Ultimately, I want to be able to communicate my feelings about life, love and humanity in a way that can only be accomplished on screen. I want to persuade people to consider or reconsider they way they see life, by allowing them to connect to the "reality" of a fictional character and see life through that character’s eyes, and empathize with the decisions that character makes based on that character's truth.
 

I want cinema to be a safe space for people to enter with their biases and preconceived ideas while actively giving themselves license to try on new ways of seeing the world and connecting to someone on screen that they would ordinarily refuse to sympathize or empathize with.

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Brooklyn filmmaker Lawrence “LAW” Watford is known for making dramatic films that are deeply focused on our common humanity. He traces his interest in filmmaking to his undergraduate years at Hampton University (an HBCU) where he earned his BA in Political Science. That interest quickly became a passion and led him to Regent University where he earned his Master’s Degree in communications, while having the opportunity to work with Hollywood icons like Pat Morita (The Karate Kid) and James Avery (The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air’s Uncle Phil) whom he directed in his 2005 short film “A Christmas Wish.” 

After graduating, LAW began working on major Hollywood productions like the Oscar nominated films “The New World,” “Revolutionary Road” and “The Good Shepherd,” (directed by Robert DeNiro) before landing in the art department of the hit NBC series “Law & Order: SVU,” where he worked for 5 seasons.

Since that time, he’s worked diligently as a filmmaker, focusing on dramas that explore complex social narratives through his production company, Divine Write Pictures.  In 2013 he wrote, directed and produced the short film “The Savior & the Samaritan,” followed by the film “Flipped” in 2018, which he directed and produced. His most recent work, “Catharsis” explores accountability in law enforcement. Following a successful run on the festival circuit, the film was recently acquired by Revolt TV.
 

In addition to being one of  Essence.com’s “7 Independent Black Filmmakers to Watch” 2021, LAW was recently recognized in Deadline.com after optioning the Martin Luther King Jr. biography “The Seminarian: Martin Luther King Jr. Comes of Age,” which he is currently developing as a limited series. The book stands as the only definitive account of MLK’s formative years as a young adult at Crozer Theological Seminary.