Carolina alumna Resita Heavenly Cox is an Emmy Award winning film director, community organizer,
educator, and cultural philosopher whose practice centers on the concepts of Sun Ra’s myth science.
This theoretical framework posits American Blackness as a myth, particularly within the confines of capitalism. Resita uses moving images to reinterpret the complexities of Black life through a “third cinema” and impact-focused documentary lens. Her filmmaking is a deeply personal, somatic practice that moves beyond conventional methods to prioritize community, care, and collective well-being.
By holding a mirror up to audiences, her films craft a yet-to-be-conceived image of self. Resita’s work forces viewers to grapple with uncomfortable realities of the human condition, ultimately serving the goal of imaging and birthing a better way of being. She operates from the conviction that each individual spark is the foundation for revolutionary cultural change. Resita is a Hulu/Kartemquin Accelerator Fellow, North Star Fellow, 2024 Rockwood Documentary Leaders Fellow (Ford Foundation), a 2025 Chicken & Egg Eggcelorator Fellow, and 2024/2025 Grounded Possibilities Environmental Justice Fellow. She holds an MFA from Northwestern University and was named an Esteemed Artist by the City of Chicago in 2022.