re inside and outside. What is your role as a documentarian? I see myself as a woman really trying to empower other women. The unsung heroes. I like to find those stories and bring a unique perspective to them. Even with the Rosa Parks documentary, a lot of people only know her for doing one thing. But she had a much bigger body of work and was involved in many things. You don’t know that until you actually lay it out for people to see. As a documentarian, that’s what I want to do. I want to make sure we are giving light to these historical stories, but also [to] present day stories. What was Tracii’s reaction to the film? Tracii cried when I showed it to her before we premiered. I wanted to make sure she felt comfortable. I had loosely told her that it was about her. But, when you’re editing and filming, you never know where it might go. As she cried she said, I didn’t know I had a story to tell. I couldn’t believe she couldn’t even see the impact that she was having around others. That made me really happy for her to get that acknowledgement. Plus, the women who work at the clinic are so, excuse my language, badass. I don’t know how they do that work every day. They are all really supportive and communicative with each other. There’s all these checks and balances that go on throughout the day that keeps it a safe environment. That keeps it about healthcare and nothing else. It was so important to amplify this community. Because it’s all women that run the clinic. That’s phenomenal in itself. What do you hope the impact of the film can be? Well, the clinic is still trying to reverse the [six-week abortion] ban. Most women don’t even know they have missed their cycle at six weeks, let alone are pregnant. I think with audiences, the most impactful aspect of the film has been making men aware of what women have to go through. Once you have an awareness amongst men and women, that’s where change starts. That’s where the shift starts. I think getting people more educated, getting people to vote, locally and federally, will help change to eventually happen. I feel like women should always advocate for themselves in their health care. If you really want reproductive freedom and full autonomy of your body, you have to stand up and say something. How has it been returning to the Atlanta film business? It’s a very robust film community. There are so many talented people. All the women we used for The Devil is Busy are from the Atlanta area. They went to school at Spelman. We have a talented pool here. I’m encouraged that it will continue to grow. What are you working on next? I have a series that I directed called She Was First, that features six pioneer women who revolutionized the arts. We look at their creative process in an intimate way and also show what they’re giving back. That’s on the PBS platform and PBS locally. I also produced Free Joan Little and Come Together: Art’s Power for Change, which are in the festival circuit right now. The post QA: Oscar-nominated director and Atlantan Christalyn Hampton talks about The Devil is Busy  appeared first on Atlanta Magazine. ...read more read less