Press release
LIFE, ABOVE ALL
Moving New South African Drama, Based on Allan Stratton's Award-winning Novel, "Chandra's Secrets"
Has U.S. Theatrical Premiere Friday, July 15, 2011 at Film Forum
Film Forum is pleased to announce the U.S. theatrical premiere of Oliver Schmitz's LIFE, ABOVE ALL, beginning Friday, July 15, for an ongoing engagement.
A Sony Pictures Classics release, the movie is an emotional drama of a 12-year-old girl (stunningly performed by first-time actress Khomotso Manyaka) who fights the fear and shame that have poisoned her community, in the wake of the AIDS crisis.
Just after the death of her infant sister, Chanda, learns of a rumor that spreads like wildfire through her small, dust-ridden village near Johannesburg. It destroys her family and forces her mother to flee.
Sensing that the gossip stems from prejudice and superstition, Chanda leaves home and school in search of her mother and the truth.
Directed by South African filmmaker Oliver Schmitz (MAPANTSULA; PARIS, JE T'AIME), the film is based on the 2004 international award-winning novel "Chanda's Secrets" by Allan Stratton. LIFE, ABOVE ALL was the surprise hit of the 2010 Cannes Film Festival where, Time magazine reported, audiences gave it a rousing 10-minute ovation.
LIFE, ABOVE ALL will open Friday, July 15 at Film Forum, West Houston Street (West of 6th Avenue), with screenings daily at 1:00, 3:15, 5:40, 7:50, 10:00.
LIFE, ABOVE ALL (2010, 106 mins.) Directed by Oliver Schmitz. Produced by Oliver Stoltz. Written by Dennis Foon and Oliver Schmitz. Based upon the novel "Chandra's Secrets" by Allan Stratton. Starring Khomotso Manyaka as Chandra. South Africa / Germany In Sefedi with English subtitles. A Sony Pictures Classic Release. (Rated PG-13)
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LIFE, ABOVE ALL
Moving New South African Drama, Based on Allan Stratton's Award-winning Novel, "Chandra's Secrets"
Has U.S. Theatrical Premiere Friday, July 15, 2011 at Film Forum
Film Forum is pleased to announce the U.S. theatrical premiere of Oliver Schmitz's LIFE, ABOVE ALL, beginning Friday, July 15, for an ongoing engagement.
A Sony Pictures Classics release, the movie is an emotional drama of a 12-year-old girl (stunningly performed by first-time actress Khomotso Manyaka) who fights the fear and shame that have poisoned her community, in the wake of the AIDS crisis.
Just after the death of her infant sister, Chanda, learns of a rumor that spreads like wildfire through her small, dust-ridden village near Johannesburg. It destroys her family and forces her mother to flee.
Sensing that the gossip stems from prejudice and superstition, Chanda leaves home and school in search of her mother and the truth.
Directed by South African filmmaker Oliver Schmitz (MAPANTSULA; PARIS, JE T'AIME), the film is based on the 2004 international award-winning novel "Chanda's Secrets" by Allan Stratton. LIFE, ABOVE ALL was the surprise hit of the 2010 Cannes Film Festival where, Time magazine reported, audiences gave it a rousing 10-minute ovation.
LIFE, ABOVE ALL will open Friday, July 15 at Film Forum, West Houston Street (West of 6th Avenue), with screenings daily at 1:00, 3:15, 5:40, 7:50, 10:00.
LIFE, ABOVE ALL (2010, 106 mins.) Directed by Oliver Schmitz. Produced by Oliver Stoltz. Written by Dennis Foon and Oliver Schmitz. Based upon the novel "Chandra's Secrets" by Allan Stratton. Starring Khomotso Manyaka as Chandra. South Africa / Germany In Sefedi with English subtitles. A Sony Pictures Classic Release. (Rated PG-13)
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ODW REPORT
Brick City (VOD Hidden Gem)
03/03/11--Mmedia savant T Tara Turk goes deep inside cable TV to reveal Video On Demand's Hidden Gems so even the busiest of our readers can get the most out of On Demand TV. Tell Tara what VOD shows you think deserves her attention...
One Brick At A Time - Brick City (VOD Hidden Gem)_By T. Tara Turk_
Most of you know by now that my reality TV show inclination runs the gamut (much like my shopping tendencies - from Nordstrom’s to Home Depot, I don’t judge). Usually I can deal with the fluff of the Bravo Housewives or the grotesque eating habits of Travel Channel’s Andrew Zimmern. But _Sundance Channel_ On Demand’s reality series “Brick City” is a whole different ballgame.
Brick City (Sundance Channel)
While we all watch Charlie Sheen becoming undone before our very eyes on not just entertainment channels like E! but also on solid news programs like 20/20, there’s something about this that unrests with me since we don’t have the same dedication to our own communities.
“Brick City”, executive produced by Forest Whitaker, is one of those shows that brings edutainment projects like “The West Wing” and “Treme” to real life, even putting a microscope on the specific lives it follows: Newark Mayor Cory Booker, School Principal/Activist Ras Baraka, the family of shooting victim Yusuf Shabazz, the romantic relationship between Jayda, a former Bloods gang member, and Creep, a former Crip gang member just to name a few. This is, after all, a community.
In the episode “The Haunting”, New Jersey police continue to search for the person responsible for shooting Shabazz in the notorious Garden Spires housing project. Meanwhile Mayor Booker has a member of his staff indicted on possible kickbacks (polls at the time think the Mayor is just about the only one in City Hall who’s not dirty). Booker is also facing a possible reelection run off with former mayor Sharpe James who was convicted of fraud.
In addition, Jayda, Creep and Jayda’s lawyer fight to untangle Jayda’s complicated criminal past in time to release her so she can continue building her nonprofit “Nine Women Strong.”
The series has already won a Peabody Award and it’s easy to see why. There’s no preaching from behind the camera and none of these stories seem scripted (there’s no Khardashian giggling or fake Kendra and Hank Wilkerson fights). Sometimes real life is already dramatic enough.
There isn’t a moment that lulls in this docu-series and the most outstanding part of it aside from the pace, is the fact that all sides are given fair time on camera - no judgments. All you really see is a community of people who are battling desperately for their home the best way they know how.
The passion behind each person featured is hopefully contagious enough for us to stop looking at the Lohans, the Sheens and the Aguileras and start looking at our own community dramas right outside.
Brick City (Sundance Channel) - T. Tara Turk
_T. Tara Turk is a novelist/playwright/screenwriter, living in LA with her boyfriend and dog - all three successful TV addicts. You can find her at www.ttaraturk.com or follow her on Twitter @ttaraturk._
Links: http://www.sundancechannel.com/brick-city?utm_source=On+Demand+Weekly+List&utm_campaign=226bc53bf6-Brick_City_VOD_Hidden_Gem_3_3_2011&utm_medium=email
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Brick City (VOD Hidden Gem)
03/03/11--Mmedia savant T Tara Turk goes deep inside cable TV to reveal Video On Demand's Hidden Gems so even the busiest of our readers can get the most out of On Demand TV. Tell Tara what VOD shows you think deserves her attention...
One Brick At A Time - Brick City (VOD Hidden Gem)_By T. Tara Turk_
Most of you know by now that my reality TV show inclination runs the gamut (much like my shopping tendencies - from Nordstrom’s to Home Depot, I don’t judge). Usually I can deal with the fluff of the Bravo Housewives or the grotesque eating habits of Travel Channel’s Andrew Zimmern. But _Sundance Channel_ On Demand’s reality series “Brick City” is a whole different ballgame.
Brick City (Sundance Channel)
While we all watch Charlie Sheen becoming undone before our very eyes on not just entertainment channels like E! but also on solid news programs like 20/20, there’s something about this that unrests with me since we don’t have the same dedication to our own communities.
“Brick City”, executive produced by Forest Whitaker, is one of those shows that brings edutainment projects like “The West Wing” and “Treme” to real life, even putting a microscope on the specific lives it follows: Newark Mayor Cory Booker, School Principal/Activist Ras Baraka, the family of shooting victim Yusuf Shabazz, the romantic relationship between Jayda, a former Bloods gang member, and Creep, a former Crip gang member just to name a few. This is, after all, a community.
In the episode “The Haunting”, New Jersey police continue to search for the person responsible for shooting Shabazz in the notorious Garden Spires housing project. Meanwhile Mayor Booker has a member of his staff indicted on possible kickbacks (polls at the time think the Mayor is just about the only one in City Hall who’s not dirty). Booker is also facing a possible reelection run off with former mayor Sharpe James who was convicted of fraud.
In addition, Jayda, Creep and Jayda’s lawyer fight to untangle Jayda’s complicated criminal past in time to release her so she can continue building her nonprofit “Nine Women Strong.”
The series has already won a Peabody Award and it’s easy to see why. There’s no preaching from behind the camera and none of these stories seem scripted (there’s no Khardashian giggling or fake Kendra and Hank Wilkerson fights). Sometimes real life is already dramatic enough.
There isn’t a moment that lulls in this docu-series and the most outstanding part of it aside from the pace, is the fact that all sides are given fair time on camera - no judgments. All you really see is a community of people who are battling desperately for their home the best way they know how.
The passion behind each person featured is hopefully contagious enough for us to stop looking at the Lohans, the Sheens and the Aguileras and start looking at our own community dramas right outside.
Brick City (Sundance Channel) - T. Tara Turk
_T. Tara Turk is a novelist/playwright/screenwriter, living in LA with her boyfriend and dog - all three successful TV addicts. You can find her at www.ttaraturk.com or follow her on Twitter @ttaraturk._
Links: http://www.sundancechannel.com/brick-city?utm_source=On+Demand+Weekly+List&utm_campaign=226bc53bf6-Brick_City_VOD_Hidden_Gem_3_3_2011&utm_medium=email
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Press release
AFROPOP SEASON THREE PREMIERES JANUARY 2011
ON PUBLIC TV'S WORLD CHANNEL
Season Opener of Documentary Series on Contemporary African Diaspora
Marks the January 12 Anniversary of Haitian Earthquake
with Two Films on the Haitian Experience
NEW YORK (December 13, 2010)-- From artistic expression in Harlem and in Haiti to youthful hopes of overcoming war and poverty in Sierra Leone and Colombia, the third season of AfroPoP: The Ultimate Cultural Exchange transports viewers into the lives of men and women from different corners of the African Diaspora. Highlighting the use of art as expression and the human rights crises affecting people in the Pan-African world, the five-week seriespremieres on January 12, 2011 at 7 pm (ET) on the 24-hour documentary channel, World. Encore airings of each film will be shown at 12 am (ET)/9 pm (PT). Viewers can also view filmmaker interviews and other special content on WORLDcompass.org. AfroPoP is produced by the National Black Programming Consortium (NBPC) and co-presented by American Public Television (APT).
In 2011, AfroPoP brings to public television eight diverse documentaries about members of the African Diaspora in Haiti, the United States, Colombia, Jamaica, South Africa and Zimbabwe. The series, which airs on Wednesdays, kicks off on the January 12 anniversary of the catastrophic Haitian earthquake with two films focusing on Haiti. Haiti: One Day, One Destiny follows filmmaker Michele Stephenson as she travels to the island six weeks after the devastating earthquake and tells the story of the tragedy from the Haitian perspective. Taking a closer view of the Haitian experience in the U.S., The Other Side of the Water looks at rara music, traditional folk music used in street processions, and the Haitian musicians using it to help preserve their cultural identity in a new land, despite the controversy over its ties to Vodou (Voodoo).
Through 125 Franco’s Boulevard, presented on January 19, viewers see the ramifications of gentrification and development in Harlem as the legendary roll-down gate artwork of Harlem’s Franco the Great is threatened. The film is followed by Nora, a vibrant autobiographical journey through the life of Zimbabwean dancer Nora Chipaumire using dance and music. On January 26 the series turns its attention to musical expression and its cultural impact with RiseUP, an award-winning documentary chronicling the struggles of young Jamaican reggae artists striving to make a name for themselves.
On February 2, the series journeys down to Colombia with Uprooted and examines the effects of the Colombian civil war on displaced Afro-Colombians. This film will be followed by Sanza Hanza: King Surfer, a brief documentary on South African youth who court excitement and death through the activity of train surfing (climbing and performing dangerous stunts on a moving train). In honor of the U.N.’s International Day of Zero Tolerance to Female Genital Mutilation on February 6, the series concludes on February 9 with Mrs. Goundo’s Daughter, the story of a Philadelphia-based Malian immigrant’s legal battle to remain in the U.S. so that her daughter will not be forced to undergo female circumcision in her native land.
Trailers of the films, interviews with the filmmakers (including One Day, One Destiny’s Michele Stephenson), a closer look at The Other Side of the Water and other behind-the-scenes information on the documentaries including blogs, virtual talks centered on topical themes and filmmaking contests can be found at www.blackpublicmedia.org,the official website of NBPC. Additionally, the documentary A Day Without Mines, the story of filmmaker Adisa Septuri’s mission to provide child laborers in Sierra Leone with scholarships and a one-day football tournament, will be available for viewing online at the site.
ABOUT THE FILMS
JANUARY 12, 2011
Haiti: One Day, One Destiny
By NBPC & Michele Stephenson / Haitian-American filmmaker, Michele Stephenson visits Haiti six weeks after one of the world’s most devastating earthquakes. There to document the personal stories of the Haitian people, Michele gives us a glimpse of the emotional impact this tragedy has from the prospective of the thousands of Haitians living outside of Haiti who have been engaged in the recovery from the onset and will most likely be the ones to continue it once the story has retreated from the world stage.
Michele Stephenson has produced non-fiction film and new media for over a decade. She often uses her eclectic background and prior international experience as a human rights attorney to tackle stories on communities of color and human rights. As an early pioneer in the Web 2.0 revolution, Stephenson used video and the Internet to structure human rights campaigns and train people from across the globe in video Internet advocacy. Her work has appeared on PBS, Showtime, MTV and other broadcast, cable and digital outlets. Stephenson's work has also screened at prestigious festivals, from Toronto and Sundance to the Locarno International Film Festival in Switzerland.
The Other Side of the Water: The Journey of a Haitian Rara Band
By Jeremy Robbins and Magali Damas / The Other Side of the Water follows a 20-year journey of the Haitian-American community, told through the lens of a vodou-based walking band in Brooklyn. The music is called rara: part-carnival, part-vodou ceremony, and part-grassroots protest. Rara originally served as a voice of the slaves in their revolt against the French and continued on as the voice of those struggling against ongoing dictatorship in Haiti. The Other Side of the Water focuses on the journey of the poetic visionary Pé Yves, a leader of the rara movement in New York since the late ‘80s, as he strives to keep this musical art form alive while encountering attacks from the Haitian Christian community and new ideas from younger members of the rara movement.
Jeremy Robins is a media educator and filmmaker with a passion for visual storytelling. In early 2004 he produced and directed The Cause of Pierre Toussaint, a documentary of a 17th century Haitian former slave who is now being considered for sainthood by the Catholic Church. He currently works as a field producer for MTV's True Life, and for Downtown Community Television Productions. As an educator, he teaches production classes at Downtown Community Television (DCTV), and has designed youth development programs and taught video production to teenagers as part of the Harlem Children's Zone Project since 1998. He has written for The Independent Film & Video Monthly and the Brooklyn Rail.
Magali (Magi) Damas has worked the past fifteen years in video production, festival organization, and civic activism. In 2004, she co-produced The Cause of Pierre Toussaint and co-directed a music video for Djarara, which was featured on the national cable broadcast of Democracy Now! with Amy Goodman. She's currently the video coordinator for HaitiXchange.com and works in a variety of production roles for Metrovision Production Group, NYC. From 2000 to 2002 she helped organize Haiti's second largest festival "Gelee" in Les Cayes, as well as a rara festival in Pauillant. She works tirelessly to promote Haitian culture both here and in Haiti.
JANUARY 19, 2011
125 Franco’s Boulevard
By Sia Nyorkor & Jacob Templin
When a community is in the process of development and gentrification, what happens to the art and culture that represents the people of that community? With colorful strokes, Franco the Great has been painting murals on the storefront roll-down gates (riot gates) on 125th Street in Harlem for 40 years. A rezoning legislation and recently passed city law threaten to remove those gates along with the art and culture that is painted on them. Who will step up and preserve Franco’s art in the wake of big plans to change Harlem?
Sia Nyorkor is a broadcast journalist who is passionate about covering all things related to the African Diaspora. Before earning a Master of Science degree from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, Nyorkor worked as an associate producer at New Jersey Public Television & Radio where she earned a New York Emmy and CINE Golden Eagle for her work in documentary. Nyorkor also worked as a "backpack journalist" for MTV News, covering the 2008 presidential election.
Jacob Templin has been passionate about making documentary films since his first production in 2005, when he documented a trip he took across America with an uncle who was grappling to come to terms with his own mental health. He has produced and directed both short and feature length films, ranging in topics from welfare reform to HIV. In 2009, he completed his master's degree at the Columbia School of Journalism and currently works as a video journalist at TIME.com.
Nora
By Alla Kovgan, David Hinton and Nora Chipaumire / Nora is based on true stories from the life of dancer Nora Chipaumire, who was born in Zimbabwe in 1965. Using performance and dance, Nora brings her history to life in a swiftly-moving poem of sound and image, offering an insight into both her life and Zimbabwe’s history and political struggles.
Alla Kovgan is a Moscow-born, Boston-based filmmaker. Her films and films that she co-directed have been presented worldwide at film festivals including Sundance, Rotterdam, Toronto, Melbourne, Durban, Oberhausen, Clemont-Ferrand, PBS (US), ZDF (Germany) and numerous others. The two latest documentaries that she co-directed and edited, Emmy-nominated Traces of the Trade and My perestroika, broadcast on PBS’s P.O.V in 2008 and 2010. Since 1999, Alla has been involved with interdisciplinary collaborations—creating intermedia performances (with KINODANCE Company), dance films and documentaries about dance such as Movement (R)evolution Africa together with Joan Frosch. Since 2000, she has taught and curated dance film/avant-garde cinema worldwide as the programmer of St. Petersburg Dance Film Festival KINODANCE (Russia) and as a co-Curator of Balagan Film Series (Boston). In 2009, Alla was awarded a Massachusetts Cultural Council Fellowship and a Brother Thomas Fellowship for artists working at a high level of excellence and creativity.
David Hinton is a director who has made many documentaries for British television. His subjects have included artists of all kinds, including painter Francis Bacon, film-maker Bernardo Bertolucci, writer Alan Bennett, and choreographer Karole Armitage. He is best known in the dance world for Dead Dreams of Monochrome Men and Strange Fish, his film versions of stage shows by DV8 Physical Theatre. He has also made performance films with Adventures in Motion Pictures, the Alvin Ailey Company and the Royal Swedish Ballet, and has collaborated with several choreographers to create original dance works for the screen. He has twice won British Academy Awards for his documentaries, and his dance films have won many awards, including a Prix Italia, an Emmy, and the IMZ Dance Screen Award.
