Marquise Mays

Education

MA, Cinema and Media Studies, University of Southern California
BA, Journalism and Communication Arts, UW-Madison

Biography

Marquise Mays is a storyteller shaped by the rhythms of Milwaukee—a city that holds both his history and his vision for the future. As an award-winning filmmaker, professor, and cultural curator, his work explores the intimate textures of Black Midwestern life, offering careful and personal renderings of identity, memory, and place.

Rooted in nonfiction, Marquise’s films are both an artistic practice and an act of community care. His work allows Black Midwesterners to be the experts of their own lives, emotions, traditions, and cultures, creating space for their voices to shape the narratives that define them. Whether capturing a father’s quiet wisdom during a home repair (Home Improvement), examining the weight of legacy (BLACK STRINGS), or redefining the power of names (MONIKERS), his films probe viewers to think critically about our relationships to place, systems, self, and family.

At the heart of his practice is a unique approach to storytelling—one that employs definitions throughout his work, building a living, breathing cinematic encyclopedia for Black Midwestern life and circumstance. His films have been featured on Criterion Channel, PBS, BET, and in festivals nationwide, while his teaching and curatorial work continue to create new spaces for Black stories to be seen and valued.

Through film, education, and cultural preservation, Marquise remains dedicated to telling stories that remind us of who we are and who we can be.

marquisemays.com