Jessie Maple (1937-2023) was a pioneering filmmaker, writer, producer, editor and cinematographer. She was one of the first Black women to direct a narrative feature length film and was the first Black woman to join the International Photographers of Motion Picture & Television union. Her debut, Will (1981) marks the film debut of the award-winning actress Loretta Devine and follows a basketball coach in Harlem as he struggles with drug addiction. Twice As Nice, which follows women basketball players as they gear up for a draft in the “MBA” , was made a full 9 years before the WNBA was created in 1997. She also established a long-running venue for independent Black filmmakers in her home in Harlem.