Dina[/caption]
Dina, directed by Dan Sickles and Antonio Santini, about a love story between two people who have autism spectrum disorder, won Best Feature at the 33rd International Documentary Association awards ceremony on Saturday in Hollywood.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f4BSWA7pWuc
Other winners at the IDA Documentary Awards include Edith+Eddie directed by Laura Checkoway snagging the prize for Best Short. The short film tells the story of America’s oldest interracial newlyweds.
Documentary
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2017 IDA Documentary Awards – DINA Wins Best Feature
[caption id="attachment_19891" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] Dina[/caption]
Dina, directed by Dan Sickles and Antonio Santini, about a love story between two people who have autism spectrum disorder, won Best Feature at the 33rd International Documentary Association awards ceremony on Saturday in Hollywood.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f4BSWA7pWuc
Other winners at the IDA Documentary Awards include Edith+Eddie directed by Laura Checkoway snagging the prize for Best Short. The short film tells the story of America’s oldest interracial newlyweds.
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15 Documentary Feature Films Advance in Oscar Race
[caption id="attachment_23408" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]
Human Flow[/caption]
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has selected 15 films in the Documentary Feature category that will advance in the voting process for the 90th Academy Awards. One hundred seventy films were originally submitted in the category.
The Academy’s Documentary Branch will now select the five nominees from among the 15 titles.
Nominations for the 90th Academy Awards will be announced on Tuesday, January 23, 2018.
The 90th Oscars will be held on Sunday, March 4, 2018, at the Dolby Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center in Hollywood, and will be televised live on the ABC Television Network at 6:30 p.m. ET/3:30 p.m. PT.
The 15 films are listed below in alphabetical order by title, with their production companies:
“Abacus: Small Enough to Jail,” Mitten Media, Motto Pictures, Kartemquin Educational Films
and WGBH/FRONTLINE
“Chasing Coral,” Exposure Labs in partnership with The Ocean Agency & View Into the Blue
in association with Argent Pictures & The Kendeda Fund
“City of Ghosts,” Our Time Projects and Jigsaw Productions
“Ex Libris – The New York Public Library,” Ex Libris Films
“Faces Places,” Ciné Tamaris
“Human Flow,” Participant Media and AC Films
“Icarus,” Netflix Documentary in association with Impact Partners, Diamond Docs, Chicago
Media Project and Alex Productions
“An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power,” Paramount Pictures and Participant Media
“Jane,” National Geographic Studios in association with Public Road Productions
“LA 92,” Lightbox
“Last Men in Aleppo,” Larm Film
“Long Strange Trip,” Double E Pictures, AOMA Sunshine Films and Sikelia
“One of Us,” Loki Films
“Strong Island,” Yanceville Films and Louverture Films
“Unrest,” Shella Films and Little by Little Films
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10 Documentary Short Films Make Oscar Shortlist
[caption id="attachment_25786" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]
Edith+Eddie[/caption]
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences narrowed the field of Documentary Short Subject contenders for the 90th Academy Awards to 10 films, of which 5 will earn Oscar nominations.
Nominations for the 90th Academy Awards will be announced on Tuesday, January 23, 2018.
The 90th Oscars will be held on Sunday, March 4, 2018, at the Dolby Theatre® at Hollywood & Highland Center in Hollywood, and will be televised live on the ABC Television Network at 6:30 p.m. ET/3:30 p.m. PT.
The 10 films are listed below in alphabetical order by title, with their production companies:
“Alone,” The New York Times
“Edith+Eddie,” Heart is Red and Kartemquin Films
“Heaven Is a Traffic Jam on the 405,” Stiefel & Co.
“Heroin(e),” A Netflix Original Documentary in association with The Center for Investigative Reporting, A Requisite Media Production
“Kayayo – The Living Shopping Baskets,” Integral Film
“Knife Skills,” TFL Films
“116 Cameras,” Birdling Films
“Ram Dass, Going Home,” Further Pictures
“Ten Meter Tower,” Plattform Produktion
“Traffic Stop,” Q-Ball Productions
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Critically-Acclaimed Documentary THE FAMILY I HAD to Premiere on Investigation Discovery
In The Family I Had a mother’s love and ability to forgive is profoundly tested when her teenage son kills her daughter. The film which had its world premiere in April at this year’s Tribeca Film Festival will premiere exclusively on Investigation Discovery on Thursday, December 21st.