Nora Chipaumire(choreographer) was born in Mutare, Zimbabwe during the Chimurenga Chechipiri, or second war of liberation, and has lived in the U.S. as a self-exiled artist since 1989. Now based in Brooklyn, Chipaumire considers herself a political artist in dialogue with herself, fellow Africans, and humanity; Zimbabwe is her focus and Africa is her center. MANCC Fellow, recipient of NDP Tour Support, and participant in the JANT-BI Diaspora Project in Toubab Dialaw, Senegal, Nora was recently honored with the Mariam McGlone Emerging Choreographer Award. Winner of the 2007 BESSIE "for a towering, incandescent presence and for raising the bar to celestial heights in her full-tilt performances," she is the founder and artistic director of Company Nora Chipaumire. She is featured in the documentary Movement (R)evolution Africa.
JANUARY 26, 2011
RiseUp: Reggae Underground
By Luciano Blotta / RiseUp is a journey into the heart of Jamaica—the island that gave birth to the worldwide cultural phenomenon of reggae. In a society where talent abounds and opportunity is scarce, three courageous artists fight to rise up from obscurity and write themselves into the pages of history. With music and appearances by legends Lee “Scratch” Perry, Sly Dunbar and Robbie Shakespeare, RiseUp follows artists who demonstrate the raw power of hope and courage in a land which is largely unseen, but certainly not unsung. The film won the 2009 American Film Institute/Discovery Silverdocs Best Music Documentary Award.
RiseUp is Luciano Blotta's first feature documentary, shot over several years on the island of Jamaica. In 2002 he directed the controversial documentary short Nutrition Facts, which premiered at Slamdance Film Festival and Argentina's BAFICl International Film Festival, to rave reviews. When not directing documentary projects, Luciano pours his passion into cinematography, photographing commercials, music videos and feature films.
FEBRUARY 2, 2011
Uprooted
By Juan Mejia Botero / Uprooted explores the effect of Colombia’s civil war on the people of the Colombian Pacific region, an area that, for centuries, remained exclusively a mining frontier on the periphery of the nation’s development. The majority of the population—freed and runaway slaves and indigenous peoples—lived in relatively dispersed communities up and down the river basin, where their livelihoods depended on agriculture, gold panning, fishing and the collection of shellfish in the river deltas. However, the Colombian Pacific has become a new frontier for development and as Colombia’s civil war has escalated, violence and mass displacement have become all too common as struggles for land and resources intensify. At the center of Uprooted are Noris, a mother and community leader, and her family, displaced since 1996 and living in a refugee shelter on the outskirts of Quibdó, a growing city on the Pacific Coast. This documentary is an intimate portrayal of the tragedy of uprooting; a beautifully detailed tale about struggle and resilience; a bittersweet story of loss, love, family, and dreams.
Juan Mejia Botero was born in Bogota, Colombia. In 2000 he received a bachelor's degree in Anthropology & Sociology from Swarthmore College. As part of his thesis work he co-directed and co-edited the documentary film Merging Voices: The Youth of EI Salvador Speak. During the following year, as a Thomas J. Watson Fellowship recipient he traveled, lived, and worked as a grassroots video facilitator in several countries in Latin America (Colombia, Ecuador, Brazil, Peru, and Chile). He also dedicated time to working with the Asociación de Afrocolombianos Desplazados (AFRODES) in Colombia. He is currently in Colombia working on a feature documentary titled The Battle for Land, that deals more deeply with the true and often-hidden causes and consequences of the forced displacement of Afrocolombians. The film, due to be completed in late 2010, has just won a completion grant from the ministry of culture in Colombia through the Fondo de Cine.
Sanza Hanza: King Surfer
By Nadia Hallgren / Sanza Hanza, a Zulu dialect term for King Surfer, is a short documentary following V.I.R.U.S (Very Intelligent Riders Usually Survive), a gang of young train surfers in the South African slums of Soweto. Born out of a restless desire to embrace life (and death) after years of oppression, it is here that you will find train surfing—the semi-suicidal act of climbing outside, on top and under the city’s public trains while in full flight. Sanza Hanza intimately captures the bleak, almost existential outlook exhibited by many of the best train surfers as they search for the ultimate ride.
Nadia Hallgrenis a leading cinematographer and filmmaker from the Bronx. Her cinematography credits include Michael Moore’s Fahrenheit 9/11 and the 2008 Sundance Grand Jury prizewinner and Academy Award-nominated Trouble the Water. She has worked with noted journalistic figures such as Dan Rather, important political figures such as Desmond Tutu as well as cultural icons like Britney Spears and Cameron Diaz. In 2008, Hallgren co-founded Polite Company, an independent production company and made her directorial debut with Sanza-Hanza: King Surfer, which was an official selection of the Slamdance, Santa Barbara and Silver Docs film festivals. Hallgren was the 2009 recipient of the prestigious Reach Film Fellowship and is now directing her second film.
FEBRUARY 9, 2011
Mrs. Goundo’s Daughter
By Attie & Goldwater Productions / Mrs. Goundo’s Daughter is the story of a young mother’s quest to keep her baby daughter healthy and whole. It is also the story of the African tradition of female genital cutting—which dates back thousands of years—and how it affects people’s lives in just two of the many places where the practice is being debated today. To stay in the U.S., Malian immigrant Mrs. Goundo must persuade an immigration judge that her two-year-old daughter Djenebou, born in the U.S., will most certainly suffer clitoral excision if Goundo is deported to Mali where up to 85% of women and girls are excised. The film also focuses on people from both sides of the argument in Mali: activists fighting to the end the practice and traditionalists who defend excisions.
Barbara Attie and Janet Goldwater have worked collaboratively since 1990 making widely acclaimed documentaries that have been broadcast nationally and internationally. In 2005 the Philadelphia-based filmmakers were awarded the prestigious Pew Fellowship in the Arts. Their most recent collaboration, Rosita (2005), is the story of a nine-year-old Nicaraguan girl who was raped and made pregnant, and her parents' struggle with the medical establishment, the government and the church to end her pregnancy. Broadcast in Latin America on HBO /Cinemax as well as in Europe and Asia, Rosita was selected to screen at INPUT 2007 and has been shown at film festivals worldwide, including the Human Rights Watch Festival and Silverdocs. Attie and Goldwater's 2002 ITVS production, Maggie Growls, a whimsical biography of Gray Panther founder Maggie Kuhn, was selected to be the premiere program on PBS's documentary series Independent Lens. Other Attie and Goldwater documentaries broadcast nationally on PBS include Daring To Resist: Three Women Face The Holocaust (2000) and Landowska: Uncommon Visionary (1999).
Sabrina Schmidt Gordon, co-producer and editor, has been committed to documentary filmmaking as an editor and producer for over a decade. Her editing debut was on an Emmy-winning episode of WGBH's Greater Boston Arts series. She is the co-producer and editor of Beyond Beats and Rhymes, a ground-breaking documentary about manhood and gender politics in mainstream Hip-Hop. The film premiered at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival and was broadcast nationally on PBS's Independent Lens.
ABOUT NBPC
The National Black Programming Consortium (NBPC), a national, nonprofit media arts organization, is the leading provider of black programming on public television and the greatest resource for the training of black media professionals within the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS). NBPC develops, produces and funds television and online programming about the black experience. Since its founding in 1979, it has provided hundreds of broadcast hours documenting African American history, culture and experience to public television.
For more on NBPC and its initiatives, visit http://blackpublicmedia.org
ABOUT American Public Television
With more than 10,000 hours of programming in its library, American Public Television (APT) has been a prime source of programming for the nation’s public television stations for 47 years, distributing more than 300 new program titles per year. APT milestones include distribution of the first HD series on public television and the 2006 launch of Create™ – the TV channel featuring the best of public television's lifestyle programming. Known for its leadership in identifying innovative, worthwhile and viewer-friendly programming, APT has established a tradition of providing public television stations with program choices that strengthen and customize their schedules, such as: Carreras Domingo Pavarotti in Concert, Winged Migration, Battlefield Britain, Globe Trekker, Rick Steves' Europe, Great Museums, Jacques Pépin: Fast Food My Way, America's Test Kitchen From Cook’s Illustrated, Broadway: The Golden Age, Lidia's Family Table, California Dreamin’ – The Songs of The Mamas & the Papas, Rosemary and Thyme, P. Allen Smith's Garden Home, The Big Comfy Couch, Monarchy With David Starkey, andother prominent documentaries including AfroPoP: The Ultimate Cultural Exchange Program, dramatic series, how-to programs, children’s series and classic movies.
For more information about APT’s programs and services, visit APTonline.org.
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AFROPOP SEASON THREE PREMIERES JANUARY 2011
ON PUBLIC TV'S WORLD CHANNEL
Season Opener of Documentary Series on Contemporary African Diaspora
Marks the January 12 Anniversary of Haitian Earthquake
with Two Films on the Haitian Experience
NEW YORK (December 13, 2010)-- From artistic expression in Harlem and in Haiti to youthful hopes of overcoming war and poverty in Sierra Leone and Colombia, the third season of AfroPoP: The Ultimate Cultural Exchange transports viewers into the lives of men and women from different corners of the African Diaspora. Highlighting the use of art as expression and the human rights crises affecting people in the Pan-African world, the five-week seriespremieres on January 12, 2011 at 7 pm (ET) on the 24-hour documentary channel, World. Encore airings of each film will be shown at 12 am (ET)/9 pm (PT). Viewers can also view filmmaker interviews and other special content on WORLDcompass.org. AfroPoP is produced by the National Black Programming Consortium (NBPC) and co-presented by American Public Television (APT).
In 2011, AfroPoP brings to public television eight diverse documentaries about members of the African Diaspora in Haiti, the United States, Colombia, Jamaica, South Africa and Zimbabwe. The series, which airs on Wednesdays, kicks off on the January 12 anniversary of the catastrophic Haitian earthquake with two films focusing on Haiti. Haiti: One Day, One Destiny follows filmmaker Michele Stephenson as she travels to the island six weeks after the devastating earthquake and tells the story of the tragedy from the Haitian perspective. Taking a closer view of the Haitian experience in the U.S., The Other Side of the Water looks at rara music, traditional folk music used in street processions, and the Haitian musicians using it to help preserve their cultural identity in a new land, despite the controversy over its ties to Vodou (Voodoo).
Through 125 Franco’s Boulevard, presented on January 19, viewers see the ramifications of gentrification and development in Harlem as the legendary roll-down gate artwork of Harlem’s Franco the Great is threatened. The film is followed by Nora, a vibrant autobiographical journey through the life of Zimbabwean dancer Nora Chipaumire using dance and music. On January 26 the series turns its attention to musical expression and its cultural impact with RiseUP, an award-winning documentary chronicling the struggles of young Jamaican reggae artists striving to make a name for themselves.
On February 2, the series journeys down to Colombia with Uprooted and examines the effects of the Colombian civil war on displaced Afro-Colombians. This film will be followed by Sanza Hanza: King Surfer, a brief documentary on South African youth who court excitement and death through the activity of train surfing (climbing and performing dangerous stunts on a moving train). In honor of the U.N.’s International Day of Zero Tolerance to Female Genital Mutilation on February 6, the series concludes on February 9 with Mrs. Goundo’s Daughter, the story of a Philadelphia-based Malian immigrant’s legal battle to remain in the U.S. so that her daughter will not be forced to undergo female circumcision in her native land.
Trailers of the films, interviews with the filmmakers (including One Day, One Destiny’s Michele Stephenson), a closer look at The Other Side of the Water and other behind-the-scenes information on the documentaries including blogs, virtual talks centered on topical themes and filmmaking contests can be found at www.blackpublicmedia.org,the official website of NBPC. Additionally, the documentary A Day Without Mines, the story of filmmaker Adisa Septuri’s mission to provide child laborers in Sierra Leone with scholarships and a one-day football tournament, will be available for viewing online at the site.
ABOUT THE FILMS
JANUARY 12, 2011
Haiti: One Day, One Destiny
By NBPC & Michele Stephenson / Haitian-American filmmaker, Michele Stephenson visits Haiti six weeks after one of the world’s most devastating earthquakes. There to document the personal stories of the Haitian people, Michele gives us a glimpse of the emotional impact this tragedy has from the prospective of the thousands of Haitians living outside of Haiti who have been engaged in the recovery from the onset and will most likely be the ones to continue it once the story has retreated from the world stage.
Michele Stephenson has produced non-fiction film and new media for over a decade. She often uses her eclectic background and prior international experience as a human rights attorney to tackle stories on communities of color and human rights. As an early pioneer in the Web 2.0 revolution, Stephenson used video and the Internet to structure human rights campaigns and train people from across the globe in video Internet advocacy. Her work has appeared on PBS, Showtime, MTV and other broadcast, cable and digital outlets. Stephenson's work has also screened at prestigious festivals, from Toronto and Sundance to the Locarno International Film Festival in Switzerland.
The Other Side of the Water: The Journey of a Haitian Rara Band
By Jeremy Robbins and Magali Damas / The Other Side of the Water follows a 20-year journey of the Haitian-American community, told through the lens of a vodou-based walking band in Brooklyn. The music is called rara: part-carnival, part-vodou ceremony, and part-grassroots protest. Rara originally served as a voice of the slaves in their revolt against the French and continued on as the voice of those struggling against ongoing dictatorship in Haiti. The Other Side of the Water focuses on the journey of the poetic visionary Pé Yves, a leader of the rara movement in New York since the late ‘80s, as he strives to keep this musical art form alive while encountering attacks from the Haitian Christian community and new ideas from younger members of the rara movement.
Jeremy Robins is a media educator and filmmaker with a passion for visual storytelling. In early 2004 he produced and directed The Cause of Pierre Toussaint, a documentary of a 17th century Haitian former slave who is now being considered for sainthood by the Catholic Church. He currently works as a field producer for MTV's True Life, and for Downtown Community Television Productions. As an educator, he teaches production classes at Downtown Community Television (DCTV), and has designed youth development programs and taught video production to teenagers as part of the Harlem Children's Zone Project since 1998. He has written for The Independent Film & Video Monthly and the Brooklyn Rail.
Magali (Magi) Damas has worked the past fifteen years in video production, festival organization, and civic activism. In 2004, she co-produced The Cause of Pierre Toussaint and co-directed a music video for Djarara, which was featured on the national cable broadcast of Democracy Now! with Amy Goodman. She's currently the video coordinator for HaitiXchange.com and works in a variety of production roles for Metrovision Production Group, NYC. From 2000 to 2002 she helped organize Haiti's second largest festival "Gelee" in Les Cayes, as well as a rara festival in Pauillant. She works tirelessly to promote Haitian culture both here and in Haiti.
JANUARY 19, 2011
125 Franco’s Boulevard
By Sia Nyorkor & Jacob Templin
When a community is in the process of development and gentrification, what happens to the art and culture that represents the people of that community? With colorful strokes, Franco the Great has been painting murals on the storefront roll-down gates (riot gates) on 125th Street in Harlem for 40 years. A rezoning legislation and recently passed city law threaten to remove those gates along with the art and culture that is painted on them. Who will step up and preserve Franco’s art in the wake of big plans to change Harlem?
Sia Nyorkor is a broadcast journalist who is passionate about covering all things related to the African Diaspora. Before earning a Master of Science degree from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, Nyorkor worked as an associate producer at New Jersey Public Television & Radio where she earned a New York Emmy and CINE Golden Eagle for her work in documentary. Nyorkor also worked as a "backpack journalist" for MTV News, covering the 2008 presidential election.
Jacob Templin has been passionate about making documentary films since his first production in 2005, when he documented a trip he took across America with an uncle who was grappling to come to terms with his own mental health. He has produced and directed both short and feature length films, ranging in topics from welfare reform to HIV. In 2009, he completed his master's degree at the Columbia School of Journalism and currently works as a video journalist at TIME.com.
Nora
By Alla Kovgan, David Hinton and Nora Chipaumire / Nora is based on true stories from the life of dancer Nora Chipaumire, who was born in Zimbabwe in 1965. Using performance and dance, Nora brings her history to life in a swiftly-moving poem of sound and image, offering an insight into both her life and Zimbabwe’s history and political struggles.
Alla Kovgan is a Moscow-born, Boston-based filmmaker. Her films and films that she co-directed have been presented worldwide at film festivals including Sundance, Rotterdam, Toronto, Melbourne, Durban, Oberhausen, Clemont-Ferrand, PBS (US), ZDF (Germany) and numerous others. The two latest documentaries that she co-directed and edited, Emmy-nominated Traces of the Trade and My perestroika, broadcast on PBS’s P.O.V in 2008 and 2010. Since 1999, Alla has been involved with interdisciplinary collaborations—creating intermedia performances (with KINODANCE Company), dance films and documentaries about dance such as Movement (R)evolution Africa together with Joan Frosch. Since 2000, she has taught and curated dance film/avant-garde cinema worldwide as the programmer of St. Petersburg Dance Film Festival KINODANCE (Russia) and as a co-Curator of Balagan Film Series (Boston). In 2009, Alla was awarded a Massachusetts Cultural Council Fellowship and a Brother Thomas Fellowship for artists working at a high level of excellence and creativity.
David Hinton is a director who has made many documentaries for British television. His subjects have included artists of all kinds, including painter Francis Bacon, film-maker Bernardo Bertolucci, writer Alan Bennett, and choreographer Karole Armitage. He is best known in the dance world for Dead Dreams of Monochrome Men and Strange Fish, his film versions of stage shows by DV8 Physical Theatre. He has also made performance films with Adventures in Motion Pictures, the Alvin Ailey Company and the Royal Swedish Ballet, and has collaborated with several choreographers to create original dance works for the screen. He has twice won British Academy Awards for his documentaries, and his dance films have won many awards, including a Prix Italia, an Emmy, and the IMZ Dance Screen Award.
Nora Chipaumire(choreographer) was born in Mutare, Zimbabwe during the Chimurenga Chechipiri, or second war of liberation, and has lived in the U.S. as a self-exiled artist since 1989. Now based in Brooklyn, Chipaumire considers herself a political artist in dialogue with herself, fellow Africans, and humanity; Zimbabwe is her focus and Africa is her center. MANCC Fellow, recipient of NDP Tour Support, and participant in the JANT-BI Diaspora Project in Toubab Dialaw, Senegal, Nora was recently honored with the Mariam McGlone Emerging Choreographer Award. Winner of the 2007 BESSIE "for a towering, incandescent presence and for raising the bar to celestial heights in her full-tilt performances," she is the founder and artistic director of Company Nora Chipaumire. She is featured in the documentary Movement (R)evolution Africa.
