Nelson George‘s Misty Copeland Doc, Dear White People To Screen At 12th Annual Martha’s Vineyard African American Film FestivalPosted by Wilson Morales
June 30, 2014
August on the Vineyard kicks off with a boom with the 12th Annual Martha’s Vineyard African American Film Festival (August 5 – 9), presented by Lincoln Motor Company. MVAAFF will present preeminent independent films, previews, emerging filmmakers, and cultural trendsetters.; in the picturesque setting of this wonderful island.
For over a decade, MVAFF has hosted an impressive variety of African American independent films and created an effective platform for filmmakers. From it’s humble beginnings in 2002 it has grown into a “must attend” event for notable filmmakers such as Jeffrey Wright, Del Roy Lindo, Reuben Cannon, Kenny Leon, Ben Vereen, and Reginald Hudlin.
Founded by dynamic husband and wife team, Floyd Rance and Stephanie Tavares Rance of Run & Shoot Filmworks; MVAAF is the beautiful culmination of their passion for filmmaking and developing incredible events.
This year promises to be another banner year for MVAAFF screening 49 films from around the globe including:
“A Ballerina’s Tale” the story of prima ballerina Misty Copeland ; a Nelson George documentary.
A sneak peek of the film with a directors Q&A
Misty Copeland narrates the documentary which provides an intimate look at her career, beginning at the age of 13 at a Boys & Girls Club in San Pedro, California and moving to the American Ballet Theatre in New York City as a member of one of the leading dance companies by the age of 17. Misty Copeland is an anomalous standard breaker whose very presence challenges the traditional conventions of ballet; her cultural identity and body type stand in direct contrast to commonly held stereotypes dictating what a dancer must be in order to be successful.
The film will examine the values of European cultural expression and the arguably irrelevant views upheld by an aging establishment against Copeland’s steady rise. Along with the social critique, Nelson George offers rehearsal and performance footage shot with a multiple camera setup that brings the grace and captivating beauty of movement to the screen in vivid detail.
Sundance Award winning film “Dear White People” by Director/Producer Justin Simien
Winner of the Special Jury Award for Breakthrough Talent at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, Simien’s debut feature is a satirical look at campus life and racial politics at a fictional Ivy League college, and pays homage to such groundbreaking films as Spike Lee’s School Daze and Robert Townsend’s Hollywood Shuffle.
DEAR WHITE PEOPLE follows the stories of four black students at Winchester University, where a riot breaks out over a popular ‘African American’ themed party thrown by a white fraternity. With tongue planted firmly in cheek, the film explores racial identity in ‘post-racial’ America while weaving a universal story of forging one’s unique path in the world.
The cast includes Tyler James Williams, Tessa Thompson, Kyle Gallner, Teyonah Parris, Brandon Bell, Malcolm Barrett, Brittany Curran, Justin Dobies, Marque Richardson, Dennis Haysbert, and Peter Syversten.
“Little Ballers”; Director Crystal McCrary and Exec Producer NBA All-star Amare Stoudemire’s film chronically the journey of an AAU basketball team and their national championship victory.
Exploring the bonds created through basketball, “Little Ballers” follows four 11-year-old boys and their legendary basketball coach as they set out to win an AAU National Championship. For these young men, basketball is a positive outlet to their harsh reality of poverty and gang violence. Their influential coach becomes a father figure, offering them the hope of getting an education and living the American dream. NBA players such as Steve Nash, Carmelo Anthony, Joakim Noah and Amar’e Stoudemire share their stories of playing youth basketball that mirror the lives of the Little Ballers.
Opening dance performance; Mr.Tol E. Rance with choreographer Camille A. Brown and Company
Corporate Sponsor HBO shares an early preview of their new series “The Knick” premiering on Cinemax. Directed by Steven Soderbergh and starring Clive Owen, the new 10-part series makes its debut on August 8.
Set in downtown New York in 1900, The Knick centers on Knickerbocker Hospital and the groundbreaking surgeons, nurses and staff who push the bounds of medicine in a time of astonishingly high mortality rates and zero antibiotics. André Holland, Eve Hewson, Juliet Rylance, Jeremy Bobb, Michael Angarano, Chris Sullivan, Cara Seymour, Eric Johnson, David Fierro, Maya Kazan, Grainger Hines, Leon Addison Brown and Matt Frewer round out the ensemble cast.
Special preview of ABC new sitcom Black – ish produced by Anthony Anderson and Laurence Fishburne.
Andre Johnson has a great job, a beautiful wife, Rainbow, four kids, and a colonial home in the ‘burbs. But has success brought too much assimilation for this black family? With a little help from his dad, Dre sets out to establish a sense of cultural identity for his family that honors their past while embracing the future.
Also included in the cast are Tracee Ellis Ross, Yara Shahidi, Marcus Scribner, Miles Brown and Marsai Martin.