It’s been ten years since Charity’s son, Paris, killed her daughter, Ella, and she is left questioning both his chance at redemption and her ability to forgive. The Family I Had peels back the layers to reveal a history previously marked by intra-family violence, illuminating the anatomy of a broken family. Multiple accounts allow for conflicting points of view, leaving the audience questioning where the ultimate truth and accountability lies in this family rocked by tragedy.
The Family I Had is co-directed and produced by Katie Green and Carlye Rubin, who have shared a fascination with family stories and the themes of loss and dysfunction within them, stemming from having each experienced loss at a young age. Centering around the taboo, and largely under covered, issue of violence within a family, this revealing new documentary examines the complicated relationships of a family in mourning. With unprecedented access to the family, The Family I Had follows Charity on her journey toward trust with her son and mother, while she tries to redefine her place in the world and rebuild her family. She faces difficult questions as she navigates an uncertain future. Will the fear of losing another child ever go away? Will she ever be able to agree with her mother about Paris’ past and what caused him to commit such a horrific act?
“Filmmakers Katie and Carlye have created an emotionally moving, and brutally honest portrait of a real-life single mother whose family has been ripped apart by an unspeakable tragedy,” said Henry Schleiff, Group President, Investigation Discovery, Destination American and American Heroes Channel. “The Family I Had presents a unique opportunity to consider the complex issues around the loss of a loved one, through this touching story of a family on a path to forgiveness, while desperately seeking a means to move forward.”
“Thematically, we’re very drawn to stories surrounding loss,” said filmmakers Katie Green and Carlye Rubin. “We saw Charity as a mother whose love and ability to forgive was profoundly tested when her son killed her daughter. After losing both of her children, she was left redefining her place in the world, and did so by retracing her family’s past. We wanted to put the audience in that uncomfortable place to challenge their preconceived notions of guilt and accountability (in the same way making this film has challenged ours) so viewers come away with a more nuanced understanding of unconditional love and forgiveness.”
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Biopic OLIVER TAMBO: HAVE YOU HEARD FROM JOHANNESBURG to World Premiere on AfriDocs on BET
[caption id="attachment_25737" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]
Oliver Tambo: Have You Heard from Johannesburg[/caption]
This month, AfriDocs on BET will present a powerful broadcast event, the World Premiere of the just completed biopic: Oliver Tambo: Have You Heard from Johannesburg on the man who freed Nelson Mandela and engineered the fall of Apartheid.
This unique film comes at a critical time in South Africa’s history as the current ANC heads into its elective conference. Through this powerful film viewers are given the rare opportunity for insights into the life, ethos, and politics of Oliver Tambo, the leader of the ANC who was instrumental in bringing an end to apartheid.
The broadcast of the film, just recently been completed in this the 100th year of Oliver Tambo’s birth, could not come at a more opportune moment with the entire southern-African region focused on political upheaval and the toppling of established leaders and norms.
Albie Sachs, the Executive Producer of the film, has this to say of its upcoming screening, “The Oliver and Adelaide Tambo Foundation would like to express its support for the upcoming screening of Oliver Tambo: Have You Heard from Johannesburg on AfriDocs on BET on December 10th. This is a spirited, lively and eminently watchable film that brings Oliver Tambo to life on-screen, with moving and poignant interviews from Chris Hani, Kenneth Kaunda and members of the Tambo family. The film shows not just the politics of the man, but also shines a light on a life lived on principles of ethics, compassion, inclusion, social justice and equality. We hope this film is seen by as many people as possible and we are actively supporting efforts to make it as accessible as possible.”
The film will be broadcast at a special time on December 10th, at 9:30pm CAT and re-broadcast on December 15th at 1:25pm, The film will also be available on #AFRIDOCSANYTIME, www.afridocs.net for a LIMITED run Dec 11th -20th.
Additionally, December will also see the re-broadcast of the classic, Finding Fela, and Omar Sosa: Out of Africa, an intimate musical trip through East Africa with the multiple Grammy nominated Cuban composer, pianist, and bandleader.
3 December
When Paul Came Over the Sea | Jakob Preuss | Germany | 2017 | 97 min
Paul has made his way from his home in Cameroon across the Sahara to the Moroccan coast where he now lives in a forest waiting for the right moment to cross the Mediterranean. This is where he meets Jakob, a filmmaker from Berlin, who is filming along Europe’s borders. Soon afterwards, Paul manages to cross over to Spain on a rubber boat. He survives – but half of his companions die on this tragic 50-hour odyssey. When Paul decides to continue on to Germany, Jakob has to make a choice: will he become an active part of Paul’s pursuit of a better life or remain a detached documentary filmmaker?