JANUARY 26, 2011
RiseUp: Reggae Underground
By Luciano Blotta / RiseUp is a journey into the heart of Jamaica—the island that gave birth to the worldwide cultural phenomenon of reggae. In a society where talent abounds and opportunity is scarce, three courageous artists fight to rise up from obscurity and write themselves into the pages of history. With music and appearances by legends Lee “Scratch” Perry, Sly Dunbar and Robbie Shakespeare, RiseUp follows artists who demonstrate the raw power of hope and courage in a land which is largely unseen, but certainly not unsung. The film won the 2009 American Film Institute/Discovery Silverdocs Best Music Documentary Award.
RiseUp is Luciano Blotta's first feature documentary, shot over several years on the island of Jamaica. In 2002 he directed the controversial documentary short Nutrition Facts, which premiered at Slamdance Film Festival and Argentina's BAFICl International Film Festival, to rave reviews. When not directing documentary projects, Luciano pours his passion into cinematography, photographing commercials, music videos and feature films.
FEBRUARY 2, 2011
Uprooted
By Juan Mejia Botero / Uprooted explores the effect of Colombia’s civil war on the people of the Colombian Pacific region, an area that, for centuries, remained exclusively a mining frontier on the periphery of the nation’s development. The majority of the population—freed and runaway slaves and indigenous peoples—lived in relatively dispersed communities up and down the river basin, where their livelihoods depended on agriculture, gold panning, fishing and the collection of shellfish in the river deltas. However, the Colombian Pacific has become a new frontier for development and as Colombia’s civil war has escalated, violence and mass displacement have become all too common as struggles for land and resources intensify. At the center of Uprooted are Noris, a mother and community leader, and her family, displaced since 1996 and living in a refugee shelter on the outskirts of Quibdó, a growing city on the Pacific Coast. This documentary is an intimate portrayal of the tragedy of uprooting; a beautifully detailed tale about struggle and resilience; a bittersweet story of loss, love, family, and dreams.
Juan Mejia Botero was born in Bogota, Colombia. In 2000 he received a bachelor's degree in Anthropology & Sociology from Swarthmore College. As part of his thesis work he co-directed and co-edited the documentary film Merging Voices: The Youth of EI Salvador Speak. During the following year, as a Thomas J. Watson Fellowship recipient he traveled, lived, and worked as a grassroots video facilitator in several countries in Latin America (Colombia, Ecuador, Brazil, Peru, and Chile). He also dedicated time to working with the Asociación de Afrocolombianos Desplazados (AFRODES) in Colombia. He is currently in Colombia working on a feature documentary titled The Battle for Land, that deals more deeply with the true and often-hidden causes and consequences of the forced displacement of Afrocolombians. The film, due to be completed in late 2010, has just won a completion grant from the ministry of culture in Colombia through the Fondo de Cine.
Sanza Hanza: King Surfer
By Nadia Hallgren / Sanza Hanza, a Zulu dialect term for King Surfer, is a short documentary following V.I.R.U.S (Very Intelligent Riders Usually Survive), a gang of young train surfers in the South African slums of Soweto. Born out of a restless desire to embrace life (and death) after years of oppression, it is here that you will find train surfing—the semi-suicidal act of climbing outside, on top and under the city’s public trains while in full flight. Sanza Hanza intimately captures the bleak, almost existential outlook exhibited by many of the best train surfers as they search for the ultimate ride.
Nadia Hallgrenis a leading cinematographer and filmmaker from the Bronx. Her cinematography credits include Michael Moore’s Fahrenheit 9/11 and the 2008 Sundance Grand Jury prizewinner and Academy Award-nominated Trouble the Water. She has worked with noted journalistic figures such as Dan Rather, important political figures such as Desmond Tutu as well as cultural icons like Britney Spears and Cameron Diaz. In 2008, Hallgren co-founded Polite Company, an independent production company and made her directorial debut with Sanza-Hanza: King Surfer, which was an official selection of the Slamdance, Santa Barbara and Silver Docs film festivals. Hallgren was the 2009 recipient of the prestigious Reach Film Fellowship and is now directing her second film.
FEBRUARY 9, 2011
Mrs. Goundo’s Daughter
By Attie & Goldwater Productions / Mrs. Goundo’s Daughter is the story of a young mother’s quest to keep her baby daughter healthy and whole. It is also the story of the African tradition of female genital cutting—which dates back thousands of years—and how it affects people’s lives in just two of the many places where the practice is being debated today. To stay in the U.S., Malian immigrant Mrs. Goundo must persuade an immigration judge that her two-year-old daughter Djenebou, born in the U.S., will most certainly suffer clitoral excision if Goundo is deported to Mali where up to 85% of women and girls are excised. The film also focuses on people from both sides of the argument in Mali: activists fighting to the end the practice and traditionalists who defend excisions.
Barbara Attie and Janet Goldwater have worked collaboratively since 1990 making widely acclaimed documentaries that have been broadcast nationally and internationally. In 2005 the Philadelphia-based filmmakers were awarded the prestigious Pew Fellowship in the Arts. Their most recent collaboration, Rosita (2005), is the story of a nine-year-old Nicaraguan girl who was raped and made pregnant, and her parents' struggle with the medical establishment, the government and the church to end her pregnancy. Broadcast in Latin America on HBO /Cinemax as well as in Europe and Asia, Rosita was selected to screen at INPUT 2007 and has been shown at film festivals worldwide, including the Human Rights Watch Festival and Silverdocs. Attie and Goldwater's 2002 ITVS production, Maggie Growls, a whimsical biography of Gray Panther founder Maggie Kuhn, was selected to be the premiere program on PBS's documentary series Independent Lens. Other Attie and Goldwater documentaries broadcast nationally on PBS include Daring To Resist: Three Women Face The Holocaust (2000) and Landowska: Uncommon Visionary (1999).
Sabrina Schmidt Gordon, co-producer and editor, has been committed to documentary filmmaking as an editor and producer for over a decade. Her editing debut was on an Emmy-winning episode of WGBH's Greater Boston Arts series. She is the co-producer and editor of Beyond Beats and Rhymes, a ground-breaking documentary about manhood and gender politics in mainstream Hip-Hop. The film premiered at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival and was broadcast nationally on PBS's Independent Lens.
ABOUT NBPC
The National Black Programming Consortium (NBPC), a national, nonprofit media arts organization, is the leading provider of black programming on public television and the greatest resource for the training of black media professionals within the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS). NBPC develops, produces and funds television and online programming about the black experience. Since its founding in 1979, it has provided hundreds of broadcast hours documenting African American history, culture and experience to public television.
For more on NBPC and its initiatives, visit http://blackpublicmedia.org
ABOUT American Public Television
With more than 10,000 hours of programming in its library, American Public Television (APT) has been a prime source of programming for the nation’s public television stations for 47 years, distributing more than 300 new program titles per year. APT milestones include distribution of the first HD series on public television and the 2006 launch of Create™ – the TV channel featuring the best of public television's lifestyle programming. Known for its leadership in identifying innovative, worthwhile and viewer-friendly programming, APT has established a tradition of providing public television stations with program choices that strengthen and customize their schedules, such as: Carreras Domingo Pavarotti in Concert, Winged Migration, Battlefield Britain, Globe Trekker, Rick Steves' Europe, Great Museums, Jacques Pépin: Fast Food My Way, America's Test Kitchen From Cook’s Illustrated, Broadway: The Golden Age, Lidia's Family Table, California Dreamin’ – The Songs of The Mamas & the Papas, Rosemary and Thyme, P. Allen Smith's Garden Home, The Big Comfy Couch, Monarchy With David Starkey, andother prominent documentaries including AfroPoP: The Ultimate Cultural Exchange Program, dramatic series, how-to programs, children’s series and classic movies.
For more information about APT’s programs and services, visit APTonline.org.
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Press release
Ruby Dee, Congressman John Lewis, and Lisa Cortés are among the honorees at the ImageNation Revolution Awards
at The Film Society of Lincoln Center on Thursday, December 2, 2010
The ImageNation Cinema Foundation is the group working to bring Harlem the first
green, art house cinema for black and Latino films
(in 2013, directly across from the Apollo Theater in the former Mart 125 building).
Stanley Nelson’s critically acclaimed film Freedom Riders, about black and white civil rights workers who rode together through the deep South, deliberately flouting the Jim Crow laws, will be shown. The director and Lewis, who was himself a Freedom Rider, will be present to discuss the film!
NEW YORK (November 16, 2010)--The ImageNation Cinema Foundation will honor actress Ruby Dee and other trailblazing members of the entertainment, business and political worlds at its 2010 Revolution Awards Gala Reception on December 2. Georgia Congressman and civil rights hero John Lewis; BET Chairman and CEO Debra Lee; producer Lisa Cortés (executive producer of Precious); Burrell Communication Group Chairman Emeritus Tom Burrell; and filmmaker and activist Iris Morales will also be honored at the 7 pmceremony, which takes place at The Film Society of Lincoln Center. BET Networks is the presenting sponsor of the 2010 ImageNation Revolution Awards, which is produced in partnership with The Film Society of Lincoln Center (FSLC).
The Revolution Awards are awarded to individuals who inspire social change, blaze new trails, help foster solidarity throughout the African Diaspora, and promote or advance the arts, including Black and Latino film and culture. This year, categories include: the Revolution Award for Lifetime Achievement (Ruby Dee); the Revolution Award for Freedom (Congressman John Lewis); the Revolution Award for Visionary Leadership in Television (Debra L. Lee); the Revolution Award for Pioneering Leadership in Media Enterprise (Tom Burrell); the Revolution Award for Trailblazing in Independent Film & Music (Lisa Cortés); and the Revolution Award for Activism (Iris Morales).
“We are so honored to celebrate the life and work of these extraordinary change agents. Their work inspires us, and we hope those who attend will leave galvanized and ready to better the world,” said Moikgantsi Kgama, president of ImageNation.
"ImageNation is doing some of the most innovative programming in New York, bringing together the worlds of film, theater and music, uptown and downtown,” said Richard Peña, program director, The Film Society of Lincoln Center. “We're proud to work with them."
The event includes an advance screening of Stanley Nelson’s film Freedom Riders, which will air on PBS in 2011. The film is the powerful account of more than 400 black and white civil rights workers who transformed America over six months in 1961. Risking their lives by traveling together on buses and trains through the Deep South—thus flouting the Jim Crow laws—the Freedom Riders were met with stark racism and mob violence. Ultimately what they encountered put their belief in nonviolent activism to the test. The film will be followed by a discussion with the filmmaker and Lewis, one of the Freedom Riders.
A gala reception with the honorees will precede the festivities at the Frieda and Roy Furman Gallery at The Film Society of Lincoln Center. Tickets for the 6pm event ($500 corporate, $200 general admission and $100 for those 40 and under) include access to the gala reception, VIP seating at the Awards and Screening, and a complimentary ImageNation membership.
To purchase tickets, log on to http://www.imagenation.us/pages/gala.htm or call (212) 340-1874.
Tickets to the Awards and Screening only are $20 in advance and $25 at the door for ImageNation or FSLC members and $25 in advance and $30 at the door for non members; tickets are available at http://filmlinc.com/wrt/onsale/freedomriders.html or at the Walter Reade Theater box office.
Proceeds from the event will benefit ImageNation and the capital campaign for the ImageNation Sol Cinema, Harlem’s first and the nation’s only, art-house cinema dedicated to Black and Latino independent film. Sol Cinema is scheduled to open on 125th Street in Harlem, directly across from the Apollo Theater in 2013.
The Film Society of Lincoln Center’s Walter Reade Theater is located at 165 W. 65th Street, Plaza Level, near Amsterdam Avenue, convenient to the 1 subway’s 66th Street/Lincoln Center stop.
About ImageNation Cinema Foundation:
ImageNation Cinema Foundation is a Harlem-based nonprofit media arts organization founded as an outlet for progressive media by and about people of color, with the goal of establishing a chain of art-house cinemas dedicated to these works. Since 2002 ImageNation has drawn more than 45,000 people to the more than 40 festivals and events it has produced in partnership with institutions such as The Film Society of New York (Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts), the Apollo Theater and the Julia de Burgos Cultural Center. Through a variety of public exhibitions and programs, ImageNation fosters cross-cultural exchange, media literacy, solidarity, media equity and highlights the humanity of Pan-African people worldwide.
About the Film Society of Lincoln Center:
The Film Society of Lincoln Center was founded in 1969 to celebrate American and international cinema, to recognize and support new directors, and to enhance the awareness, accessibility and understanding of film. Advancing this mandate today, the Film Society hosts two distinguished festivals. The New York Film Festival annually premieres films from around the world and has introduced the likes of François Truffaut, R.W. Fassbinder, Jean-Luc Godard, Pedro Almodóvar, Martin Scorsese, and Wong Kar-Wai to the United States. New Directors/New Films, co-presented by the Museum of Modern Art, focuses on emerging film talents. Since 1972, when the Film Society honored Charles Chaplin, its annual Gala Tribute celebrates an actor or filmmaker who has helped distinguish cinema as an art form. Additionally, the Film Society presents a year-round calendar of programming at its Walter Reade Theater and offers insightful film writing to a worldwide audience through Film Comment magazine. For more information, visit: www.FilmLinc.com.
The Film Society receives generous, year-round support from 42BELOW, Audi, American Airlines, GRAFF, The New York Times, Stella Artois, The New York State Council on the Arts, and The National Endowment for the Arts.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Ruby Dee, Congressman John Lewis, and Lisa Cortés are among the honorees at the ImageNation Revolution Awards
at The Film Society of Lincoln Center on Thursday, December 2, 2010
The ImageNation Cinema Foundation is the group working to bring Harlem the first
green, art house cinema for black and Latino films
(in 2013, directly across from the Apollo Theater in the former Mart 125 building).
Stanley Nelson’s critically acclaimed film Freedom Riders, about black and white civil rights workers who rode together through the deep South, deliberately flouting the Jim Crow laws, will be shown. The director and Lewis, who was himself a Freedom Rider, will be present to discuss the film!
NEW YORK (November 16, 2010)--The ImageNation Cinema Foundation will honor actress Ruby Dee and other trailblazing members of the entertainment, business and political worlds at its 2010 Revolution Awards Gala Reception on December 2. Georgia Congressman and civil rights hero John Lewis; BET Chairman and CEO Debra Lee; producer Lisa Cortés (executive producer of Precious); Burrell Communication Group Chairman Emeritus Tom Burrell; and filmmaker and activist Iris Morales will also be honored at the 7 pmceremony, which takes place at The Film Society of Lincoln Center. BET Networks is the presenting sponsor of the 2010 ImageNation Revolution Awards, which is produced in partnership with The Film Society of Lincoln Center (FSLC).
The Revolution Awards are awarded to individuals who inspire social change, blaze new trails, help foster solidarity throughout the African Diaspora, and promote or advance the arts, including Black and Latino film and culture. This year, categories include: the Revolution Award for Lifetime Achievement (Ruby Dee); the Revolution Award for Freedom (Congressman John Lewis); the Revolution Award for Visionary Leadership in Television (Debra L. Lee); the Revolution Award for Pioneering Leadership in Media Enterprise (Tom Burrell); the Revolution Award for Trailblazing in Independent Film & Music (Lisa Cortés); and the Revolution Award for Activism (Iris Morales).
“We are so honored to celebrate the life and work of these extraordinary change agents. Their work inspires us, and we hope those who attend will leave galvanized and ready to better the world,” said Moikgantsi Kgama, president of ImageNation.
"ImageNation is doing some of the most innovative programming in New York, bringing together the worlds of film, theater and music, uptown and downtown,” said Richard Peña, program director, The Film Society of Lincoln Center. “We're proud to work with them."
The event includes an advance screening of Stanley Nelson’s film Freedom Riders, which will air on PBS in 2011. The film is the powerful account of more than 400 black and white civil rights workers who transformed America over six months in 1961. Risking their lives by traveling together on buses and trains through the Deep South—thus flouting the Jim Crow laws—the Freedom Riders were met with stark racism and mob violence. Ultimately what they encountered put their belief in nonviolent activism to the test. The film will be followed by a discussion with the filmmaker and Lewis, one of the Freedom Riders.
A gala reception with the honorees will precede the festivities at the Frieda and Roy Furman Gallery at The Film Society of Lincoln Center. Tickets for the 6pm event ($500 corporate, $200 general admission and $100 for those 40 and under) include access to the gala reception, VIP seating at the Awards and Screening, and a complimentary ImageNation membership.
To purchase tickets, log on to http://www.imagenation.us/pages/gala.htm or call (212) 340-1874.
Tickets to the Awards and Screening only are $20 in advance and $25 at the door for ImageNation or FSLC members and $25 in advance and $30 at the door for non members; tickets are available at http://filmlinc.com/wrt/onsale/freedomriders.html or at the Walter Reade Theater box office.
Proceeds from the event will benefit ImageNation and the capital campaign for the ImageNation Sol Cinema, Harlem’s first and the nation’s only, art-house cinema dedicated to Black and Latino independent film. Sol Cinema is scheduled to open on 125th Street in Harlem, directly across from the Apollo Theater in 2013.
The Film Society of Lincoln Center’s Walter Reade Theater is located at 165 W. 65th Street, Plaza Level, near Amsterdam Avenue, convenient to the 1 subway’s 66th Street/Lincoln Center stop.
About ImageNation Cinema Foundation:
ImageNation Cinema Foundation is a Harlem-based nonprofit media arts organization founded as an outlet for progressive media by and about people of color, with the goal of establishing a chain of art-house cinemas dedicated to these works. Since 2002 ImageNation has drawn more than 45,000 people to the more than 40 festivals and events it has produced in partnership with institutions such as The Film Society of New York (Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts), the Apollo Theater and the Julia de Burgos Cultural Center. Through a variety of public exhibitions and programs, ImageNation fosters cross-cultural exchange, media literacy, solidarity, media equity and highlights the humanity of Pan-African people worldwide.
About the Film Society of Lincoln Center:
The Film Society of Lincoln Center was founded in 1969 to celebrate American and international cinema, to recognize and support new directors, and to enhance the awareness, accessibility and understanding of film. Advancing this mandate today, the Film Society hosts two distinguished festivals. The New York Film Festival annually premieres films from around the world and has introduced the likes of François Truffaut, R.W. Fassbinder, Jean-Luc Godard, Pedro Almodóvar, Martin Scorsese, and Wong Kar-Wai to the United States. New Directors/New Films, co-presented by the Museum of Modern Art, focuses on emerging film talents. Since 1972, when the Film Society honored Charles Chaplin, its annual Gala Tribute celebrates an actor or filmmaker who has helped distinguish cinema as an art form. Additionally, the Film Society presents a year-round calendar of programming at its Walter Reade Theater and offers insightful film writing to a worldwide audience through Film Comment magazine. For more information, visit: www.FilmLinc.com.
