film, tv and more

Projects

Little White Lie

Writer, Director, Producer

Both a NY Times and a Village Voice/LA Weekly Critic’s pick, Little White Lie is a feature-length documentary that tells Lacey's story of growing up in a typical middle-class white Jewish household in Woodstock, NY, with loving parents and a strong sense of her Jewish identity — that is until she discovers that her biological father is actually a black man with whom her mother had an affair.   When Schwartz uncovers her family secret it leads her on a personal quest to examine the big issues of race, identity, and belonging.

The result is a close-up, nuanced, and highly original view of the legacy of family secrets and dual identity, one fraught with pain and heartache,  but also intelligence, humor, and kindness… which The Village Voice/LA Weekly hailed as a”profound and engaging documentary” and “a beautiful, intimate, and complex exploration… [that is a] nuanced engagement with the most difficult of American discussions about race, family, and identity." The NY Times called Little White Lie  a “rich narrative,” “provocative,” and “a searing portrait of collective denial”: “Few moments in recent nonfiction cinema are as piercing.” MSNBC’s Chris Hayes said on-air that Little White Lie was, "One of the most profound meditations on race I've ever actually experienced," and The Huffington Post called it “a thoughtful look at the impact of denial and the nuanced ways in which we shape our identity.”

"
One of the most profound meditations on race I've ever actually experienced.

/ chris hayes /

The Loving Generation

Writer, Director, Producer

Lacey directed and produced a four-part digital documentary series for First Look Media’s entertainment studio, Topic, detailing the story of a generation of Americans born to one black parent and one white parent post Loving v. Virginia - the 1967 Supreme Court decision that overturned all laws outlawing interracial marriage. Featuring interviews with Melissa Harris-Perry, Adam Sewer, Elaine Welteroth, Nikole Hannah-Jones, Panama Jackson, Soledad O’Brien, Rebecca Carroll and Mat Johnson, among others, the series’ narratives provide a fascinating and unique window into the borderland between “blackness” and “whiteness”, and, in some cases, explode fixed ideas about race and identity.

The Loving Generation was the highest rated series on Topic.com and went viral on social media with almost 8 million views. It received strong coverage on WNYC’s “The Takeaway”, KCRW’s “Press Play” , The Opposition Show with Jordan Klepper and Slate’s “The Gist” Podcast, and in Nylon, Ebony and the NY Times. The series was also a webby-Award nominee for Best Digital Series.

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Believing that to be black in America is to be mixed, I didn’t want to be part of something centering biracial angst. In the end, I trusted [the creators] and [The Loving Generation] is beautifully done.

/ nikkole hannah-jones /

Difret

Executive producer

Along with Angelina Jolie, Lacey executive produced the award-winning drama DIFRET, based on the inspirational true story of a young Ethiopian girl and a tenacious lawyer embroiled in a life-or-death clash between cultural traditions and their country’s advancement of equal rights. When 14-year-old Hirut is abducted in her rural village’s tradition of kidnapping women for marriage, she fights back, accidentally killing her captor and intended husband. Local law demands a death sentence for Hirut, but Meaza, a tough and passionate lawyer from a women’s legal aide practice, steps in to fight for her. With both Hirut’s life and the future of the practice at stake the two women must make their case for self-defense against one of Ethiopia’s oldest and most deeply-rooted traditions. DIFRET paints a portrait of a country in a time of great transformation and the brave individuals ready to help shape it.

Called by the LA Times “compelling” ad “authentic”,  it was the first film to win audience awards at both Sundance and Berlin Film Festivals. When he hosted a screening of the film at a ---, Secretary of State John Kerry called Difret “a story of conscience and conviction that ought to inspire everybody.” Difret was used as a tool to organize for water rights in 40 villages across Africa—making a real-world impact in the lives of thousands. 

Thanks to the over 156,000 supporters that signed our Difret petition, together, we helped convince the U.S. Government to develop and deliver a coordinated strategy across multiple U.S. government agencies for ending child marriage and promoting the empowerment of adolescent girls globally.

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A story of conscience and conviction that ought to inspire everyone.

/ Secretary of state john kerry /

Essence Black Girl Magic Docu-series “A'Dorian, Radical Self-Lover”

Writer, Director, Producer

When Newark, New Jersey, native A’dorian was 7 years old, her father was murdered while leaving his store. Now grown, the college student wants to give back to local youth who have lived through similar tragedies, which directors Lacey Schwartz and Mehret Mandefro capture in episode five of Essence Black Girl Magic. A’dorian founded She Wins Leadership Institute, which teaches young black girls to not only find their voice, but to trust it, and discover the true art of self-love. “The act of self-love isn’t easy,” A’Dorian said. “It takes time. It takes effort. But the more you dedicate time to loving yourself and surrounding yourself by people who are encouraging you to do the same, there is no such thing as a barrier.” The series was nominated for a Webby Award.

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Art is the most powerful medium on the planet, and I continue to be inspired by and learn from these powerful, brave and stereotype-shattering women who leveraged their success as artists to fearlessly stand up against racism, sexism, exclusion and harassment.

/ Alicia keys/

American Masters:
How It Feels to Be Free

Executive producer

Along with Alicia Keys, Lacey is executive producing this upcoming documentary that tells the inspiring story of how six iconic African American female entertainers – Lena Horne, Abbey Lincoln, Nina Simone, Diahann Carroll, Cicely Tyson and Pam Grier – challenged an entertainment industry deeply complicit in perpetuating racist stereotypes, and transformed themselves and their audiences in the process. The film, which is slated to premiere in early 2021 on PBS and on documentary Channel in Canada, features interviews and archival performances with all six women, as well as original conversations with contemporary artists influenced by them, including Alicia Keys, an executive producer on the project, Halle Berry, Lena Waithe, Meagan Good, LaTanya Richardson Jackson, Samuel L. Jackson and other luminaries, as well as family members, including Horne’s daughter Gail Lumet Buckley.

Based on the book “How It Feels To Be Free: Black Women Entertainers and the Civil Rights Movement” by Ruth Feldstein, the film tells the story of how these six pioneering women broke through in an entertainment industry hell-bent on keeping them out and situates their activism as precursors to contemporary movements like #TimesUp, #OscarsSoWhite and #BlackLivesMatter. Award-winning director Yoruba Richen (The Green Book: Guide to Freedom, POV: Promised Land, Independent Lens: The New Black) examines the impact these trailblazing entertainers had on reshaping the narrative of Black female identity in Hollywood through their art and political activism while advocating for social change. The film highlights how each woman — singer, dancer and actress Lena Horne; jazz vocalist, songwriter and actress Abbey Lincoln; Tony-winning actress, singer and model Diahann Carroll; jazz, blues and folk singer Nina Simone; actress and model Cicely Tyson; and actress Pam Grier — harnessed their celebrity to advance the civil rights movement.