Golden Goblet for Best Documentary, Shanghai International Film Festival, 2017
10 December
SPECIAL TIME 9:30pm CAT
Oliver Tambo: Have You Heard from Johannesburg | Connie Field | South Africa | 2017 | 90 min
Political comrades and law partners, Mandela and Tambo shared a political destiny. Nelson Mandela is a household name. Oliver Tambo is virtually unknown. Banned in South Africa, Tambo led the liberation struggle in exile from 1960-1990 while Nelson Mandela was imprisoned on Robben Island. During those 30 years he not only kept the African National Congress (ANC) unified, led his movement both inside and outside South Africa in a successful battle against apartheid, his calls to the international community to isolate and sanction the South African regime created the most globalised human rights struggle of the 20th century. In the end, his actions released Nelson Mandela and laid the foundation for a new South Africa. Suffering a stroke on the eve of success, OR would not live to see his livelong friend become the first black president of a democratic South Africa.
AVAILABLE FREE TO STREAM ON CATCH-UP www.afridocs.net from Dec 11th – 20th
17 December
Omar Sosa: Out of Africa | Olivier Taieb | Cuba/ Africa | 2010 | 52 min
An intimate musical trip with the multiple Grammy nominated Cuban composer, pianist and bandleader through East Africa. Omar Sosa, influenced by traditional Afro-Cuban music, records a song with a local musician in each country in this epic road movie.
24 December
Finding Fela | Alex Gibney | Nigeria | 2014 | 120 min
Finding Fela tells the story of Fela Anikulapo Kuti’s life, his music, his social and political importance. He created a new musical movement, Afrobeat, using that forum to express his revolutionary political opinions against the dictatorial Nigerian government of the 1970s and 1980s. His influence helped bring a change towards democracy in Nigeria and promoted Pan Africanist politics to the world. The power and potency of Fela’s message is completely current today and is expressed in the political movements of oppressed people, embracing Fela’s music and message in their struggle for freedom.
Sundance Film Festival, 2014
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Gloria Allred Documentary SEEING ALLRED Set For Release Early Next Year
[caption id="attachment_25719" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]
Allred with client Norma McCorvey (“Jane Roe” in Roe v. Wade), 1989[/caption]
The documentary Seeing Allred, that explores the public and private sides of feminist firebrand attorney Gloria Allred, will launch globally on Netflix after its world premiere in the US Documentary Competition at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival.
Seeing Allred directed by Sophie Sartain (Mimi and Dona, 2015) and Roberta Grossman (Above and Beyond, 2014) will launch on Netflix in early 2018.
As sexual violence allegations grip the nation, Seeing Allred provides a candid look at one of the most public crusaders against sexual assault and the war on women. Through rare archival footage and revealing sit-down interviews with both her supporters and critics, this fascinating biographical portrait examines Allred’s personal trauma and assesses both her wins and setbacks on high-profile cases against the likes of Bill Cosby and Donald Trump.
“I feel fortunate that “Seeing Allred” captures my passion and battle for justice for many victims of injustice”, said Allred. ” The courage that my clients demonstrate, in speaking truth to power, inspires me every day as we fight together.”
What motivates her 40-year-long commitment to justice for women and equal rights for the LGBT community? And do her often-controversial methods work? Featuring interviews with Gloria Steinem, Don Lemon and Allred’s daughter Lisa Bloom, directors Sophie Sartain and Roberta Grossman have crafted a portrait of a woman everyone thinks they know, at a time when those without need her the most.
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Mister Fred Rogers Documentary WON’T YOU BE MY NEIGHBOR? Gets June 2018 Release
“Won’t You Be My Neighbor?,” the new documentary about the life and work of Mister Fred Rogers from Academy Award-winning filmmaker Morgan Neville has been acquired by Focus Features and is set to be released on June 8, 2018.
“Won’t You Be My Neighbor?” takes an intimate look at America’s favorite neighbor: Mister Fred Rogers. A portrait of a man whom we all think we know, this documentary is an emotional and moving film that takes you beyond zip-up cardigans and the land of make-believe, and into the heart of a creative genius, who inspired generations of children with compassion and limitless imagination.