The Film Society receives generous, year-round support from 42BELOW, Audi, American Airlines, GRAFF, The New York Times, Stella Artois, The New York State Council on the Arts, and The National Endowment for the Arts.
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(Civil-Rights-Docu)-NESHOBA: THE PRICE OF FREEDOM - DVD available on Jan. 18, 2011!
Press release
THE TRUE STORY BEHIND THE "MISSISSIPPI BURNING" MURDERS
NESHOBA: THE PRICE OF FREEDOM
HAS ITS US THEATRICAL PREMIERE IN NEW YORK ON AUGUST 13th
(AT CINEMA VILLAGE) FOLLOWED BY LOS ANGELES ON SEPT 10th
It was June 1964, the beginning of the Freedom Summer—the height of the Civil Rights movement—when a mob of Klansmen in Neshoba County, Mississippi murdered three civil rights workers: two Jews from New York and an African-American from Mississippi. It took 41 years for the state to convict one man, Edgar Ray Killen, an 80-year-old Baptist preacher and notorious racist, in the killings.
The disappearance and murder of James Chaney, Andrew Goodman and Michael Schwerner quickly became an international story as the shocking crime woke up the consciousness of the nation and the world.
On August 4th, 1965 the Voting Rights Act was passed in part because of the revulsion over the "Mississippi Burning" murders.
The new documentary NESHOBA: THE PRICE OF FREEDOM tells the story of these three American heroes and the Mississippi County still divided over the meaning of justice 40 years after their murders. The film takes an unflinching look at ordinary citizens struggling to find peace with their town’s violent, racist past in today’s America.
Filmmakers Micki Dickoff and Tony Pagano gained unprecedented access to Killen, following him from shortly after his indictment through his trial. For the first time, the film captures the outspoken views of a Klan member charged with a civil rights murder and takes viewers on a journey into the mindset of a man who still feels the murders were justified as "self-defense" of a way of life.
Dickoff, an Emmy award-winning filmmaker and social activist, was haunted by the slayings of the three civil rights workers, kids only a few years older than she was at the time.
“I wanted to register voters too, but my father wouldn’t let me go. He grew up in Mississippi in the only Jewish family in his town,” she explains. “The unpunished murders helped shape my politics and my art. When Ben Chaney called me about making a film, I jumped at the chance.”
Teaming with Pagano, an award-winning director of photography, they began shooting on the 40th anniversary of the killings in Neshoba County, Mississippi where the three civil rights workers were slain. Pagano makes his feature directorial debut on NESHOBA.
“When Micki introduced me to Andrew Goodman’s mother Carolyn, I knew I needed to tell this story,” says Pagano. “Micki’s passion for the truth and Carolyn’s passion for justice were doubly inspiring.”
Through intimate and surprisingly candid interviews with Killen, the families of the victims, and black and white Neshoba County citizens with diverse points of view, the film explores whether the prosecution of one unrepentant Klansman constitutes justice and whether healing and reconciliation are possible without telling the unvarnished truth.
As Dickoff puts it, “James, Andy and Mickey, and hundreds of others in the civil rights struggle, died so Barack Obama could be elected President. Their legacy is our heritage. We must never forget them or the “price of freedom.” We hope our film reminds us how far we’ve come in race relations and how far we still need to go.”
Emmy Award-winning director Micki Dickoff has been an independent filmmaker and social activist for three decades. Through her production company, Pro Bono Productions, she has made films dealing with AIDS, human rights, and the justice system that have been broadcast on television and honored at festivals around the world. Her films include award-winning documentaries Too Little, Too Late, Deadly Ambition, Step By Step and Neshoba, and dramatic films Mother, Mother, Our Sons and In the Blink of an Eye.
Neshoba is Tony Pagano's feature directorial debut following a 32 year career in the commercial and network broadcast industry. Tony spent 17 years at the ABC News Program 20/20, first as an editor, then location audio, and finally as their leading Director of Photography. Tony currently owns and operates his independent production company Pagano Productions.
NESHOBA: THE PRICE OF FREEDOM
2010, 87 minutes, DigiBeta, Stereo, 4:3, USA, English, Color and B/W
PRODUCED AND DIRECTED BY Micki Dickoff and Tony Pagano
WRITTEN BY Micki Dickoff
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS Tony Pagano and Micki Dickoff
CO-PRODUCER Christie Webb
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY Tony Pagano
EDITED BY Micki Dickoff and Tony Pagano
MUSIC BY Chris Davis
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
THE TRUE STORY BEHIND THE "MISSISSIPPI BURNING" MURDERS
NESHOBA: THE PRICE OF FREEDOM
HAS ITS US THEATRICAL PREMIERE IN NEW YORK ON AUGUST 13th
(AT CINEMA VILLAGE) FOLLOWED BY LOS ANGELES ON SEPT 10th
It was June 1964, the beginning of the Freedom Summer—the height of the Civil Rights movement—when a mob of Klansmen in Neshoba County, Mississippi murdered three civil rights workers: two Jews from New York and an African-American from Mississippi. It took 41 years for the state to convict one man, Edgar Ray Killen, an 80-year-old Baptist preacher and notorious racist, in the killings.
The disappearance and murder of James Chaney, Andrew Goodman and Michael Schwerner quickly became an international story as the shocking crime woke up the consciousness of the nation and the world.
On August 4th, 1965 the Voting Rights Act was passed in part because of the revulsion over the "Mississippi Burning" murders.
The new documentary NESHOBA: THE PRICE OF FREEDOM tells the story of these three American heroes and the Mississippi County still divided over the meaning of justice 40 years after their murders. The film takes an unflinching look at ordinary citizens struggling to find peace with their town’s violent, racist past in today’s America.
Filmmakers Micki Dickoff and Tony Pagano gained unprecedented access to Killen, following him from shortly after his indictment through his trial. For the first time, the film captures the outspoken views of a Klan member charged with a civil rights murder and takes viewers on a journey into the mindset of a man who still feels the murders were justified as "self-defense" of a way of life.
Dickoff, an Emmy award-winning filmmaker and social activist, was haunted by the slayings of the three civil rights workers, kids only a few years older than she was at the time.
“I wanted to register voters too, but my father wouldn’t let me go. He grew up in Mississippi in the only Jewish family in his town,” she explains. “The unpunished murders helped shape my politics and my art. When Ben Chaney called me about making a film, I jumped at the chance.”
Teaming with Pagano, an award-winning director of photography, they began shooting on the 40th anniversary of the killings in Neshoba County, Mississippi where the three civil rights workers were slain. Pagano makes his feature directorial debut on NESHOBA.
“When Micki introduced me to Andrew Goodman’s mother Carolyn, I knew I needed to tell this story,” says Pagano. “Micki’s passion for the truth and Carolyn’s passion for justice were doubly inspiring.”
Through intimate and surprisingly candid interviews with Killen, the families of the victims, and black and white Neshoba County citizens with diverse points of view, the film explores whether the prosecution of one unrepentant Klansman constitutes justice and whether healing and reconciliation are possible without telling the unvarnished truth.
As Dickoff puts it, “James, Andy and Mickey, and hundreds of others in the civil rights struggle, died so Barack Obama could be elected President. Their legacy is our heritage. We must never forget them or the “price of freedom.” We hope our film reminds us how far we’ve come in race relations and how far we still need to go.”
Emmy Award-winning director Micki Dickoff has been an independent filmmaker and social activist for three decades. Through her production company, Pro Bono Productions, she has made films dealing with AIDS, human rights, and the justice system that have been broadcast on television and honored at festivals around the world. Her films include award-winning documentaries Too Little, Too Late, Deadly Ambition, Step By Step and Neshoba, and dramatic films Mother, Mother, Our Sons and In the Blink of an Eye.
Neshoba is Tony Pagano's feature directorial debut following a 32 year career in the commercial and network broadcast industry. Tony spent 17 years at the ABC News Program 20/20, first as an editor, then location audio, and finally as their leading Director of Photography. Tony currently owns and operates his independent production company Pagano Productions.
NESHOBA: THE PRICE OF FREEDOM
2010, 87 minutes, DigiBeta, Stereo, 4:3, USA, English, Color and B/W
PRODUCED AND DIRECTED BY Micki Dickoff and Tony Pagano
WRITTEN BY Micki Dickoff
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS Tony Pagano and Micki Dickoff
CO-PRODUCER Christie Webb
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY Tony Pagano
EDITED BY Micki Dickoff and Tony Pagano
MUSIC BY Chris Davis
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Press release
TRIBECA FILM ACQUIRES POWERHOUSE DRAMA FROM ENTERTAINMENT ONE
THE BANG BANG CLUB
Spring 2011 Release Set for True-Life Story of Photojournalists
Who Documented the Fall of Apartheid Rule in South Africa
Ryan Philippe, Malin Akerman and Taylor Kitsch Lead Stellar Ensemble Cast
(New York, November 17, 2010) Tribeca Film has acquired US rights to The Bang Bang Club, a gripping drama based on the incredible lives of a group of young photojournalists whose graphic images drew the world’s attention to South Africa during the last stages of apartheid while enduring the stresses, tensions, and moral dilemmas of working in situations of extreme conflict.
The Bang Bang Club was the name given to four young photographers, Greg Marinovich, Kevin Carter, Ken Oosterbroek and Joao Silva, whose photographs captured the final bloody days of white rule in South Africa and the final demise of apartheid. The film, based on the page-turning book of the same name, tells the remarkable and sometimes harrowing story of these young men – and the extraordinary extremes they went to in order to capture their pictures. The film stars Ryan Phillippe (Stop-Loss), Malin Akerman (Watchmen), Taylor Kitsch (Friday Night Lights), Neels Van Jaarsveld and Frank Rautenbach.
The character-driven drama, written and directed by Steven Silver (The Diameter of a Bomb), had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival. The film is a Foundry Films/Out of Africa production from producers Daniel Iron, Lance Samuels and Adam Friedlander.
Tribeca Film will release it theatrically in the second quarter of 2011, as well as on video-on-demand, and other platforms.
“The Bang Bang Club takes you deep inside the final days of apartheid, showing you everything these photographers went through in order to show the world what was unfolding there,” said Nick Savva, Director, Acquisitions for Tribeca Film. “The entire cast delivers compelling performances and the experience of watching the film is unforgettable. Tribeca Film is proud to be able to introduce US audiences to this film.”
“Tribeca Film will be able to champion The Bang Bang Club in truly unique ways,” said Geoffrey Gilmore, Chief Creative Officer of Tribeca Enterprises. “We will offer audiences a range of avenues through which they can discover this extraordinary and effective work. Along with our partners at American Express, we look forward to working with Entertainment One, Steven Silver and his producing team to maximize the potential for this film.”
“Entertainment One has been intimately involved and a firm believer in this film since its earliest days,” said Charlotte Mickie, EVP, Entertainment One Films International. “This project has been a 10-year labor of love for Steven Silver and everyone involved in the project, notably the stellar cast, was infected by the passion he brought to this film. We’re thrilled that audiences across the U.S. will have the opportunity to get caught up in this moving drama.”
“I could not be happier that Tribeca has come aboard,” said Silver. “The film, the story, and the real people whose experiences we share, are very important to me. Tribeca gets the film, they get us - we are in great hands and I am excited about what they can do to bring the film to U.S. audiences.”
“Both Lance Samuels and I are delighted to have Tribeca as our new partner in our film,” said Iron. “Their commitment to the film's release is wholly evident to us and we are proud to be working with them.”
The deal was negotiated by Adam Sloan, EVP, Tribeca Enterprises and Randy Manis, Tribeca Film’s acquisitions consultant, with Daniel Iron from Foundry Films and Charlotte Mickie from eOne, the film’s international sales agent.
About Tribeca Film:
Tribeca Film is a comprehensive distribution platform dedicated to acquiring and marketing independent films across multiple platforms, including theatrical, video-on-demand, digital, home video and television. It is an initiative from Tribeca Enterprises designed to provide new platforms for how film can be experienced, while supporting filmmakers and introducing audiences to films they might not otherwise see. American Express continues its support of Tribeca and the independent film community by serving as the Founding Partner of Tribeca Film.
About Entertainment One:
Entertainment One (LSE:ETO) is a leading international entertainment company that specializes in the acquisition, production and distribution of film and
television content. The company’s comprehensive network extends around the globe including Canada, the U.S., the UK, Ireland, Benelux, France, Scandinavia, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. Through established Entertainment and Distribution divisions, the company provides extensive expertise in film distribution, television and music production, kids programming and merchandising and licensing. Its current rights library is exploited across all media formats and includes more than 20,000 film and television titles, 2,400 hours of television programming and 45,000 music tracks.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
TRIBECA FILM ACQUIRES POWERHOUSE DRAMA FROM ENTERTAINMENT ONE
THE BANG BANG CLUB
Spring 2011 Release Set for True-Life Story of Photojournalists
Who Documented the Fall of Apartheid Rule in South Africa
Ryan Philippe, Malin Akerman and Taylor Kitsch Lead Stellar Ensemble Cast
(New York, November 17, 2010) Tribeca Film has acquired US rights to The Bang Bang Club, a gripping drama based on the incredible lives of a group of young photojournalists whose graphic images drew the world’s attention to South Africa during the last stages of apartheid while enduring the stresses, tensions, and moral dilemmas of working in situations of extreme conflict.
The Bang Bang Club was the name given to four young photographers, Greg Marinovich, Kevin Carter, Ken Oosterbroek and Joao Silva, whose photographs captured the final bloody days of white rule in South Africa and the final demise of apartheid. The film, based on the page-turning book of the same name, tells the remarkable and sometimes harrowing story of these young men – and the extraordinary extremes they went to in order to capture their pictures. The film stars Ryan Phillippe (Stop-Loss), Malin Akerman (Watchmen), Taylor Kitsch (Friday Night Lights), Neels Van Jaarsveld and Frank Rautenbach.
The character-driven drama, written and directed by Steven Silver (The Diameter of a Bomb), had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival. The film is a Foundry Films/Out of Africa production from producers Daniel Iron, Lance Samuels and Adam Friedlander.
Tribeca Film will release it theatrically in the second quarter of 2011, as well as on video-on-demand, and other platforms.
“The Bang Bang Club takes you deep inside the final days of apartheid, showing you everything these photographers went through in order to show the world what was unfolding there,” said Nick Savva, Director, Acquisitions for Tribeca Film. “The entire cast delivers compelling performances and the experience of watching the film is unforgettable. Tribeca Film is proud to be able to introduce US audiences to this film.”
“Tribeca Film will be able to champion The Bang Bang Club in truly unique ways,” said Geoffrey Gilmore, Chief Creative Officer of Tribeca Enterprises. “We will offer audiences a range of avenues through which they can discover this extraordinary and effective work. Along with our partners at American Express, we look forward to working with Entertainment One, Steven Silver and his producing team to maximize the potential for this film.”
“Entertainment One has been intimately involved and a firm believer in this film since its earliest days,” said Charlotte Mickie, EVP, Entertainment One Films International. “This project has been a 10-year labor of love for Steven Silver and everyone involved in the project, notably the stellar cast, was infected by the passion he brought to this film. We’re thrilled that audiences across the U.S. will have the opportunity to get caught up in this moving drama.”
“I could not be happier that Tribeca has come aboard,” said Silver. “The film, the story, and the real people whose experiences we share, are very important to me. Tribeca gets the film, they get us - we are in great hands and I am excited about what they can do to bring the film to U.S. audiences.”
“Both Lance Samuels and I are delighted to have Tribeca as our new partner in our film,” said Iron. “Their commitment to the film's release is wholly evident to us and we are proud to be working with them.”
The deal was negotiated by Adam Sloan, EVP, Tribeca Enterprises and Randy Manis, Tribeca Film’s acquisitions consultant, with Daniel Iron from Foundry Films and Charlotte Mickie from eOne, the film’s international sales agent.
About Tribeca Film:
Tribeca Film is a comprehensive distribution platform dedicated to acquiring and marketing independent films across multiple platforms, including theatrical, video-on-demand, digital, home video and television. It is an initiative from Tribeca Enterprises designed to provide new platforms for how film can be experienced, while supporting filmmakers and introducing audiences to films they might not otherwise see. American Express continues its support of Tribeca and the independent film community by serving as the Founding Partner of Tribeca Film.
About Entertainment One:
Entertainment One (LSE:ETO) is a leading international entertainment company that specializes in the acquisition, production and distribution of film and
television content. The company’s comprehensive network extends around the globe including Canada, the U.S., the UK, Ireland, Benelux, France, Scandinavia, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. Through established Entertainment and Distribution divisions, the company provides extensive expertise in film distribution, television and music production, kids programming and merchandising and licensing. Its current rights library is exploited across all media formats and includes more than 20,000 film and television titles, 2,400 hours of television programming and 45,000 music tracks.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
2010 ARCHIVES
Press release - related charity info
Keep A Child Alive’s Seventh Annual Black Ball NY Raises $2.4 MILLION for
AIDS CARE in Africa and India
Ground-Breaking New Campaign Launched at Star-Studded Event to ‘Buy Life’
New York, NY (October 1, 2010) – Keep a Child Alive’s (KCA) co-founders Leigh Blake and Alicia Keys announced today that the seventh annual Black Ball held last night in New York City raised over $2.4 million for lifesaving AIDS treatment, care and support to children and families affected by HIV/AIDS in Africa and India. During the evening, which featured incredible performances by Alicia Keys, Sade, Jay-Z and Janelle Monáe and words from Deepak Chopra, Leigh Blake and Alicia Keys unveiled KCA’s new innovative fundraising effort: BUY LIFE.
BUY LIFE is a technologically advanced marketing campaign featuring Katie Holmes, Usher, Jay Sean, Kim Kardashian, Ryan Seacrest, Alicia Keys, Jaden and Willow Smith, Serena Williams, Swizz Beatz and more in ads wearing t-shirts with unique bar codes. These ads have a new scannable technology built in to each barcode. Using the applications Stickybits or Wimo, smart phone users will be able to scan the barcode from the ad/billboard/online screen into their phone and will be directed to the BUY LIFE micro-site where they can directly donate to KCA. KCA is the first charity to leverage barcode technology on smartphone devices for philanthropic purposes to engage the public and encourage the purchase of life. Keep a Child Alive was also the first U.S. non-profit to successfully use texting as a means to collect donations.
