This Women’s History Month, award-winning filmmaker Robin Hamilton releases her newest documentary short about a risk-taker and ruler-breaker who refused to live on anyone’s terms but her own.
Odessa’s Reign tells the story of the “Queen of the Underworld”: a Black, lesbian gangster who ran the most lucrative gambling ring in D.C. in the 1930s, 40s and 50s, while keeping the D.C. police in her back pocket.
A little know historical figure with a big rap sheet, Odessa’s story explores how an African American woman, born in a time with limited options, leveraged her incredible mind and quick wit to become one of the wealthiest women in Washington, D.C. “running numbers”, which was the lottery before it was legal.
A biography woven with a cautionary tale, this 30-minute film delves into the life of a complicated woman who challenged the idea of what a lady could be, and what risks she was willing to take to get what she wanted.
Screenings and Press:
Official Selection- Baltimore International Black Film Festival
Official Selection- DC Black Film festival
Awarded Best DC Film in DC Black Film Festival
Screened on WHUT/Howard University
Received a write-up in the Washington Post
Filmmaker Bio
Robin Hamilton is an Emmy-award winning television host, producer and moderator for townhalls and forums. She is founder and principal of the ARound Robin Production Company, where she creates videos for non-profits to help with fundraising, marketing and messaging.
In addition to Odessa’s Reign, her company has produced four documentary films. This Little Light of Mine: The Legacy of Fannie Lou Hamer which chronicles the life of famed civil rights activist Fannie Lou Hamer. Her second documentary, Dignity and Defiance: A Portrait of Mary Church Terrell, was awarded a DC Humanities Grant and released in 2017. Our Alexandria, her third documentary, was awarded a Virginia Humanities Grant and won Best Documentary Short for the DC Independent Film Festival in 2020.
