Mel
Director and Hermitage High School graduate Mel Jones is behind the series "Leimert Park," which debuted at Sundance this week. (Photo by Adam Simms)
Director and Richmond native Mel Jones' new web series, “Leimert Park,” begins with a kitchen-table conversation among three women, who are discussing the rounded stones, or yoni eggs, soaking in a bowl of water in front of them. In a practice originating thousands of years ago in China, women place yoni eggs into their vaginas, seeking a variety of results, from muscle strengthening to improved sexual gratification. One of the characters, Bridget, appears nervous and begins to whisper when explaining the vocabulary behind the yoni eggs.
“That scene was a way for us to make a commentary without having to beat anyone over the head with it. No, you don’t have to whisper — ‘vagina’ is not a bad word,” says Jones, a Hermitage High School graduate hailing from Glen Allen. Jones also attended Howard University and the American Film Institute, earning an MFA in producing.
The six-episode series, set in the Los Angeles neighborhood for which it’s named, premiered at the Sundance Film Festival this week. “Leimert Park” will debut in a few months, though no network or platform has been announced.
“Leimert Park” addresses themes surrounding an individual’s choices and desires. Jones, 33, says some people will be shocked by the content of the series, but thinks that’s okay: Viewers need to be challenged and pushed to look outside their comfort zones, she says.
“In general, Leimert Park is about sex positivity, it’s about being your authentic self, enjoying yourself, not being ashamed of wanting pleasure and seeking it,” Jones says.
“Leimert Park” was produced by Macro, a media brand representing the voices of people of color, and Homegrown Pictures, where Jones is the director of development. Jones says all of the people behind “Leimert Park” were people of color and women. As a result, she adds, “It wasn’t hard to explain to them what we were trying to do.”
While this was Jones’s first time directing, she has produced a number of works, including “Burning Sands,” which is available on Netflix, and “Juanita,” to be released later this year. Both were filmed in Richmond and other parts of Virginia. Jones made the decision to bring the projects to Richmond partly because of personal knowledge and resources in the area, but also so that she and her 4-year-old daughter could visit family. Initially, members of her team weren’t interested in filming in Richmond.
“Once we got there, everyone loved it and thought that it was the best idea ever,” Jones says.