“With the money raised from last night, KCA can now help save even more lives affected by this painful and unnecessary pandemic,” said Alicia Keys. “With the launch of our BUY LIFE campaign, I am confident less people will needlessly have to die because of lack of proper care which means more children will still have parents to raise them and guide them. I'm never more inspired, then when I'm doing this!”
“In a society enamored with the idea of consumption, KCA is asking people to buy life and turn a selfish act into a selfless one,” said Leigh Blake. “This is about changing consumer behavior, repositioning consumerism and the act of buying in the nonprofit environment through social media.”
“We wanted making life itself the must-have purchase of the season, the one item nobody can live without. By using the ultimate symbol of consumerism, the bar code, we found a unique way to redefine consumer behavior in the nonprofit arena. It’s a new way of looking at the ‘me first’ attitude of buying,” said Lisa Topol, Creative Director, TBWA\Chiat\Day New York, who developed the Buy Life campaign for KCA.
The seventh annual Black Ball NY, which took place at the Hammerstein Ballroom featured auctioneer Alexander Gilkes of Phillips de Pury who led the event’s live auction. Two stunning pieces from Toywatch were a popular lot – featuring pave-encrusted watches, each with an estimated 4.68 carat diamonds. The most popular of the ten lots of the night was a Mr. Brainwash original of Michael Jackson. An infamous, urban artist, Brainwash uses pieces of records to create images of legendary artists.
This year’s Black Ball, with title sponsorship by COVERGIRL and premier sponsorship by Bing™, follows on the heels of the successful Black Ball London that occurred on May 27, 2010 with performances by Kasabian and Bryan Ferry. The Black Ball has generated over $10 million since 2004.
Founded in 2003, KCA provides lifesaving AIDS treatment, care and support to children and families affected by HIV/AIDS in Africa and India. KCA currently funds ten clinical and orphan care centers in India, Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda and South Africa. To date, KCA has served over 250,000 people. For more information, please visit www.keepachildalive.org.
ABOUT THE BLACK BALL
The Black Ball is a special benefit event where celebrity and philanthropy walk hand in hand, raising hopes, dreams and millions of dollars to help children and families affected by HIV/AIDS in Africa and India. In years past, Alicia Keys has shared the Black Ball stage with Bono, Annie Lennox, David Bowie, Chris Martin, Gwen Stefani, Jennifer Hudson, John Mayer, Justin Timberlake, Common, Sheryl Crow, Lenny Kravitz, Angelique Kidjo, Femi Kuti, Damian Marley, John Mayer, Lou Reed, Paul Simon, and Usher amongst others.
In the past, the Black Ball honors humanitarians who have used their willpower, fame, and courage to save lives devastated by the AIDS pandemic. Previously, KCA had the pleasure of honoring President Bill Clinton for his immeasurable achievements through the William J. Clinton Foundation and The Clinton Global Initiative; Sir Richard Branson who has cultivated sustainable change worldwide with Virgin Unite; Simon Fuller spearheading the Idol Gives Back phenomenon on American Idol; Bono, rock star and campaigner for Africa; and Stephen Lewis of The Stephen Lewis Foundation, Co-Founder of AIDS Free World and author of Race Against Time.
ABOUT KEEP A CHILD ALIVE
Keep a Child Alive provides first class AIDS care, support, nutrition and love to children and families affected by HIV/AIDS in Africa and India. With 28 million already dead, the disease continues to wipe out whole societies, threatening economic infrastructure and devastating the family structure. There are currently 17.5 million AIDS orphans worldwide and 14.2 in Sub-Saharan Africa alone. Anti-retroviral (ARV) treatment has transformed the lives of people with AIDS in the West, returning them to health from illness. However, 10 million people with AIDS do not have access to these lifesaving drugs. KCA currently provides funding to 10 clinical and orphan care sites in 5 countries: Kenya, Rwanda, South Africa, Uganda and India; with previous projects in Ethiopia, Kenya, Mali, Zimbabwe and South Africa that have been successfully scaled to new levels of service and self-sustainability within their communities.
Keep a Child Alive is committed to engaging the global public in the fight against AIDS and their innovative text messaging campaign Text “ALIVE” has helped to inspire whole new audiences to support their work. In this time of economic hardship, it has become an incredibly powerful, potent and indispensable fund-raising tool. Keep a Child Alive was the first charity to successfully implement a text-message donation campaign in the United States, launching Text "ALIVE" in conjunction with the "As I Am" concert tour of our Co-Founder, Alicia Keys in 2008. Through texting, an ultimately modern and very "now" fund-raising vehicle, they have successfully raised over $800,000 to fund the clinics and orphan care projects – $5 at a time.
For more information on Keep a Child Alive, please log onto: www.keepachildalive.org or for more information on Buy Life, please visit: www.buylife.org.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Keep A Child Alive’s Seventh Annual Black Ball NY Raises $2.4 MILLION for
AIDS CARE in Africa and India
Ground-Breaking New Campaign Launched at Star-Studded Event to ‘Buy Life’
New York, NY (October 1, 2010) – Keep a Child Alive’s (KCA) co-founders Leigh Blake and Alicia Keys announced today that the seventh annual Black Ball held last night in New York City raised over $2.4 million for lifesaving AIDS treatment, care and support to children and families affected by HIV/AIDS in Africa and India. During the evening, which featured incredible performances by Alicia Keys, Sade, Jay-Z and Janelle Monáe and words from Deepak Chopra, Leigh Blake and Alicia Keys unveiled KCA’s new innovative fundraising effort: BUY LIFE.
BUY LIFE is a technologically advanced marketing campaign featuring Katie Holmes, Usher, Jay Sean, Kim Kardashian, Ryan Seacrest, Alicia Keys, Jaden and Willow Smith, Serena Williams, Swizz Beatz and more in ads wearing t-shirts with unique bar codes. These ads have a new scannable technology built in to each barcode. Using the applications Stickybits or Wimo, smart phone users will be able to scan the barcode from the ad/billboard/online screen into their phone and will be directed to the BUY LIFE micro-site where they can directly donate to KCA. KCA is the first charity to leverage barcode technology on smartphone devices for philanthropic purposes to engage the public and encourage the purchase of life. Keep a Child Alive was also the first U.S. non-profit to successfully use texting as a means to collect donations.
“With the money raised from last night, KCA can now help save even more lives affected by this painful and unnecessary pandemic,” said Alicia Keys. “With the launch of our BUY LIFE campaign, I am confident less people will needlessly have to die because of lack of proper care which means more children will still have parents to raise them and guide them. I'm never more inspired, then when I'm doing this!”
“In a society enamored with the idea of consumption, KCA is asking people to buy life and turn a selfish act into a selfless one,” said Leigh Blake. “This is about changing consumer behavior, repositioning consumerism and the act of buying in the nonprofit environment through social media.”
“We wanted making life itself the must-have purchase of the season, the one item nobody can live without. By using the ultimate symbol of consumerism, the bar code, we found a unique way to redefine consumer behavior in the nonprofit arena. It’s a new way of looking at the ‘me first’ attitude of buying,” said Lisa Topol, Creative Director, TBWA\Chiat\Day New York, who developed the Buy Life campaign for KCA.
The seventh annual Black Ball NY, which took place at the Hammerstein Ballroom featured auctioneer Alexander Gilkes of Phillips de Pury who led the event’s live auction. Two stunning pieces from Toywatch were a popular lot – featuring pave-encrusted watches, each with an estimated 4.68 carat diamonds. The most popular of the ten lots of the night was a Mr. Brainwash original of Michael Jackson. An infamous, urban artist, Brainwash uses pieces of records to create images of legendary artists.
This year’s Black Ball, with title sponsorship by COVERGIRL and premier sponsorship by Bing™, follows on the heels of the successful Black Ball London that occurred on May 27, 2010 with performances by Kasabian and Bryan Ferry. The Black Ball has generated over $10 million since 2004.
Founded in 2003, KCA provides lifesaving AIDS treatment, care and support to children and families affected by HIV/AIDS in Africa and India. KCA currently funds ten clinical and orphan care centers in India, Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda and South Africa. To date, KCA has served over 250,000 people. For more information, please visit www.keepachildalive.org.
ABOUT THE BLACK BALL
The Black Ball is a special benefit event where celebrity and philanthropy walk hand in hand, raising hopes, dreams and millions of dollars to help children and families affected by HIV/AIDS in Africa and India. In years past, Alicia Keys has shared the Black Ball stage with Bono, Annie Lennox, David Bowie, Chris Martin, Gwen Stefani, Jennifer Hudson, John Mayer, Justin Timberlake, Common, Sheryl Crow, Lenny Kravitz, Angelique Kidjo, Femi Kuti, Damian Marley, John Mayer, Lou Reed, Paul Simon, and Usher amongst others.
In the past, the Black Ball honors humanitarians who have used their willpower, fame, and courage to save lives devastated by the AIDS pandemic. Previously, KCA had the pleasure of honoring President Bill Clinton for his immeasurable achievements through the William J. Clinton Foundation and The Clinton Global Initiative; Sir Richard Branson who has cultivated sustainable change worldwide with Virgin Unite; Simon Fuller spearheading the Idol Gives Back phenomenon on American Idol; Bono, rock star and campaigner for Africa; and Stephen Lewis of The Stephen Lewis Foundation, Co-Founder of AIDS Free World and author of Race Against Time.
ABOUT KEEP A CHILD ALIVE
Keep a Child Alive provides first class AIDS care, support, nutrition and love to children and families affected by HIV/AIDS in Africa and India. With 28 million already dead, the disease continues to wipe out whole societies, threatening economic infrastructure and devastating the family structure. There are currently 17.5 million AIDS orphans worldwide and 14.2 in Sub-Saharan Africa alone. Anti-retroviral (ARV) treatment has transformed the lives of people with AIDS in the West, returning them to health from illness. However, 10 million people with AIDS do not have access to these lifesaving drugs. KCA currently provides funding to 10 clinical and orphan care sites in 5 countries: Kenya, Rwanda, South Africa, Uganda and India; with previous projects in Ethiopia, Kenya, Mali, Zimbabwe and South Africa that have been successfully scaled to new levels of service and self-sustainability within their communities.
Keep a Child Alive is committed to engaging the global public in the fight against AIDS and their innovative text messaging campaign Text “ALIVE” has helped to inspire whole new audiences to support their work. In this time of economic hardship, it has become an incredibly powerful, potent and indispensable fund-raising tool. Keep a Child Alive was the first charity to successfully implement a text-message donation campaign in the United States, launching Text "ALIVE" in conjunction with the "As I Am" concert tour of our Co-Founder, Alicia Keys in 2008. Through texting, an ultimately modern and very "now" fund-raising vehicle, they have successfully raised over $800,000 to fund the clinics and orphan care projects – $5 at a time.
For more information on Keep a Child Alive, please log onto: www.keepachildalive.org or for more information on Buy Life, please visit: www.buylife.org.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Jann Turner's WHITE WEDDING Opens in LA & NYC on Sept. 3, 2010!
THE LITTLE FILM COMPANY AND DADA Films PRESENT
Official Academy Award Entry for South Africa
White Wedding
Directed by Jann Turner
Starring: Kenneth Nkosi (District 9, Tsotsi) , Rapulana Seiphemo (Gangster’s Paradise:Jerusalema, Tsotsi), Zandile Msutwana and Jodie Whittaker.
On behalf of The Little Film Company and Dada Films, Jann Turner’s WHITE WEDDING. Set against South Africa’s beautifully varied landscapes, this high-spirited comedy is a feel-good movie about love, commitment, intimacy, friendship and all the maddening obstacles that can get in the way of a happy ending.
The film is a forward looking farce set in the new South African cultural mixing pot, as the nation strives to be defined as more than their shared political history.
WHITE WEDDING will open in New York and Los Angeles on September 3 (Empire 25 and AMC Village 7 in NYC ) with a national release to follow.
It’s modern day South Africa and in Cape Town the beautiful Ayanda (Zandile Msutwana) is just days away from achieving her lifelong dream: the perfect white wedding. The only problem is that her husband-to-be, the loyal, committed Elvis (Kenneth Nkosi) is 1800 kilometres away in Johannesburg.
He sets off on Tuesday night by bus to Durban intending to connect with his childhood friend and best-man Tumi (Rapulana Seiphemo). But the plans start to go awry when Tumi doesn't show up at the bus station. Not an auspicious beginning, but this is just the first in many comic and illuminating misadventures they meet along the way.
In the end, the two lovers learn that celebrating their union is more about the journey than getting to the church on time.
WHITE WEDDING marks Jann Turner’s feature film directorial debut. Jann was educated at Oxford and NYU Grad Film School. After graduating from film school she worked as an assistant editor on natural history films for National Geographic. She has written and directed hundreds of hours of television including TRUTH COMMISSION- SPECIAL REPORT and HARD COPY. She is the author of the books HEARTLAND, SOUTHERN CROSS and HOME IS WHERE YOU FIND IT.
Her upcoming feature PARADISE STOP is a collaboration with Stepping Stone Pictures, her production company with Kenneth Nkosi and Rapulana Seiphemo. The film is executive produced by Number 1 New York Times best selling author Ken Follett, whose new book FALL OF GIANTS will be published in September 2010, in addition to his upcoming television series THE PILLARS OF THE EARTH which will premiere on the Starz Channel in July.
In English, Zulu, Afrikaans, Xhosa (With Subtitles) / 93 Minutes / South Africa / Not Rated
Website:whiteweddingmovie.com
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Official Academy Award Entry for South Africa
White Wedding
Directed by Jann Turner
Starring: Kenneth Nkosi (District 9, Tsotsi) , Rapulana Seiphemo (Gangster’s Paradise:Jerusalema, Tsotsi), Zandile Msutwana and Jodie Whittaker.
On behalf of The Little Film Company and Dada Films, Jann Turner’s WHITE WEDDING. Set against South Africa’s beautifully varied landscapes, this high-spirited comedy is a feel-good movie about love, commitment, intimacy, friendship and all the maddening obstacles that can get in the way of a happy ending.
The film is a forward looking farce set in the new South African cultural mixing pot, as the nation strives to be defined as more than their shared political history.
WHITE WEDDING will open in New York and Los Angeles on September 3 (Empire 25 and AMC Village 7 in NYC ) with a national release to follow.
It’s modern day South Africa and in Cape Town the beautiful Ayanda (Zandile Msutwana) is just days away from achieving her lifelong dream: the perfect white wedding. The only problem is that her husband-to-be, the loyal, committed Elvis (Kenneth Nkosi) is 1800 kilometres away in Johannesburg.
He sets off on Tuesday night by bus to Durban intending to connect with his childhood friend and best-man Tumi (Rapulana Seiphemo). But the plans start to go awry when Tumi doesn't show up at the bus station. Not an auspicious beginning, but this is just the first in many comic and illuminating misadventures they meet along the way.
In the end, the two lovers learn that celebrating their union is more about the journey than getting to the church on time.
WHITE WEDDING marks Jann Turner’s feature film directorial debut. Jann was educated at Oxford and NYU Grad Film School. After graduating from film school she worked as an assistant editor on natural history films for National Geographic. She has written and directed hundreds of hours of television including TRUTH COMMISSION- SPECIAL REPORT and HARD COPY. She is the author of the books HEARTLAND, SOUTHERN CROSS and HOME IS WHERE YOU FIND IT.
Her upcoming feature PARADISE STOP is a collaboration with Stepping Stone Pictures, her production company with Kenneth Nkosi and Rapulana Seiphemo. The film is executive produced by Number 1 New York Times best selling author Ken Follett, whose new book FALL OF GIANTS will be published in September 2010, in addition to his upcoming television series THE PILLARS OF THE EARTH which will premiere on the Starz Channel in July.
In English, Zulu, Afrikaans, Xhosa (With Subtitles) / 93 Minutes / South Africa / Not Rated
Website:whiteweddingmovie.com
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(Documentary)-BHUTTO gets USA Theatrical Release to Begin in Late Fall 2010
Press release
First Run Features Acquires North American Rights from Icon TMI to
Duane Baughman's Feature Documentary
BHUTTO
Theatrical Release to Begin in Late Fall 2010
First Run Features announced today its acquisition of BHUTTO, the award-winning documentary by Duane Baughman that chronicles the life of one of the most complex and fascinating characters of our time: Benazir Bhutto.
A World Premiere at this year's Sundance Film Festival and now a smash theatrical hit in the UK, BHUTTO is a tale of Shakespearean dimension - an epic story about the first woman in history to lead a Muslim nation - Pakistan.
TIME Magazine called Pakistan "the most dangerous place in the world" with good reason: the 6th largest country on the planet (population: 180 million), Pakistan is bordered by Iran, Afghanistan and long-time rival India, with whom it has engaged in a decades-long and smoldering conflict. Pakistan is riven with often violent internal dissent between various tribes and political factions. And Pakistan remains the world's only nuclear-armed Muslim nation.
Benazir Bhutto was born into a wealthy family that has become Pakistan's dominant political dynasty. Often referred to as the "Kennedys of Pakistan," the Bhuttos share a painful history of triumph and tragedy, played out on an international stage. Educated at Harvard and Oxford, Benazir's life changed forever when her father, Pakistan's first democratically elected president, chose Benazir, instead of his eldest son, to carry his political mantle. After her father was overthrown and executed by his handpicked Army Chief, Benazir swore to avenge him and to restore democracy - or die trying.
Benazir lived a life of contradictions. She broke the Islamic glass ceiling, but was wed in a traditional arranged marriage to
Karachi playboy Asif Ali Zardari. Her two terms in power saw acts of courage and controversy as she restored democracy, eradicated polio, helped advance the status of women, and fought extremism, all the while battling politically-charged accusations of corruption and cronyism.
In 2007, with the country rolling in turmoil and under the thumb of yet another military dictator, Benazir was called back onto the world stage as Pakistan's best hope for democracy. With her assassination she transcended politics, but left behind a legacy of simmering controversy and undeniable courage that will be debated for years.
About the acquisition process
The deal was negotiated between Glenn Aveni of Icon TMI and Seymour Wishman, President of First Run Features.
"We're pleased to be working with Duane, Glenn, and their team on the release of BHUTTO," said Wishman in a statement. "The story of Benazir Bhutto and the Bhutto family is Shakespearean in its scope and drama, and Duane's comprehensive and revealing film will entertain and enlighten audiences around the world."
Executive Producer Glenn Aveni states, "Bhutto was a global leader of our times and we're confident this story will resonate with North American audiences. First Run Features is the perfect theatrical partner for Bhutto and we're thrilled to be working with them."
A November theatrical release is planned for North America, with home video, internet platforms, and television to follow.
Educational sales begin immediately.
