Te Shima Brennen
REPORTING FELLOW
Te Shima Brennen (they/them) is a visual storyteller and journalist based in Brooklyn, New York. Their work focuses on covering race, gender, and sexuality. As an emerging documentary filmmaker, they aim to tell nuanced stories about Black, queer, and trans people as they navigate institutions and systems not built to support them. Currently, Te Shima is co-directing a documentary that follows an ailing Black trans matriarch who is struggling to inculcate the values of education and survival in her community before she runs out of time. They are also producing a documentary, currently in development, following a revolutionary artist from Yonkers, New York, who is leading the charge to create a healthier future for generations of Black community members whose lives and health are affected by redlining.
Te Shima became the 2022-23 recipient of a Magic Grant from the Brown Institute for Media Innovation for their pilot project titled, "TRANSforming Journalism." They were also a 2022 Reuters Institute Fellow at the University of Oxford where they researched how journalists can build trust in trans communities as a gateway to telling nuanced stories about them.
Te Shima completed their Master's of Science in Journalism, with a documentary specialization, at Columbia University's School of Journalism. Their work was featured in numerous festivals both domestically and abroad, including NewFest, the Pan African Film Festival, BFI Flare: London LGBTQIA+ Film Festival, Roze Filmdagen, and the Inside Out Film Festival.