“Morgan once again avoids making a traditional biodoc and instead takes us behind the curtain to see how Fred Rogers navigated the cultural and social issues of the second half of the twentieth century with his own brand of forward-thinking, compassionate wisdom far beyond his time,” commented Focus chairman Peter Kujawski. “Mister Rogers makes us all want to be better people, and we couldn’t be more proud to be a part of telling his story today.”
“The Fred Rogers I discovered making this film is at once comfortably familiar and completely surprising. I believe Mister Rogers is the kind of voice we need to hear right now,” said director Morgan Neville. “I am thrilled to work with Focus Features on taking this film out into the world, along with my collaborators at Impact Partners and Independent Lens.”
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Greenwich Entertainment to Release Matt Tyrnauer’s Documentary SCOTTY AND THE SECRET HISTORY OF HOLLYWOOD
Matt Tyrnauer’s documentary SCOTTY AND THE SECRET HISTORY OF HOLLYWOOD which premiered to strong reviews and sold-out crowds at the Toronto International Film Festival in September will be released theatrically in April of 2018 by recently formed NYC-based distributor Greenwich Entertainment.
Best known for his acclaimed films VALENTINO: THE LAST EMPEROR and CITIZEN JANE: BATTLE FOR THE CITY, Tyrnauer’s latest film tells the story of Scotty Bowers, a World War II Marine combat veteran who became a legendary bi-sexual male hustler and all-purpose date-arranger for Hollywood movie stars from the 1940’s through the beginning of the AIDS epidemic in the 1980’s.
The film has been called “the juiciest documentary in years” (Vulture), “criminally entertaining” (Vanity Fair ), and a “resonant and funny portrait of a larger-than-life character” (The Film Stage).
At the age of 89, Bowers’ 2012 tell-all biography “Full Service: My Adventures in Hollywood and the Secret Sex Lives of the Stars” (Grove Press) was a best-selling sensation, and offered a powerful counter-narrative of Hollywood, as well as a revised view of the intimate lives of many of the greatest names of Hollywood’s Golden Age. The cinema verite feature film contains a nuanced portrait of the now 94-year-old Bowers, and also contains fresh revelations, and a trove of newly discovered archival footage and photos of Bowers from the 40s, 50s and beyond. The film documents how Bowers became a confidante, aide de camp and lover to many of Hollywood’s greatest male–and female—stars. Out of a gas station in the shadow of the studio lots, he began connecting his band of friends from the military with those who had to hide their often complex true sexual identities from the public in the pre-Stonewall
era.
Prepare yourself for a different take on Cary Grant, Katherine Hepburn, Spencer Tracy, Lana Turner, Ava Gardner and many more icons from the Hollywood Golden Age. Bowers, with the vigor of someone decades younger is an unparalleled raconteur. Tyrnauer’s camera follows him over several months as he meets up with old colleagues—some of them from his L.A. Confidential-esque gas stations days–who corroborate his picaresque tales.
“Scotty is a classic American type: fun, happy-go-lucky, eager to please, big-hearted and literally up for anything – a “greatest generation” guy who was also perhaps was one of the great sexual athletes of his day. Matt captures the still-spry, and now 94-year-old Scotty brilliantly and uses his story as a jumping off place to evoke a secret bygone Hollywood and the pressure on that era’s film stars to conform publicly, at least, to the unvarying standard of monogamous heterosexuality,” said Greenwich co-managing director Ed Arentz. “We’re thrilled to have it as one of our inaugural releases.”
Tyrnauer, also a journalist (former editor-at-large of Vanity Fair) long heard about Bowers and his gas station in the course of reporting stores about the hidden history of Los Angeles. Eventually, he discovered that the elusive Scotty was still alive and living in Laurel Canyon. “From the moment I met Scotty, I felt he was one of the most extraordinary characters I’d ever come across. He’s one of the last living links to a very different time in Hollywood—and the rest of the world–when same-sexuality was an unmentionable taboo, punishable by prison sentences. Scotty allowed people to live more authentic lives by arranging liaisons for people who, by great necessity, had to hide their true identities to shield themselves from dire consequences,” Tyrnauer said. “I’m really looking forward to collaborating with Ed and the team at Greenwich Entertainment to share Scotty’s story and get this film seen by audiences across North America.”
SCOTTY AND THE SECRET HISTORY OF HOLLYWOOD had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in September, recently had its international premiere at the Rome Film Festival, and its U.S. premiere Saturday at DOC NYC.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8FExFEVQyAw
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Sundance Selects will Release Rachel Dretzin’s Documentary FAR FROM THE TREE
Ahead of its world premiere today, November 10, at DOC NYC, Sundance Selects has acquired Rachel Dretzin’s documentary Far From the Tree, for a theatrical release in Summer 2018.