First Run Features has been a leading indie film distributor since 1979. Last year the company celebrated its 30th Anniversary with a retrospective at the Film Society of Lincoln Center. Recent releases include Joe Berlinger's CRUDE and the Academy Award-nominated documentary THE MOST DANGEROUS MAN IN AMERICA: DANIEL ELLSBERG AND THE PENTAGON PAPERS.
More about the film: www.bhuttothefilm.com
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
First Run Features Acquires North American Rights from Icon TMI to
Duane Baughman's Feature Documentary
BHUTTO
Theatrical Release to Begin in Late Fall 2010
First Run Features announced today its acquisition of BHUTTO, the award-winning documentary by Duane Baughman that chronicles the life of one of the most complex and fascinating characters of our time: Benazir Bhutto.
A World Premiere at this year's Sundance Film Festival and now a smash theatrical hit in the UK, BHUTTO is a tale of Shakespearean dimension - an epic story about the first woman in history to lead a Muslim nation - Pakistan.
TIME Magazine called Pakistan "the most dangerous place in the world" with good reason: the 6th largest country on the planet (population: 180 million), Pakistan is bordered by Iran, Afghanistan and long-time rival India, with whom it has engaged in a decades-long and smoldering conflict. Pakistan is riven with often violent internal dissent between various tribes and political factions. And Pakistan remains the world's only nuclear-armed Muslim nation.
Benazir Bhutto was born into a wealthy family that has become Pakistan's dominant political dynasty. Often referred to as the "Kennedys of Pakistan," the Bhuttos share a painful history of triumph and tragedy, played out on an international stage. Educated at Harvard and Oxford, Benazir's life changed forever when her father, Pakistan's first democratically elected president, chose Benazir, instead of his eldest son, to carry his political mantle. After her father was overthrown and executed by his handpicked Army Chief, Benazir swore to avenge him and to restore democracy - or die trying.
Benazir lived a life of contradictions. She broke the Islamic glass ceiling, but was wed in a traditional arranged marriage to
Karachi playboy Asif Ali Zardari. Her two terms in power saw acts of courage and controversy as she restored democracy, eradicated polio, helped advance the status of women, and fought extremism, all the while battling politically-charged accusations of corruption and cronyism.
In 2007, with the country rolling in turmoil and under the thumb of yet another military dictator, Benazir was called back onto the world stage as Pakistan's best hope for democracy. With her assassination she transcended politics, but left behind a legacy of simmering controversy and undeniable courage that will be debated for years.
About the acquisition process
The deal was negotiated between Glenn Aveni of Icon TMI and Seymour Wishman, President of First Run Features.
"We're pleased to be working with Duane, Glenn, and their team on the release of BHUTTO," said Wishman in a statement. "The story of Benazir Bhutto and the Bhutto family is Shakespearean in its scope and drama, and Duane's comprehensive and revealing film will entertain and enlighten audiences around the world."
Executive Producer Glenn Aveni states, "Bhutto was a global leader of our times and we're confident this story will resonate with North American audiences. First Run Features is the perfect theatrical partner for Bhutto and we're thrilled to be working with them."
A November theatrical release is planned for North America, with home video, internet platforms, and television to follow.
Educational sales begin immediately.
First Run Features has been a leading indie film distributor since 1979. Last year the company celebrated its 30th Anniversary with a retrospective at the Film Society of Lincoln Center. Recent releases include Joe Berlinger's CRUDE and the Academy Award-nominated documentary THE MOST DANGEROUS MAN IN AMERICA: DANIEL ELLSBERG AND THE PENTAGON PAPERS.
More about the film: www.bhuttothefilm.com
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
(7-part-docu)-HAVE YOU HEARD FROM JOHANNESBURG will play April 14-27, 2010 at Film Forum-NYC!
Press release
HAVE YOU HEARD FROM JOHANNESBURG
Connie Field’s Epic, 10-Years-In-the-Making
Documentary on the Defeat of Apartheid
Has World Premiere Wednesday, April 14 at Film Forum
Film Forum is proud to present the world premiere of Connie Field’s extraordinary, groundbreaking documentary, HAVE YOU HEARD FROM JOHANNESBURG, a comprehensive, lively analysis of the worldwide movement to abolish South Africa’s racist apartheid system.
Working for more than 10 years, filming throughout the world, and interviewing more than one hundred major players, Field constructs a brilliant epic: 7 films, clocking-in at 8½ hours, that will stand as the final world on how a violent, intractable system was destroyed by the strategic efforts of thousands of men and women, working on multiple global fronts, over more than three decades.
It is a heart-rending and thrilling journey -- and a road map for how to galvanize world opinion and realign international economic hegemony, the two forces that ultimately dislodged South Africa’s oppressive regime.
HAVE YOU HEARD FROM JOHANNESBURG will play for a 2-week engagement, April 14-27, at Film Forum, West Houston Street (West of 6th Avenue). There are (7) films, being presented in (3) parts, each of which is between 2½ and 3 hours. Monday - Friday, parts begin at 1:00, 5:30 and 8:45. Saturday and Sunday, parts begin at 1:00, 4:30 and 8:00.
HAVE YOU HEARD FROM JOHANNESBURG (2010, 8½ hours) Produced & Directed by Connie Field.
Camera: Tom Hurwitz. Series Editor: Gregory Scharpen. Segment Editors: Ken Schneider, Dawn Lodgson. Production company: Clarity Films. In English. USA.
HAVE YOU HEARD FROM JOHANNESBURG: April 14-27
Part 1 Mon/Wed 1:00 & 8:45 Tues 8:45 Thurs 5:30 Sat-Sun 1:00
The Road to Resistance (58 mins.)
In 1948, South Africa institutes apartheid, a system of segregation that infiltrates every aspect of life. The Sharpeville Massacre shocks the world, and Nelson Mandela and other leaders of the African National Congress (ANC) are jailed. Hundreds escape into exile.
Hell of a Job (58 mins.)
Oliver Tambo heads the resistance from exile (opposition within South Africa has been effectively crushed). A worldwide movement begins with support from the Soviet Union and Sweden.
The New Generation (58 mins.)
The Soweto Uprising, led by a younger generation, inspires an international response; apartheid opponent Steve Biko is murdered; the United Nations issues a mandatory arms embargo against South Africa.
Part 2 Mon/Wed/Fri 5:30 Tues 1:00 Thurs 1:00 & 8:45 Sat-Sun 4:30
Fair Play (95 mins.)
An international sports boycott takes shape when African teams refuse to compete in the Olympics with South Africa’s all-white teams. Only SA’s world champion Springboks rugby team remains on the field. [Clint Eastwood’s INVICTUS features the Springboks during the post-apartheid era.] FAIR PLAY Trailer
From Selma to Soweto (90 mins.)
With the success of the U.S. Civil Rights Movement, African-Americans push for economic sanctions against South Africa. Despite President Reagan’s opposition, Congress finally imposes sanctions. FROM SELMA TO SOWETO Trailer
Part 3 Tues 5:30 Fri 1:00 & 8:45 Sat-Sun 8:00
The Bottom Line (83 mins.)
Employees and consumers worldwide pressure Polaroid, General Motors, Barclay’s Bank and other corporate giants to divest from South Africa. A financial crisis ensues when a mass exodus of corporations isolates the white regime.
THE BOTTOM LINE Trailer
Free at Last (75 mins.)
The campaign to free Nelson Mandela (imprisoned 27 years) gains momentum. His release, coupled with ongoing international pressure and an unstoppable internal mass movement, lead to the toppling of apartheid and the holding of democratic elections.
HAVE YOU HEARD FROM JOHANNESBURG
Connie Field’s Epic, 10-Years-In-the-Making
Documentary on the Defeat of Apartheid
Has World Premiere Wednesday, April 14 at Film Forum
Film Forum is proud to present the world premiere of Connie Field’s extraordinary, groundbreaking documentary, HAVE YOU HEARD FROM JOHANNESBURG, a comprehensive, lively analysis of the worldwide movement to abolish South Africa’s racist apartheid system.
Working for more than 10 years, filming throughout the world, and interviewing more than one hundred major players, Field constructs a brilliant epic: 7 films, clocking-in at 8½ hours, that will stand as the final world on how a violent, intractable system was destroyed by the strategic efforts of thousands of men and women, working on multiple global fronts, over more than three decades.
It is a heart-rending and thrilling journey -- and a road map for how to galvanize world opinion and realign international economic hegemony, the two forces that ultimately dislodged South Africa’s oppressive regime.
HAVE YOU HEARD FROM JOHANNESBURG will play for a 2-week engagement, April 14-27, at Film Forum, West Houston Street (West of 6th Avenue). There are (7) films, being presented in (3) parts, each of which is between 2½ and 3 hours. Monday - Friday, parts begin at 1:00, 5:30 and 8:45. Saturday and Sunday, parts begin at 1:00, 4:30 and 8:00.
- Each part is a separate admission charge.
- Parts may be seen in consecutive order or not – without any loss of comprehension.
- All (3) parts play in sequential order on Saturday and Sunday beginning at 1:00 p.m.
- See below for a synopsis of each film and a detailed screening schedule.
HAVE YOU HEARD FROM JOHANNESBURG (2010, 8½ hours) Produced & Directed by Connie Field.
Camera: Tom Hurwitz. Series Editor: Gregory Scharpen. Segment Editors: Ken Schneider, Dawn Lodgson. Production company: Clarity Films. In English. USA.
HAVE YOU HEARD FROM JOHANNESBURG: April 14-27
Part 1 Mon/Wed 1:00 & 8:45 Tues 8:45 Thurs 5:30 Sat-Sun 1:00
The Road to Resistance (58 mins.)
In 1948, South Africa institutes apartheid, a system of segregation that infiltrates every aspect of life. The Sharpeville Massacre shocks the world, and Nelson Mandela and other leaders of the African National Congress (ANC) are jailed. Hundreds escape into exile.
Hell of a Job (58 mins.)
Oliver Tambo heads the resistance from exile (opposition within South Africa has been effectively crushed). A worldwide movement begins with support from the Soviet Union and Sweden.
The New Generation (58 mins.)
The Soweto Uprising, led by a younger generation, inspires an international response; apartheid opponent Steve Biko is murdered; the United Nations issues a mandatory arms embargo against South Africa.
Part 2 Mon/Wed/Fri 5:30 Tues 1:00 Thurs 1:00 & 8:45 Sat-Sun 4:30
Fair Play (95 mins.)
An international sports boycott takes shape when African teams refuse to compete in the Olympics with South Africa’s all-white teams. Only SA’s world champion Springboks rugby team remains on the field. [Clint Eastwood’s INVICTUS features the Springboks during the post-apartheid era.] FAIR PLAY Trailer
From Selma to Soweto (90 mins.)
With the success of the U.S. Civil Rights Movement, African-Americans push for economic sanctions against South Africa. Despite President Reagan’s opposition, Congress finally imposes sanctions. FROM SELMA TO SOWETO Trailer
Part 3 Tues 5:30 Fri 1:00 & 8:45 Sat-Sun 8:00
The Bottom Line (83 mins.)
Employees and consumers worldwide pressure Polaroid, General Motors, Barclay’s Bank and other corporate giants to divest from South Africa. A financial crisis ensues when a mass exodus of corporations isolates the white regime.
THE BOTTOM LINE Trailer
Free at Last (75 mins.)
The campaign to free Nelson Mandela (imprisoned 27 years) gains momentum. His release, coupled with ongoing international pressure and an unstoppable internal mass movement, lead to the toppling of apartheid and the holding of democratic elections.
- Each part (2-3 films as indicated) is a separate admission charge.
- It is possible to see all (3) parts in consecutive order on Sat. and Sun., beginning at 1:00 pm.
- Tickets may be purchased online beginning April 7 for the entire 2-week engagement.
- Tickets may be purchased at the box office 7 days in advance of daily screenings.
Queen Latifah stars in JUST WRIGHT - Opens May 14, 2010!
Publicity release
JUST WRIGHT
Opens May 14th
JUST WRIGHT stars Queen Latifah (BRINGING DOWN THE HOUSE, VALENTINE'S DAY) as Leslie Wright, a straight-shooting physical therapist who gets the gig of a lifetime working with NBA All-Star Scott McKnight (Common - DATE NIGHT).
All is going well until Leslie finds herself falling for Scott, forcing her to choose between the gig of a lifetime and the tug-of-war inside her heart. Oblivious to her romantic overtures, McKnight is instead drawn to the affections of Leslie's gorgeous childhood friend Morgan (Paula Patton - PRECIOUS), who has her sights set on being an NBA trophy wife.
Is Leslie destined to play the role of "best friend" forever or will Scott finally see that what he always wanted is right in front of him? Read more.
See the Official Poster The brand new poster art for the film, coming to a theatre near you!
WATCH THE TRAILER
Visit JustWright-TheMovie.com
JUST WRIGHT
Opens May 14th
JUST WRIGHT stars Queen Latifah (BRINGING DOWN THE HOUSE, VALENTINE'S DAY) as Leslie Wright, a straight-shooting physical therapist who gets the gig of a lifetime working with NBA All-Star Scott McKnight (Common - DATE NIGHT).
All is going well until Leslie finds herself falling for Scott, forcing her to choose between the gig of a lifetime and the tug-of-war inside her heart. Oblivious to her romantic overtures, McKnight is instead drawn to the affections of Leslie's gorgeous childhood friend Morgan (Paula Patton - PRECIOUS), who has her sights set on being an NBA trophy wife.
Is Leslie destined to play the role of "best friend" forever or will Scott finally see that what he always wanted is right in front of him? Read more.
See the Official Poster The brand new poster art for the film, coming to a theatre near you!
WATCH THE TRAILER
Visit JustWright-TheMovie.com
BLOOD DONE SIGN MY NAME Opens Natiowide on February 19th, 2010!!!
Press release
BLOOD DONE SIGN MY NAME
Directed and Adapted by: Jeb Stuart
Featuring: Nate Parker, Ricky Schroder, Afemo Omilami, Lela Rochon, Nick Searcy, Michael Rooker, Darrin Dewitt Henson, Gattlin Griffith
BLOOD DONE SIGN MY NAME is Jeb Stuart’s epic civil rights drama adapted from the acclaimed book of the same name by prize-winning author and African- American studies scholar Timothy Tyson. The film takes place in the 1970’s in Oxford, NC and explores the racial upheaval—and ensuing social change—provoked by the acquittal of a white father and son accused of murdering a black man in cold blood and in full public view.
In BLOOD DONE SIGN MY NAME, Nate Parker, an activist in his own right, (who played a leading role in The Great Debaters and stars in George Lucas’ forthcoming Tuskegee Airmen saga, Red Tails,) stars as notable Civil Rights activist Dr. Ben Chavis, who went on to become Executive Director and CEO of the NAACP.
Golden Globe- winner Ricky Schroder, (Lonesome Dove, NYPD Blue) stars as Tyson’s father, Reverend Vernon Tyson. Like Tim Tyson himself, veteran screenwriter Jeb Stuart, (best known for his work on such classic action thrillers as Die Hard and The Fugitive), is a North Carolina native and, more importantly, the son of a white Southern minister who lived through the very events portrayed in the film.
Writer-Director Jeb Stuart, who spent three years getting this highly personal project off the ground, not only wrote the screenplay of BLOOD DONE SIGN MY NAME, he directed the film as well, and produced with Mari Stuart, Mel Efros, and Robert K. Steel. The large ensemble cast includes, Afemo Omilami (Forest Gump), Lela Rochon (Waiting to Exhale), Nick Searcy (Cast Away), Michael Rooker (Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer), Darrin Dewitt Henson (Stomp the Yard) and Gattlin Griffith (The Changeling) as the young Tim Tyson.
Release Date: February 19th, 2010
Running time: 128 minutes
Rating: PG-13
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
NOW PLAYING in select theaters!!!
... check local listings for a theater near you ...
MARCH 19, 2010
HELD OVER
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
BLOOD DONE SIGN MY NAME
Directed and Adapted by: Jeb Stuart
Featuring: Nate Parker, Ricky Schroder, Afemo Omilami, Lela Rochon, Nick Searcy, Michael Rooker, Darrin Dewitt Henson, Gattlin Griffith
BLOOD DONE SIGN MY NAME is Jeb Stuart’s epic civil rights drama adapted from the acclaimed book of the same name by prize-winning author and African- American studies scholar Timothy Tyson. The film takes place in the 1970’s in Oxford, NC and explores the racial upheaval—and ensuing social change—provoked by the acquittal of a white father and son accused of murdering a black man in cold blood and in full public view.
In BLOOD DONE SIGN MY NAME, Nate Parker, an activist in his own right, (who played a leading role in The Great Debaters and stars in George Lucas’ forthcoming Tuskegee Airmen saga, Red Tails,) stars as notable Civil Rights activist Dr. Ben Chavis, who went on to become Executive Director and CEO of the NAACP.
Golden Globe- winner Ricky Schroder, (Lonesome Dove, NYPD Blue) stars as Tyson’s father, Reverend Vernon Tyson. Like Tim Tyson himself, veteran screenwriter Jeb Stuart, (best known for his work on such classic action thrillers as Die Hard and The Fugitive), is a North Carolina native and, more importantly, the son of a white Southern minister who lived through the very events portrayed in the film.
Writer-Director Jeb Stuart, who spent three years getting this highly personal project off the ground, not only wrote the screenplay of BLOOD DONE SIGN MY NAME, he directed the film as well, and produced with Mari Stuart, Mel Efros, and Robert K. Steel. The large ensemble cast includes, Afemo Omilami (Forest Gump), Lela Rochon (Waiting to Exhale), Nick Searcy (Cast Away), Michael Rooker (Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer), Darrin Dewitt Henson (Stomp the Yard) and Gattlin Griffith (The Changeling) as the young Tim Tyson.
Release Date: February 19th, 2010
Running time: 128 minutes
Rating: PG-13
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
NOW PLAYING in select theaters!!!
... check local listings for a theater near you ...
MARCH 19, 2010
HELD OVER
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The Fighting Spirit will lead off the second season of AfroPoP on American Public Television
Press release
DOCUMENTARY on Fighter Joshua Cottey,
Contender for WBO WELTERWEIGHT TITLE
TO AIR ON PUBLIC TV IN FEBRUARY
Second Season of AfroPop:
The Ultimate Cultural Exchange to Offer 'Insight'
into Manny Pacquiao’s Lesser-Known Rival Ahead of March 13 Clash
NEW YORK (February 1, 2010)--A film featuring fighter Joshua Clottey, who is currently preparing to battle Manny Pacquiao for the WBO Welterweight title on March 13, will air in February on public television. The Fighting Spirit, a film by George Amponsah, will lead off the second season of AfroPoP: The Ultimate Cultural Exchange, the weekly innovative documentary series on contemporary life, art and pop culture across the African Diaspora. AfroPoP is hosted by Tony Award winning actress Anika Noni Rose, produced by the National Black Programming Consortium (NBPC) and co-presented by American Public Television (APT).
