“Onboard” Documentary Debuts at Tribeca Film Festival

The Story: During the Summer of 2020, two friends, Merline Saintil and Robin Washington, were among a few Black women who sat on corporate boards. They believed corporate diversity starts at the top, and they took on the historically white male-dominated space of America’s board rooms. Merline and Robin invited 18 women to a zoom happy hour to hatch a plan. Then, 18 months and 200 Black women later, they ignited a global movement that re-tools the boardroom’s age-old board member process and increased the presence of Black women on the boards of public and private companies, changing the landscape and thinking of Corporate America and the aspirations for generations of young women of color to come.

Filmmaker and true force of nature Deborah Riley Draper helmed this important and inspired film — bringing together the many personalities and diverse stories over the course of an intense year. Making it’s debut at the 2023 Tribeca Film Festival, the endeavor comes full circle as the kickoff of an ongoing festival run whose next stop is the Martha’s Vineyard African American Film Festival in August.

From Nathan: “I was given an amazing opportunity to edit this film for Deborah. It’s truly a dream come true to have the chance to work on a project like this. My heart goes out to everyone involved in this project. It was an honor to listen to all of their stories and craft them into one. Thank you so much Deborah. It’s been inspiring to work with you.”