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I first met Nande Walters through her work Zine Fest NYC, and was immediately so excited to see another Black girl in the zine community, let alone one as talented as Nande. Their portfolio of work features art, photography, writing and film that masterfully capture bright feelings of nostalgia. Nande’s most recent film, Soon Come Back comes as a continuation of her 2012 Bloodline project, which revolves around documenting and archiving her Jamaican heritage. In 2023, Soon Come Back won TIDE Film Festivals Best Documentary Film.

Name/pronouns?

Nande Walters

she/they

How did you get into organizing zine events?

I’m a part of Zine Fest NYC (@zinefest.nyc), created by my friends Cassie Bristow, Ellie Grever, and Frankie. I sold zines in the first Zine Fest in August 2021, and with starting school again, I wasn’t making zines for a while. Cassie and I have been friends since our first year at Pratt Institute, and I don’t think I’d be as into zines as I am without her. She asked me to join the Zine Fest team in the summer of 2023 to work on a website and archive. It’s been great to be a part of the zine community, make new friends, and see work that inspires me.

What do you think black voices add to the zine community? 

Black people add so much to every community. Zines have so much history rooted in activism and the spreading of information. I love that zines allow the sharing of art outside of galleries and museums in an accessible way. Representation is important, especially when the power is in the hands of those historically underrepresented and discriminated against.

Who/what are ur filmmaking inspirations? 

Film school solidified my interest in documentaries and diaristic films, but even then, I mostly watch cartoons and reality TV. It’s hard to make a list of all-time favorites, so instead, the films that have inspired my film “Soon Come Back” and the subsequent films I want to make are: “Black Mother” by Khalik Allah, “It Runs in the Family” by Victoria Linares Villegas, “Golden Jubilee” by Suniel Sanzgiri, “News From Home” by Agnes Varda, and “Bye Bye Tiberias” by Lina Soualem.

How does being a black woman impact your creative expression?

When I moved to New York for film school at a PWI, I immediately realized my isolated position in being Black, but also power in not wanting to assimilate. It took most of my teenage years to shift my mindset to making whiteness the default because it’s all that’s been championed for so long. Things like “Moonlight” and “Insecure” and “Atlanta” really inspired me and came around the exact time I became interested in filmmaking. Ever since then, I’ve loved storytelling that’s personal or relatable or makes you reflect, and the subject and creators being Black is the cherry on top, another mirror where I see myself represented.

What’s your favorite thing about your self?

My favorite thing about myself is being a “jack of all trades.” And not even being good at a lot of things, but being interested in so many things and having different hobbies. I’m a creature of habit and a recently realized perfectionist, so it feels very freeing or self-actualizing to find joy outside of my comfort zone.

What is your advice for young black creatives? 

I’m also still young, and I have to keep reminding myself that I have so much time to do all the things I wanna do, and I don’t have to have everything figured out right now. I’d tell my teenage self that there’s no need to rush growing up. I’m thankful to have moved to NYC for college and have met so many people since living here. Community is so important, and I wouldn’t be where I am without it. And thankfully, the internet helps!