Matthew A. Cherry, the Oscar Award-winning director behind the 2019 animated short film Hair Love, is seeking crowdfunding for a campaign to realize his latest project, Time Signature.
According to a press release, the campaign will support production costs for the new 2D animated short film. It will also act as a proof of concept for a feature-length version of the film.
Read on for more about Time Signature and how to support the short film.
What is ‘Time Signature’ about?
Per the release, Time Signature is about a teenage musical prodigy aptly named Melody, who is preparing for an audition at a prestigious music school. Melody’s mother is not supportive of Melody’s efforts, but the talented teen continues to pursue her dream.
While struggling with writer’s block, Melody finds refuge in the attic, where she finds an unfinished piece of sheet music tucked inside her late grandmother’s piano, which appears to have magical properties. The sheet music has signatures on it, including Melody’s grandmother’s, but the other names are faded and illegible. As Melody plays the piece, she finds herself on a time-traveling adventure that introduces her to defining musical moments from her family’s past.
“I’m incredibly excited to bring Time Signature to life—a story that means so much to me,” Cherry said in a statement included in the press release. “It celebrates the richness of Black music and honors the legacy of Black women who’ve carried love, strength, and tradition through generations. At its core, this film is about Black joy, resilience, and the unbreakable bonds of family. The support from the Kickstarter community truly means everything to me.”
Cherry says ‘Time Signature’ is “both a celebration and a statement”
Cherry’s Time Signature campaign comes six years after the success of Hair Love, which raised a record-shattering $284,058 on Kickstarter. Hair Love went on to win the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film at the 2020 Oscars, and encouraged conversations around the world about Black hair. The short film was based on The New York Times best-selling picture book of the same name.
In 2023, the Hair Love universe welcomed Young Love to its universe. The 12-episode animated series, which was developed by Sony Pictures Animation and distributed by Max, followed the Young family from the 2019 short film.
Six years later and stories like Hair Love are more important than ever, which Cherry notes in the Kickstarter page for Time Signature.
“In today’s cultural climate — where DEI efforts are being rolled back, books are being banned, and stories by and about marginalized communities are increasingly under attack — Time Signature stands as both a celebration and a statement,” the director wrote on the page. “This project is about representation, yes, but more than that, it’s about presence. It’s about putting Black girls and Black women at the center of a story that is joyful, emotional, creative, and rooted in love across generations.”
