Photo by Alonzo Maciel
Kweighbaye Kotee is an entrepreneur, director, producer and writer.
Born in Liberia, she and her family immigrated to the U.S. at the brink of the Liberian Civil war. She attended public school in Newark, NJ where she was awarded a scholarship from the Wight Foundation to attend Blair Academy, a private boarding high school. She moved on to receive her B.S in Media, Culture, and Communications from New York University.
In 2007, she founded the Bushwick Film Festival (BFF). Hailed as one of Brooklyn’s most celebrated events, BFF is recognized for its contribution to the borough’s artistic and economic growth.
In 2016 she founded MCCG, an M/WBE community affairs consultant group that helps organizations positively engage with communities to create empowering opportunities. Leading a team, she has developed arts and cultural programs that have raised and distributed up to $500,000 to local artists and organizations; Produced and directed branded video campaigns, and managed community affairs for various high profile projects in Brooklyn.
In 2018, she launched the Bushwick Film Institute, BFI is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization committed to elevating community through the power of film, empowering underrepresented storytellers, increasing diversity in film and tv, and sharing unique stories with local and global audiences.BFI was created with the support of Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft to expand upon the work of the Bushwick Film Festival and make a greater impact through year-round programming. This year, in partnership with the festival’s community partner B&H Photo and Canon, BFI developed its first youth filmmaking program: Bushwick Stories!
She has also written and co-produced a talk show series for BRIC TV and wrote and directed a feature-length documentary which is currently in post-production.
Dedicated to her community and the arts, Kotee serves on The Bushwick Community Board and is co-chair of its Arts & Culture committee.
She has been featured on NBC, Fox News, NY1, Huffington Post, POPSUGAR, Delta Air Lines, Brooklyn Magazine, Indiewire, Rock You Media, Tribeca Film, to name a few and lives in Brooklyn.