Based on the award-winning book by acclaimed author Andrew Solomon, Far From the Tree is an inspiring look at the difficulties and rewards of both raising and being a child whose life is vastly different from that of his or her parents. Directed and produced by Emmy®Award-winner Dretzin, the film follows several families as they cope with the challenges presented by Down syndrome, dwarfism, autism and even having a child in prison. The film shares their intimate stories with touching candor, and in doing so reveals basic truths about all parents and all children, truths of acceptance and love that feel especially urgent at this historic moment.
Solomon commented on the news, saying: “I was delighted to find in Rachel Dretzin a filmmaker who could translate my book into a gorgeous and compelling film, and now I’m thrilled that the film has found in Sundance Selects a distributor who shares our vision. This will be the perfect path for this deeply moving film to meet its audience.”
Dretzin added: “Sundance Selects has a fantastic track record and their plans for the film are very much in sync with what we had hoped for. It’s a delight and an honor to have them on board.”
“Far From the Tree is an inspiring and irresistibly moving journey into the differences that make us who we are. It builds on Andrew Solomon’s landmark book to paint a complex and universal portrait of acceptance with an empathy and scale that only true cinema can do,” said Jonathan Sehring and Lisa Schwartz, co-Presidents of Sundance Selects/IFC Films.
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Documentary THE SECRET LIFE OF LANCE LETSCHER Will Premiere on Ovation [TRAILER]
The documentary The Secret Life of Lance Letscher, is a deeply personal and psychological portrait of internationally-renowned collage artist Lance Letscher, told through biographical memories of trauma and triumph. Featuring interviews with collectors, fellow artists, art critics and friends, the film provides a doorway into Letscher’s unique artistry and his brilliant mind. The critically acclaimed documentary from director Sandra Adair, will debut on Ovation, America’s only arts network, as the “Artists and Icons” movie of the week on Sunday, November 19, 2017 at 7pm ET / 4pm PT.
The Secret Life of Lance Letscher, includes images of more than a hundred of his intricate and complex collages, sculptures and installations. Letscher is internationally famous for taking bits of old books, magazines, newspaper clippings, old letters, catalogues, posters, album covers and other found objects from flea markets and junk yards across Texas and assembling them into startlingly intricate art. He has exhibited extensively across the U.S. and abroad including Austin, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, as well as in London, Brussels, Munich and Barcelona and his works are represented in the collections of the Austin Museum of Art, Austin and the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.
The documentary film is directed, produced and edited by Sandra Adair, A.C.E. Adair is an Academy Award-nominated feature film editor (Boyhood) and is making her directorial debut with The Secret Life of Lance Letscher.
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15: A QUINCEAÑERA STORY, Five Different Latina Girls Celebrate Quinceañera, will Debut on HBO
15: A Quinceanera Story is a collection of four short films following five Latina girls from different cultural, ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds as they transition to adulthood, all observing the traditional rite of passage of the quinceañera, a celebration of their 15th birthdays.
Executive produced by renowned music executive Tommy Mottola and directed by Emmy(R) winner Matthew O’Neill and Latin Grammy-winning recording artist Thalía Sodi, 15: A Quinceanera Story, debuts Tuesday, December 19 (7:00-7:30 p.m. ET/PT), followed by a new film at the same time on successive nights – DEC. 20, 21 and 22 – simultaneously on HBO and HBO Latino.
“As a Latina, I’m proud to share our culture and shine a spotlight on the dynamic, talented and beautiful young women featured in these four films,” comments director Thalía Sodi.
“These young women are fierce and determined, and represent the rising generation of American Latinas who are helping define the future of our country,” adds executive producer Tommy Mottola.
“The featured young women are examples of the breadth and diversity of the Latina experience in America – we’re proud to celebrate them and their communities as they contend with the complicated realities of growing up in America today,” says director Matthew O’Neill. “I couldn’t think of a better home for these stories than HBO.”
15: A Quinceanera Story follows young girls and their families as they navigate the complexities of coming of age in the U.S. From grappling with gender identity to the constant fear of having a loved one deported, the issues raised in each piece reflect the current cultural and political landscape.
The quinceañera girls profiled include:
Zoey (debuting Dec. 19), a young Mexican-American living south of Los Angeles, who was assigned male at birth and celebrates with her trans-madrinas (godmothers), who never had quinceañeras of their own.
