Hope Giselle Almost Didn’t Submit ‘Not Your Average Girl’ to ESSENCE Film Festival—Then It Won Best Documentary

Before Not Your Average Girl won Best Documentary Film at the 2026 ESSENCE Festival of Culture, Hope Giselle nearly kept the eight-year passion project from being submitted at all.

During a conversation with InquisitiveCarter.com, the activist, author and filmmaker reflected on the self-doubt that almost prevented audiences from seeing the documentary, revealing she questioned whether its story would resonate with the very community the festival celebrates.

“I was not going to even apply to do ESSENCE,” Giselle admitted. “I was really under the stigma that Black folks would not care about a story about a trans woman that did not revolve around trauma or some sort of shame or sex work.”

Giselle admitted it took encouragement from her manager to change her mind and the result proved to be transformative.

“Not only was I accepted, but I was accepted with love,” Giselle said. “So many people on the ESSENCE team love it, and I just feel super great. I’m grateful.”

Rather than centering pain for the sake of visibility, Not Your Average Girl tells a story of perseverance, both on and off the screen.

“You can expect to see a film that talks about beating the odds while it is literally beating the odds itself as a film,” she said. “I’m super proud of this project, and I really am excited.”

That message carried even greater weight after Not Your Average Girl being awarded. Reflecting on the journey after the win, Giselle shared just how humble the project’s beginnings were.

“This journey started with a couple thousand dollars, a cameraman with an eye for storytelling, and a handful of friends and family who believed in me before the world did,” she shared on social media. “No studio. No major budget. Just a desire to tell an honest story.”

Giselle’s candid reflections extended beyond filmmaking. When asked what advice she’d offer others battling self-doubt and imposter syndrome, she didn’t hesitate.

“If nothing else, do the thing that you were called to do,” she said. “Do the thing that God placed on your heart and do it while you’re scared. Do it while you’re angry. Do it while it doesn’t make sense to nobody but you.”