Remembering Maurice Jamal, Filmmaker and Storyteller

We say goodbye to filmmaker and storyteller Maurice Jamal with heavy hearts. He told stories that connected with audiences around the world, and he pushed for diversity and representation in an industry that made both hard to come by. As we remember his life and work, here is some of what made him the artist he was.

Maurice Jamal was born on February 17, 1970, in Washington, D.C., and storytelling had him early. At Howard University he studied film and television production, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Communications. Audiences noticed his work early on, and word spread fast.

His directorial debut, "The Ski Trip," premiered in 2004. The comedy-drama follows a group of friends, gay and straight, on a weekend ski trip, and finds both the joy and the mess in love, friendship, and figuring yourself out. Reviewers praised how honestly it portrayed the LGBTQ+ community — Jamal was already making the case for visibility on screen.

He kept making films that pressed on what the culture didn't want to look at. His 2006 film, "Dirty Laundry," follows a young man back to his southern hometown to face his past, working through family, identity, and acceptance. Critics praised its careful picture of African-American family life and the LGBTQ+ experience inside it.

Jamal's push for representation didn't stop at his own credits. He spoke up for other filmmakers of color and LGBTQ+ artists, mentored young filmmakers, and opened doors through his production company, Baby Got Productions.

He wrote, too — essays and op-eds on why representation in media matters, in publications including The Huffington Post and Out Magazine.

His films asked audiences to accept their differences and question the rules they'd been handed. That work touched a lot of people, and it will keep teaching filmmakers and audiences what stories can do.

Rest in peace, Maurice Jamal. Your vision and your talent stay with us.