The documentary takes viewers to Clottey's home in Bukom, a poor district in Ghana's capital city of Accra, which has produced about five percent of the world's champion and Olympic medaled boxers. Grounded in a long cultural tradition of wrestling that over the years developed into boxing, Bukom trains young people to fight--and win. The film follows Clottey in America as he trains and competes for an earlier world title match.
"This season of AfroPoP offers great insight into Joshua Clottey’s journey from the African town that has produced many great world-class boxers like himself to America as he trains for the big time," said NBPC's Executive Director, Jacquie Jones. "It’s one of many vibrant stories this year of subjects taking remarkable journeys of self-discovery, learning about their heritage, sharing their culture with others and finding their place in the world."
Other feature films in the series include Black to Our Roots, which follows a teen from an Atlanta housing project as she raises money for a trip to Ghana to explore her African heritage; Moving to the Beat, wherein an ex-patriate returns to Sierre Leone with his hip hop artist friends and links up with local hip hop artists, resulting in prevailing myths about both America and Africa being blown away; and Desert Bayou, which depicts Hurricane Katrina victims from New Orleans who are airlifted to Utah and arrive to strip searches and curfews at their new "homes" on a military base.
Two shorts round out the program: One on One which tracks two Black Brit brothers as they return to their ancestral home of Ghana to meet their father for the first time in two decades and Mandisa, about an aspiring poet in South Africa as she works to build a better life for her younger sister.
Check www.AfroPoP.tv or your local listings for exact airdates and times, as well as details about the series and filmmakers.
ABOUT THE FILMS
The Fighting Spirit
Dir. George Amponsah
Boxing is show business with blood—a tough sport, which has always found its top competitors from the poorest neighborhoods. Bukom, a tiny district in Ghana’s capital city of Accra, is one such locale. Grounded in a long cultural tradition of wrestling that over the years developed into boxing, the tiny fishing village trains young people to fight—and win. Bukom has produced up to five percent of the world’s champion and Olympic medal boxers. The Fighting Spirit tells the story of three fighters from Bukom—two men and a woman—as they battle their way to the glittering rings of Europe and America to compete for the biggest prizes in the business. Viewers watch the athletes fight for respect and reward for their tribe and their home, and witness their triumphs and defeats in and out of the ring.
PRECEDED BY
One Plus One
Dir. George Amponsah
Filmmaker George Amponsah and twin brother Ben, a former British army officer, return to Ghana, their ancestral homeland, in a remix of this award-winning short film. There they meet their father for the first time in twenty years. The journey provokes a series of bittersweet questions in the brothers about identity, similarity and difference.
Black to Our Roots
Dir. Tre Whitlow
Living in a housing project in Atlanta, Georgia, 17-year-old Sylvia Dorsey is frustrated by the drug abuse and violence that surrounds her. Black To Our Roots is the inspirational story of the journey Sylvia takes to explore her ancestral home in Ghana in an attempt to escape the cycle of violence and poverty of her Atlanta neighborhood. In Africa, Sylvia confronts several challenges that test her patience and change her life forever. When she returns to the United States, will she be able to adjust to her old world as a new woman? This film is a testament to the power of change.
Desert Bayou
Dir. Alex LeMay
In the wake of one of the worst natural and humanitarian disasters ever to visit American shores, nearly 600 African Americans were airlifted to the almost entirely white state of Utah…without their knowledge. Desert Bayou seeks to examine whether two cultures can come together in a time of utter chaos, or whether their differences prove too great a challenge to overcome. In their own words evacuees of Hurricane Katrina, tell how they survived the storm of the century and out of the rubble ended up at a military installation in the deserts of Utah. With interviews from evacuees, political, military and religious leaders, community and social figures, the questions of race, politics and religion hurtle towards each other in this truly American story: a story of loss and reunion, of sorrow and rebirth, of anger and rejoicing, but most of all…a story of hope.
Moving to the Beat
Dir. Caleb Heymann/Abdul Fofanah
Moving to the Beat explores how youth in Africa and America are using hip hop music to communicate with one another and as a language for social change. The documentary follows Rebel Soulz, a hip hop group from Portland, Oregon, as they journey to Freetown, Sierra Leone to bring the radical roots of American hip hop to the motherland of Africa. In the process of collaborating and interacting with the local artists, the visitors confront their own stereotypes and fantasies of Africa while shattering the Sierra Leoneans perception of America as a “second heaven.” The result is a deeply forged connection that transcends centuries of misunderstanding and separation, and becomes an inspiring call for people worldwide to transcend boundaries.
PRECEDED BY
Mandisa
Dir. Jacqueline Hernandez
Mandisa tells the story of a young woman who trains as an artist/poet at the Ekhaya Multi Arts Center, in the Kwa Mashu township in South Africa. The short chronicles her determination to get her younger sister a better life, and documents the artistic youth environment that fuels her creativity.
ABOUT NBPC
The National Black Programming Consortium (NBPC), a national, nonprofit media arts organization, is the leading provider of black programming on public television and the greatest resource for the training of black media professionals within the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS). NBPC develops, produces and funds television and online programming about the black experience and, since its founding in 1979, has provided hundreds of broadcast hours documenting African American history, culture and experience to public television. For more on NBPC and its initiatives, visit http://www.nbpc.tv.
ABOUT American Public Television
With more than 10,000 hours of programming in its library, American Public Television (APT) has been a prime source of programming for the nation’s public television stations for 47 years, distributing more than 300 new program titles per year. APT milestones include distribution of the first HD series on public television and the 2006 launch of Create™ – the TV channel featuring the best of public television's lifestyle programming. Known for its leadership in identifying innovative, worthwhile and viewer-friendly programming, APT has established a tradition of providing public television stations with program choices that strengthen and customize their schedules, such as: Carreras Domingo Pavarotti in Concert, Winged Migration, Battlefield Britain, Globe Trekker, Rick Steves' Europe, Great Museums, Jacques Pépin: Fast Food My Way, America's Test Kitchen From Cook’s Illustrated, Broadway: The Golden Age, Lidia's Family Table, California Dreamin’ – The Songs of The Mamas & the Papas, Rosemary and Thyme, P. Allen Smith's Garden Home, The Big Comfy Couch, Monarchy With David Starkey, and other prominent documentaries including AfroPoP: The Ultimate Cultural Exchange Program, dramatic series, how-to programs, children’s series and classic movies.
For more information about APT’s programs and services, visit APTonline.org.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
DOCUMENTARY on Fighter Joshua Cottey,
Contender for WBO WELTERWEIGHT TITLE
TO AIR ON PUBLIC TV IN FEBRUARY
Second Season of AfroPop:
The Ultimate Cultural Exchange to Offer 'Insight'
into Manny Pacquiao’s Lesser-Known Rival Ahead of March 13 Clash
NEW YORK (February 1, 2010)--A film featuring fighter Joshua Clottey, who is currently preparing to battle Manny Pacquiao for the WBO Welterweight title on March 13, will air in February on public television. The Fighting Spirit, a film by George Amponsah, will lead off the second season of AfroPoP: The Ultimate Cultural Exchange, the weekly innovative documentary series on contemporary life, art and pop culture across the African Diaspora. AfroPoP is hosted by Tony Award winning actress Anika Noni Rose, produced by the National Black Programming Consortium (NBPC) and co-presented by American Public Television (APT).
The documentary takes viewers to Clottey's home in Bukom, a poor district in Ghana's capital city of Accra, which has produced about five percent of the world's champion and Olympic medaled boxers. Grounded in a long cultural tradition of wrestling that over the years developed into boxing, Bukom trains young people to fight--and win. The film follows Clottey in America as he trains and competes for an earlier world title match.
"This season of AfroPoP offers great insight into Joshua Clottey’s journey from the African town that has produced many great world-class boxers like himself to America as he trains for the big time," said NBPC's Executive Director, Jacquie Jones. "It’s one of many vibrant stories this year of subjects taking remarkable journeys of self-discovery, learning about their heritage, sharing their culture with others and finding their place in the world."
Other feature films in the series include Black to Our Roots, which follows a teen from an Atlanta housing project as she raises money for a trip to Ghana to explore her African heritage; Moving to the Beat, wherein an ex-patriate returns to Sierre Leone with his hip hop artist friends and links up with local hip hop artists, resulting in prevailing myths about both America and Africa being blown away; and Desert Bayou, which depicts Hurricane Katrina victims from New Orleans who are airlifted to Utah and arrive to strip searches and curfews at their new "homes" on a military base.
Two shorts round out the program: One on One which tracks two Black Brit brothers as they return to their ancestral home of Ghana to meet their father for the first time in two decades and Mandisa, about an aspiring poet in South Africa as she works to build a better life for her younger sister.
Check www.AfroPoP.tv or your local listings for exact airdates and times, as well as details about the series and filmmakers.
ABOUT THE FILMS
The Fighting Spirit
Dir. George Amponsah
Boxing is show business with blood—a tough sport, which has always found its top competitors from the poorest neighborhoods. Bukom, a tiny district in Ghana’s capital city of Accra, is one such locale. Grounded in a long cultural tradition of wrestling that over the years developed into boxing, the tiny fishing village trains young people to fight—and win. Bukom has produced up to five percent of the world’s champion and Olympic medal boxers. The Fighting Spirit tells the story of three fighters from Bukom—two men and a woman—as they battle their way to the glittering rings of Europe and America to compete for the biggest prizes in the business. Viewers watch the athletes fight for respect and reward for their tribe and their home, and witness their triumphs and defeats in and out of the ring.
PRECEDED BY
One Plus One
Dir. George Amponsah
Filmmaker George Amponsah and twin brother Ben, a former British army officer, return to Ghana, their ancestral homeland, in a remix of this award-winning short film. There they meet their father for the first time in twenty years. The journey provokes a series of bittersweet questions in the brothers about identity, similarity and difference.
Black to Our Roots
Dir. Tre Whitlow
Living in a housing project in Atlanta, Georgia, 17-year-old Sylvia Dorsey is frustrated by the drug abuse and violence that surrounds her. Black To Our Roots is the inspirational story of the journey Sylvia takes to explore her ancestral home in Ghana in an attempt to escape the cycle of violence and poverty of her Atlanta neighborhood. In Africa, Sylvia confronts several challenges that test her patience and change her life forever. When she returns to the United States, will she be able to adjust to her old world as a new woman? This film is a testament to the power of change.
Desert Bayou
Dir. Alex LeMay
In the wake of one of the worst natural and humanitarian disasters ever to visit American shores, nearly 600 African Americans were airlifted to the almost entirely white state of Utah…without their knowledge. Desert Bayou seeks to examine whether two cultures can come together in a time of utter chaos, or whether their differences prove too great a challenge to overcome. In their own words evacuees of Hurricane Katrina, tell how they survived the storm of the century and out of the rubble ended up at a military installation in the deserts of Utah. With interviews from evacuees, political, military and religious leaders, community and social figures, the questions of race, politics and religion hurtle towards each other in this truly American story: a story of loss and reunion, of sorrow and rebirth, of anger and rejoicing, but most of all…a story of hope.
Moving to the Beat
Dir. Caleb Heymann/Abdul Fofanah
Moving to the Beat explores how youth in Africa and America are using hip hop music to communicate with one another and as a language for social change. The documentary follows Rebel Soulz, a hip hop group from Portland, Oregon, as they journey to Freetown, Sierra Leone to bring the radical roots of American hip hop to the motherland of Africa. In the process of collaborating and interacting with the local artists, the visitors confront their own stereotypes and fantasies of Africa while shattering the Sierra Leoneans perception of America as a “second heaven.” The result is a deeply forged connection that transcends centuries of misunderstanding and separation, and becomes an inspiring call for people worldwide to transcend boundaries.
PRECEDED BY
Mandisa
Dir. Jacqueline Hernandez
Mandisa tells the story of a young woman who trains as an artist/poet at the Ekhaya Multi Arts Center, in the Kwa Mashu township in South Africa. The short chronicles her determination to get her younger sister a better life, and documents the artistic youth environment that fuels her creativity.
ABOUT NBPC
The National Black Programming Consortium (NBPC), a national, nonprofit media arts organization, is the leading provider of black programming on public television and the greatest resource for the training of black media professionals within the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS). NBPC develops, produces and funds television and online programming about the black experience and, since its founding in 1979, has provided hundreds of broadcast hours documenting African American history, culture and experience to public television. For more on NBPC and its initiatives, visit http://www.nbpc.tv.
ABOUT American Public Television
With more than 10,000 hours of programming in its library, American Public Television (APT) has been a prime source of programming for the nation’s public television stations for 47 years, distributing more than 300 new program titles per year. APT milestones include distribution of the first HD series on public television and the 2006 launch of Create™ – the TV channel featuring the best of public television's lifestyle programming. Known for its leadership in identifying innovative, worthwhile and viewer-friendly programming, APT has established a tradition of providing public television stations with program choices that strengthen and customize their schedules, such as: Carreras Domingo Pavarotti in Concert, Winged Migration, Battlefield Britain, Globe Trekker, Rick Steves' Europe, Great Museums, Jacques Pépin: Fast Food My Way, America's Test Kitchen From Cook’s Illustrated, Broadway: The Golden Age, Lidia's Family Table, California Dreamin’ – The Songs of The Mamas & the Papas, Rosemary and Thyme, P. Allen Smith's Garden Home, The Big Comfy Couch, Monarchy With David Starkey, and other prominent documentaries including AfroPoP: The Ultimate Cultural Exchange Program, dramatic series, how-to programs, children’s series and classic movies.
For more information about APT’s programs and services, visit APTonline.org.
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FEBRUARY, 2010: BLACK HISTORY MONTH "DVD" SALE
February is Black History Month
We commemorate this celebration of African American history with a selection of ten films, from funny to controversial to heartwarming. These titles are already 25% off, butwe invite you to use coupon code BLACKHISTORY10 at checkout through February 28 to get an additional 20% off.
http://echo.bluehornet.com/ct/3304123:1701053915:m:3:66232253:D02053A39455247A337E3A298D3E6438
CARMEN & GEOFFREY
This intimate documentary, which features candid interviews and glorious dance performances, demonstrates the talent and uninterrupted creativity of Carmen de Lavallade and Geoffrey Holder, two living legends in the world of American dance.
http://echo.bluehornet.com/ct/3304122:1701053915:m:3:66232253:D02053A39455247A337E3A298D3E6438
BEEN RICH ALL MY LIFE
Meet the Silver Belles, five tap dancers who performed in 1930's Harlem. Together again, after a few decades hiatus, they're dancing to standing ovations - as sassy as they ever were.
http://echo.bluehornet.com/ct/3304126:1701053915:m:3:66232253:D02053A39455247A337E3A298D3E6438
THE EARLY WORKS OF CHERYL DUNYE
A collection of six short fiction films by one of the most provocative and humorous lesbian filmmakers of our time. Includes Greetings from Africa; She Don't Fade and more.
http://echo.bluehornet.com/ct/3304127:1701053915:m:3:66232253:D02053A39455247A337E3A298D3E6438
THE WATERMELON WOMAN
An inventive romantic comedy from Cheryl Dunye about a young woman who meets the girl of her dreams while making a film about an obscure black actress from the 1930's.
http://echo.bluehornet.com/ct/3304128:1701053915:m:3:66232253:D02053A39455247A337E3A298D3E6438
WHITEWASH & CHAMPAGNE
In this volume of celebrated animation from the studios of Michael Sporn are the true-life stories Whitewash and Champagne, each about the struggles of a young African American girl.
http://echo.bluehornet.com/ct/3304129:1701053915:m:3:66232253:D02053A39455247A337E3A298D3E6438
ARISTIDE AND THE ENDLESS REVOLUTION
In 2004, the democratically elected president Jean-Bertrand Aristide was taken against his will from Haiti in an American
helicopter. The 2004 coup d'etat was not the first American intervention into Haitian politics.
http://echo.bluehornet.com/ct/3304130:1701053915:m:3:66232253:D02053A39455247A337E3A298D3E6438
SENATOR OBAMA GOES TO AFRICA
Part personal odyssey and part chronicle of diplomacy in action, this timely documentary follows Barack Obama as he takes an emotional journey to Kisumu, Kenya - land of his ancestry.
http://echo.bluehornet.com/ct/3304131:1701053915:m:3:66232253:D02053A39455247A337E3A298D3E6438
MOVING MIDWAY
Godfrey Cheshire's film about his family's Southern plantation - and the colossal feat of moving it to escape urban sprawl - is a thoughtful and witty look at how the racial legacy from the past continues into the present.
http://echo.bluehornet.com/ct/3304132:1701053915:m:3:66232253:D02053A39455247A337E3A298D3E6438
THOMAS JEFFERSON: A View from the Mountain
From director Martin Doblmeier, a story that tears at the heart of America. This critically acclaimed film explores Thomas Jefferson and his personal and public dilemma about race and slavery.
http://echo.bluehornet.com/ct/3304133:1701053915:m:3:66232253:D02053A39455247A337E3A298D3E6438
BORN IN FLAMES
The movie that rocked the foundations of the early Indie film world, this provocative classic is a comic fantasy of female
rebellion set ten years after the Second American Revolution.
http://echo.bluehornet.com/ct/3304134:1701053915:m:3:66232253:D02053A39455247A337E3A298D3E6438
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Anthony Fabian's "Skin" is Now Playing in select USA theaters!!!
SKIN
Directed by Anthony Fabian
Starring: Sophie Okonedo and Sam Neill
Synopsis (Logline): Based on the true story of a black girl who was born to two white Afrikaner parents in South
Africa during the apartheid era.
MOVIE website-http://www.skinthemovie.net/
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NOW PLAYING in select USA theaters!!!
HELD OVER
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Directed by Anthony Fabian
Starring: Sophie Okonedo and Sam Neill
Synopsis (Logline): Based on the true story of a black girl who was born to two white Afrikaner parents in South
Africa during the apartheid era.
MOVIE website-http://www.skinthemovie.net/
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NOW PLAYING in select USA theaters!!!
HELD OVER
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2009 ARCHIVES
Press release
ANIKA NONI ROSE TO host afropop SERIES on public tv
Second Season of Documentary Series on Contemporary Africa to Air
on World Channel Beginning on December 2, 2009
NEW YORK (October 21, 2009 ) The second season of AfroPoP: The Ultimate Cultural Exchange will air on World, the 24-hour PBS digital public television channel, beginning on December 2, 2009. Hosted by Tony Award winning actress Anika Noni Rose, the innovativedocumentary series shines the spotlight on contemporary life, art and pop culture across the African Diaspora. AfroPoP is produced by the National Black Programming Consortium (NBPC), and co-presented by American Public Television (APT).