Rosi (Dec. 20), an American growing up in Florida with a mother from Guatemala and a father from Cuba, who combines all three of her cultures for a quinceañera in Havana. She chooses to celebrate there because her beloved grandfather cannot get a visa to the U.S.
Ashley (Dec. 21), an amateur boxer living in East Los Angeles, whose mother is a Dreamer and whose father has been deported. She is as nervous about her first official fight as she is about her quinceañera. Ashley’s coach, who is undergoing deportation procedures, may not get to see her special day.
Jackie and Nina (Dec. 22), best friends from San Antonio, who decide to honor their multi-generational Mexican-American heritage by mixing their joint quince with their love of escaramuza, a traditional Mexican horse-dancing display.
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Sonja Sohn’s Documentary BALTIMORE RISING will Debut on HBO [TRAILER]
The new documentary Baltimore Rising directed by Sonja Sohn, star of “The Wire”, chronicles the struggle of police and activists to hold the city together in the aftermath of the death of Freddie Gray.
In the wake of the 2015 death of Freddie Gray in police custody, Baltimore was a city on the edge. Peaceful protests and destructive riots erupted in the immediate aftermath of Gray’s death, while the city waited to hear the fate of the six police officers involved in the incident, reflecting the deep divisions between authorities and the community – and underscoring the urgent need for reconciliation.
Baltimore Rising follows activists, police officers, community leaders and gang affiliates, who struggle to hold Baltimore together, even as the homicide rate hits record levels. Exploring how to make change when change is hard, the thought-provoking, timely documentary debuts Monday, November 20 (8:00-9:35 p.m. ET/PT), exclusively on HBO.
The strife that grips Baltimore following the death of Freddie Gray exposes longstanding fault lines in a distraught and damaged community. Baltimore Rising chronicles the determined efforts of people on all sides who fight for justice and work to make their city better, sometimes coming together in unexpected ways, discovering a common humanity where before they often saw each other only as adversaries.
Among the key figures spotlighted in Baltimore Rising:
Genard “Shadow” Barr (community leader, former gang member) is an addiction recovery specialist at the Penn-North Recovery Center, where he also helps organize a reentry jobs program for community members. Bridging the divide between police and residents of the Penn-North area, he works with all parties to mitigate violence. Barr is now working to open an entrepreneurship and job training center in West Baltimore.
Commissioner Kevin Davis has led the Baltimore Police Department since 2015. He took over as interim police commissioner in the aftermath of the uprising and surging violence, when the mayor fired previous commissioner Anthony Batts. A lifelong Marylander, Commissioner Davis is a 25-year veteran and fourth-generation public safety professional. He was faced with repairing public trust in the department and stemming a rising tide of homicides amidst the trials of his six officers.
Makayla Gilliam-Price (activist) founded the youth justice organization City Bloc as a high school student. She also organizes with the grassroots think-tank Leaders of a Beautiful Struggle.
Adam Jackson (activist) is CEO of the grassroots think-tank Leaders of a Beautiful Struggle. His efforts are aimed at connecting young people to public policy and creating transformative change in Baltimore.
Dayvon Love (activist), director of public policy for Leaders of a Beautiful Struggle, has deep experience with grassroots activism in the community. He has given numerous speeches and led workshops to give insight into the plight of its citizens.
Kwame Rose (activist), an artist, writer, musician and public speaker, gained notoriety during the uprising that followed Freddie Gray’s death for his public confrontation with FOX News reporter Geraldo Rivera. Arrested during protests outside the trials of the police officers charged in the Gray case, he recently accepted a position in the office of Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh.
Lt. Colonel Melvin Russell, chief of the Community Partnership Division, Baltimore Police Department, joined The Baltimore Police Department (BPD) in 1979 as a police cadet. He worked as a uniform patrol and then an undercover officer for 20 years before becoming an Eastern District Lieutenant in 2007. Recently he led the BPD’s chaplaincy program and worked cooperatively with such community leaders as Genard “Shadow” Barr to support a reentry jobs program and prevent another uprising during the police officers’ trials in the Gray case.
Dawnyell Taylor (police detective) has been with the Baltimore City Police for more than 16 years. In 2015 and 2016, she was the lead investigator in the Freddie Gray homicide case, and testified at the trial of Officer Caesar Goodson Jr., who was charged with Gray’s murder. Taylor continues to serve in the police academy in Baltimore.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9t87jLeOzPI