“Hopefully the series will shed light on our similarities across the Diaspora, the beauty of the cultures depicted and the forward progress of Africa and its people,” said Rose, who will soon appear as Disney’s first African-American princess in The Princess and the Frog.. I don't think Americans are very knowledgeable about Africa, so I think this is a wonderful and positive way to broaden our understanding. Rose is best known for her acclaimed roles in the film Dreamgirls and HBO’s The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency.
This year AfroPoP brings to public television four powerful stories about people of African descent. The Fighting Spirit follows African boxers who journey across the Atlantic to match their skills against the best in global contests. In Black to Our Roots, an Atlanta teen travels to Ghana to explore her African heritage, and in Moving to the Beat a Sierre Leonian ex-patriate returns to his homeland with hip hop artist friends, hoping to dispel prevailing myths about both the American and African continents. Desert Bayou chronicles the lives of Hurricane Katrina victims airlifted to Utah only to find themselves refugees in their own country.Two shorts round out the program: One on One which tracks two Black Brit brothers as they return to their ancestral home of Ghana to meet their father for the first time in two decades, while Mandisa chronicles the life of an aspiring poet in South Africa as she works to build a better life for her younger sister.
The first two episodes of the series will air back-to-back on Wednesday, December 2 from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. ET, with the third episode airing on December 9 at 7:00 p.m. ET, and the final episode being broadcast on December 16 at 7:00 p.m. ET. Other public television stations across the country will air the series at their discretion in January-February 2010 as part of their Black History programming. Check your local listings for exact airdates and times.
For more information about the films, filmmakers, and to view trailers, visit www.AfroPoP.tv. Screeners are also available by contacting Cheryl Duncan at cheryl@cherylduncanpr.com or 201-332-8338.
ABOUT THE FILMS
The Fighting Spirit
Dir. George Amponsah
Boxing is show business with blood—a tough sport, which has always found its top competitors from the poorest neighborhoods. Bukom, a tiny district in Ghana’s capital city of Accra, is one such locale. Grounded in a long cultural tradition of wrestling that over the years developed into boxing, the tiny fishing village trains young people to fight—and win. Bukom has produced up to five percent of the world’s champion and Olympic medal boxers. The Fighting Spirit tells the story of three fighters from Bukom—two men and a woman—as they battle their way to the glittering rings of Europe and America to compete for the biggest prizes in the business. Viewers watch the athletes fight for respect and reward for their tribe and their home, and witness their triumphs and defeats in and out of the ring.
PRECEDED BY
One Plus One
Dir. George Amponsah
Filmmaker George Amponsah and twin brother Ben, a former British army officer, return to Ghana, their ancestral homeland, in a remix of this award-winning short film. There they meet their father for the first time in twenty years. The journey provokes a series of bittersweet questions in the brothers about identity, similarity and difference.
Black to Our Roots
Dir. Tre Whitlow
Living in a housing project in Atlanta, Georgia, 17-year-old Sylvia Dorsey is frustrated by the drug abuse and violence that surrounds her. Black To Our Roots is the inspirational story of the journey Sylvia takes to explore her ancestral home in Ghana in an attempt to escape the cycle of violence and poverty of her Atlanta neighborhood. In Africa, Sylvia confronts several challenges that test her patience and change her life forever. When she returns to the United States, will she be able to adjust to her old world as a new woman? This film is a testament to the power of change.
Desert Bayou
Dir. Alex LeMay
In the wake of one of the worst natural and humanitarian disasters ever to visit American shores, nearly 600 African Americans were airlifted to the almost entirely white state of Utah…without their knowledge. Desert Bayou seeks to examine whether two cultures can come together in a time of utter chaos, or whether their differences prove too great a challenge to overcome. In their own words evacuees of Hurricane Katrina, tell how they survived the storm of the century and out of the rubble ended up at a military installation in the deserts of Utah. With interviews from evacuees, political, military and religious leaders, community and social figures, the questions of race, politics and religion hurtle towards each other in this truly American story: a story of loss and reunion, of sorrow and rebirth, of anger and rejoicing, but most of all…a story of hope.
Moving to the Beat
Dir. Caleb Heymann/Abdul Fofanah
Moving to the Beat explores how youth in Africa and America are using hip hop music to communicate with one another and as a language for social change. The documentary follows Rebel Soulz, a hip hop group from Portland, Oregon, as they journey to Freetown, Sierra Leone to bring the radical roots of American hip hop to the motherland of Africa. In the process of collaborating and interacting with the local artists, the visitors confront their own stereotypes and fantasies of Africa while shattering the Sierra Leoneans perception of America as a “second heaven.” The result is a deeply forged connection that transcends centuries of misunderstanding and separation, and becomes an inspiring call for people worldwide to transcend boundaries.
PRECEDED BY
Mandisa
Dir. Jacqueline Hernandez
Mandisa tells the story of a young woman who trains as an artist/poet at the Ekhaya Multi Arts Center, in the Kwa Mashu township in South Africa. The short chronicles her determination to get her younger sister a better life, and documents the artistic youth environment that fuels her creativity.
ABOUT NBPC
The National Black Programming Consortium (NBPC), a national, nonprofit media arts organization, is the leading provider of black programming on public television and the greatest resource for the training of black media professionals within the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS). NBPC develops, produces and funds television and online programming about the black experience and, since its founding in 1979, has provided hundreds of broadcast hours documenting African American history, culture and experience to public television. For more on NBPC and its initiatives, visit http://www.nbpc.tv.
ABOUT American Public Television With more than 10,000 hours of programming in its library, American Public Television (APT) has been a prime source of programming for the nation’s public television stations for 47 years, distributing more than 300 new program titles per year. APT milestones include distribution of the first HD series on public television and the 2006 launch of Create™ – the TV channel featuring the best of public television's lifestyle programming. Known for its leadership in identifying innovative, worthwhile and viewer-friendly programming, APT has established a tradition of providing public television stations with program choices that strengthen and customize their schedules, such as: Carreras Domingo Pavarotti in Concert, Winged Migration, Battlefield Britain, Globe Trekker, Rick Steves' Europe, Great Museums, Jacques Pépin: Fast Food My Way, America's Test Kitchen From Cook’s Illustrated, Broadway: The Golden Age, Lidia's Family Table, California Dreamin’ – The Songs of The Mamas & the Papas, Rosemary and Thyme, P. Allen Smith's Garden Home, The Big Comfy Couch, Monarchy With David Starkey, andother prominent documentaries including AfroPoP: The Ultimate Cultural Exchange Program, dramatic series, how-to programs, children’s series and classic movies.
For more information about APT’s programs and services, visit APTonline.org.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Second Season of Documentary Series on Contemporary Africa to Air
on World Channel Beginning on December 2, 2009
NEW YORK (October 21, 2009 ) The second season of AfroPoP: The Ultimate Cultural Exchange will air on World, the 24-hour PBS digital public television channel, beginning on December 2, 2009. Hosted by Tony Award winning actress Anika Noni Rose, the innovativedocumentary series shines the spotlight on contemporary life, art and pop culture across the African Diaspora. AfroPoP is produced by the National Black Programming Consortium (NBPC), and co-presented by American Public Television (APT).
“Hopefully the series will shed light on our similarities across the Diaspora, the beauty of the cultures depicted and the forward progress of Africa and its people,” said Rose, who will soon appear as Disney’s first African-American princess in The Princess and the Frog.. I don't think Americans are very knowledgeable about Africa, so I think this is a wonderful and positive way to broaden our understanding. Rose is best known for her acclaimed roles in the film Dreamgirls and HBO’s The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency.
This year AfroPoP brings to public television four powerful stories about people of African descent. The Fighting Spirit follows African boxers who journey across the Atlantic to match their skills against the best in global contests. In Black to Our Roots, an Atlanta teen travels to Ghana to explore her African heritage, and in Moving to the Beat a Sierre Leonian ex-patriate returns to his homeland with hip hop artist friends, hoping to dispel prevailing myths about both the American and African continents. Desert Bayou chronicles the lives of Hurricane Katrina victims airlifted to Utah only to find themselves refugees in their own country.Two shorts round out the program: One on One which tracks two Black Brit brothers as they return to their ancestral home of Ghana to meet their father for the first time in two decades, while Mandisa chronicles the life of an aspiring poet in South Africa as she works to build a better life for her younger sister.
The first two episodes of the series will air back-to-back on Wednesday, December 2 from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. ET, with the third episode airing on December 9 at 7:00 p.m. ET, and the final episode being broadcast on December 16 at 7:00 p.m. ET. Other public television stations across the country will air the series at their discretion in January-February 2010 as part of their Black History programming. Check your local listings for exact airdates and times.
For more information about the films, filmmakers, and to view trailers, visit www.AfroPoP.tv. Screeners are also available by contacting Cheryl Duncan at cheryl@cherylduncanpr.com or 201-332-8338.
ABOUT THE FILMS
The Fighting Spirit
Dir. George Amponsah
Boxing is show business with blood—a tough sport, which has always found its top competitors from the poorest neighborhoods. Bukom, a tiny district in Ghana’s capital city of Accra, is one such locale. Grounded in a long cultural tradition of wrestling that over the years developed into boxing, the tiny fishing village trains young people to fight—and win. Bukom has produced up to five percent of the world’s champion and Olympic medal boxers. The Fighting Spirit tells the story of three fighters from Bukom—two men and a woman—as they battle their way to the glittering rings of Europe and America to compete for the biggest prizes in the business. Viewers watch the athletes fight for respect and reward for their tribe and their home, and witness their triumphs and defeats in and out of the ring.
PRECEDED BY
One Plus One
Dir. George Amponsah
Filmmaker George Amponsah and twin brother Ben, a former British army officer, return to Ghana, their ancestral homeland, in a remix of this award-winning short film. There they meet their father for the first time in twenty years. The journey provokes a series of bittersweet questions in the brothers about identity, similarity and difference.
Black to Our Roots
Dir. Tre Whitlow
Living in a housing project in Atlanta, Georgia, 17-year-old Sylvia Dorsey is frustrated by the drug abuse and violence that surrounds her. Black To Our Roots is the inspirational story of the journey Sylvia takes to explore her ancestral home in Ghana in an attempt to escape the cycle of violence and poverty of her Atlanta neighborhood. In Africa, Sylvia confronts several challenges that test her patience and change her life forever. When she returns to the United States, will she be able to adjust to her old world as a new woman? This film is a testament to the power of change.
Desert Bayou
Dir. Alex LeMay
In the wake of one of the worst natural and humanitarian disasters ever to visit American shores, nearly 600 African Americans were airlifted to the almost entirely white state of Utah…without their knowledge. Desert Bayou seeks to examine whether two cultures can come together in a time of utter chaos, or whether their differences prove too great a challenge to overcome. In their own words evacuees of Hurricane Katrina, tell how they survived the storm of the century and out of the rubble ended up at a military installation in the deserts of Utah. With interviews from evacuees, political, military and religious leaders, community and social figures, the questions of race, politics and religion hurtle towards each other in this truly American story: a story of loss and reunion, of sorrow and rebirth, of anger and rejoicing, but most of all…a story of hope.
Moving to the Beat
Dir. Caleb Heymann/Abdul Fofanah
Moving to the Beat explores how youth in Africa and America are using hip hop music to communicate with one another and as a language for social change. The documentary follows Rebel Soulz, a hip hop group from Portland, Oregon, as they journey to Freetown, Sierra Leone to bring the radical roots of American hip hop to the motherland of Africa. In the process of collaborating and interacting with the local artists, the visitors confront their own stereotypes and fantasies of Africa while shattering the Sierra Leoneans perception of America as a “second heaven.” The result is a deeply forged connection that transcends centuries of misunderstanding and separation, and becomes an inspiring call for people worldwide to transcend boundaries.
PRECEDED BY
Mandisa
Dir. Jacqueline Hernandez
Mandisa tells the story of a young woman who trains as an artist/poet at the Ekhaya Multi Arts Center, in the Kwa Mashu township in South Africa. The short chronicles her determination to get her younger sister a better life, and documents the artistic youth environment that fuels her creativity.
ABOUT NBPC
The National Black Programming Consortium (NBPC), a national, nonprofit media arts organization, is the leading provider of black programming on public television and the greatest resource for the training of black media professionals within the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS). NBPC develops, produces and funds television and online programming about the black experience and, since its founding in 1979, has provided hundreds of broadcast hours documenting African American history, culture and experience to public television. For more on NBPC and its initiatives, visit http://www.nbpc.tv.
ABOUT American Public Television With more than 10,000 hours of programming in its library, American Public Television (APT) has been a prime source of programming for the nation’s public television stations for 47 years, distributing more than 300 new program titles per year. APT milestones include distribution of the first HD series on public television and the 2006 launch of Create™ – the TV channel featuring the best of public television's lifestyle programming. Known for its leadership in identifying innovative, worthwhile and viewer-friendly programming, APT has established a tradition of providing public television stations with program choices that strengthen and customize their schedules, such as: Carreras Domingo Pavarotti in Concert, Winged Migration, Battlefield Britain, Globe Trekker, Rick Steves' Europe, Great Museums, Jacques Pépin: Fast Food My Way, America's Test Kitchen From Cook’s Illustrated, Broadway: The Golden Age, Lidia's Family Table, California Dreamin’ – The Songs of The Mamas & the Papas, Rosemary and Thyme, P. Allen Smith's Garden Home, The Big Comfy Couch, Monarchy With David Starkey, andother prominent documentaries including AfroPoP: The Ultimate Cultural Exchange Program, dramatic series, how-to programs, children’s series and classic movies.
For more information about APT’s programs and services, visit APTonline.org.
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2009 Direct-to-DVD documentary release: The Black Candle - A Kwanzaa Celebration
Maya Angelou presents The Black Candle ON DVD
Dr. Maya Angelou, one of Glamour Magazine’s 2009 Women of the Year, is celebrating the holiday season with her new inspiring film The Black Candle: A Kwanzaa Celebration. Angelou says, in THE BLACK CANDLE, “We remember our glorious past, and celebrate the best of what it means to be who we are. It is a time when we gather in the spirit of family and community, to celebrate life, love, unity, and hope.”
This award-winning film is narrated by Dr. Angelou and it features NFL legend Jim Brown, Hip Hop pioneer Chuck D, and original poetry from the former US Poet Laureate.
Acclaimed author and director M.K. Asante, Jr., illustrates the beauty of Kwanzaa through an exploration of its inspiring culture and traditions. As the first film on Kwanzaa, The Black Candle traces the holiday’s growth from its genesis through becoming a global holiday embraced by over 20 million celebrants.
With a sweeping score composed by Grammy Award-winning duo Nnenna Freelon and Derrick Hodge, The Black Candle is a soulful story about the struggle and triumph of family, community, and culture.
Filmed across the United States, Africa, Europe and the Caribbean, The Black Candle is a timely illumination on why the seven principles of Kwanzaa (unity, self-determination, collective work and responsibility, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity and faith) are vitally important today.
Vivid cinematography and an all star cast features the best and brightest from the hip-hop and the civil rights generations, The Black Candle is more than a film about a holiday: it’s a celebration of a people!
THE BLACK CANDLE is now available on DVD for $19.99 and on iTunes for $9.99.
For more information on THE BLACK CANDLE, please visit http://theblackcandle.com/.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Dr. Maya Angelou, one of Glamour Magazine’s 2009 Women of the Year, is celebrating the holiday season with her new inspiring film The Black Candle: A Kwanzaa Celebration. Angelou says, in THE BLACK CANDLE, “We remember our glorious past, and celebrate the best of what it means to be who we are. It is a time when we gather in the spirit of family and community, to celebrate life, love, unity, and hope.”
This award-winning film is narrated by Dr. Angelou and it features NFL legend Jim Brown, Hip Hop pioneer Chuck D, and original poetry from the former US Poet Laureate.
Acclaimed author and director M.K. Asante, Jr., illustrates the beauty of Kwanzaa through an exploration of its inspiring culture and traditions. As the first film on Kwanzaa, The Black Candle traces the holiday’s growth from its genesis through becoming a global holiday embraced by over 20 million celebrants.
With a sweeping score composed by Grammy Award-winning duo Nnenna Freelon and Derrick Hodge, The Black Candle is a soulful story about the struggle and triumph of family, community, and culture.
Filmed across the United States, Africa, Europe and the Caribbean, The Black Candle is a timely illumination on why the seven principles of Kwanzaa (unity, self-determination, collective work and responsibility, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity and faith) are vitally important today.
Vivid cinematography and an all star cast features the best and brightest from the hip-hop and the civil rights generations, The Black Candle is more than a film about a holiday: it’s a celebration of a people!
THE BLACK CANDLE is now available on DVD for $19.99 and on iTunes for $9.99.
For more information on THE BLACK CANDLE, please visit http://theblackcandle.com/.
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Steve Jacobs' DISGRACE comes stateside on Sept. 18th!!! (2009 USA release/Toronto'08)
Press release
DISGRACE
A stunning adaptation of the acclaimed novel by
Nobel Laureate J.M. Coetzee
The film will open in New York on September 18, 2009!
Synopsis: In DISGRACE, John Malkovich stars as David Lurie, a 52 year-old professor of Romantic Literature who takes a beautiful young student under his wing and into his bed. To David, the affair is just a harmless fling, but because this is post-Apartheid South Africa, and because the student in question is of mixed race, a scandal erupts that forces David to abandon his lifelong profession and a lifetime’s worth of assumptions about himself and the world he lives in.
Disgraced, he leaves the city for the remote farm where his free-spirit daughter, Lucy, lives a seemingly uncomplicated rustic life. However, neither David nor Lucy can escape the realities of contemporary society. When they fall prey to a particularly brutal attack by three black men, the very fabric of their lives unravels and they find that the definitions of victim and victimizer, of oppressed and oppressor, have forever changed.
Winner of Britain’s distinguished Booker Prize in 1999 (making Coetzee its first-ever two-time recipient), “Disgrace” was voted “the greatest novel of the last 25 years” in a 2006 poll of literary luminaries conducted by The Observer.
Directed by Steve Jacobs and written and produced by Anna-Maria Monticelli, the film has already garnered extraordinary praise in its native Australia, where it has been hailed as “a model of narrative distillation married to vivid images…that unerringly preserves the tension of the book” and a work that “should be seen by anyone who cares about film or literature” (The Australian.)
Boasting brilliant performances by Malkovich and newcomer Jessica Haines, and a striking visual style that perfectly matches the beauty and precision of the novel’s prose, DISGRACE brings Coetzee’s universe to thrilling cinematic life.
The film will open in New York on September 18 and additional theaters beginning September 25.
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