Doc Filmmaker Stanley Nelson Named As AFI’s 2015 Charles Guggenheim Symposium HonoreePosted by Wilson Morales
May 7, 2015
The American Film Institute (AFI) announced today that AFI DOCS will pay tribute to pioneering documentary filmmaker Stanley Nelson as its 2015 Charles Guggenheim Symposium honoree.
Nelson’s documentary THE MURDER OF EMMETT TILL (2003) won numerous awards, including an Emmy for Outstanding Directing for Nonfiction Programming, the Sundance Film Festival 2003 Special Jury Prize and the George Foster Peabody Award. The documentary aided in the U.S. Justice Department’s decision to reopen the 1955 murder investigation of Emmett Till, a 14-year-old African-American boy killed after allegedly flirting with a white woman, citing new evidence exposed in Nelson’s film. The Guggenheim Symposium, free and open to the public, will be held on Friday, June 19 at the National Archives’ William G. McGowan Theater and includes a presentation of Nelson’s work and a discussion and Q&A with the filmmaker which will be moderated by The Washington Post film critic Ann Hornaday.
The festival’s 13th edition will run June 17-21 in Washington, DC and Silver Spring, MD. The AFI DOCS Charles Guggenheim Symposium honors masters of the non-fiction art form who inspire audiences by documenting and exploring the human experience.
“Stanley Nelson’s masterful documentation of American history will continue to inspire audiences and young filmmakers for generations,” said Michael Lumpkin, Director of AFI DOCS. “We are proud to pay tribute to Nelson’s vibrant career and his ability to provoke change through documentary filmmaking.”
AFI DOCS is proud to present Nelson’s latest documentary THE BLACK PANTHERS: VANGUARD OF THE REVOLUTION as part of the 2015 program. The film premiered this year at the Sundance Film Festival and PBS Distribution has announced it will open the film in select theaters in the fall of 2015. Additionally, it will be featured as part of PBS’ independent film series INDEPENDENT LENS in winter of 2016.
Nelson directed and produced JONESTOWN: THE LIFE AND DEATH OF PEOPLES TEMPLE (2006), which was shortlisted for the Academy Award®. Nelson’s 2011 film FREEDOM RIDERS aired nationally on PBS to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Freedom Rides and received three Emmys®. His achievements were recognized once more when he was awarded the 2013 National Humanities Medal from President Barack Obama.
Nelson’s other works include his first documentary feature TWO DOLLARS AND A DREAM: THE STORY OF MADAME C.J. WALKER (1989), Emmy®-nominated THE BLACK PRESS: SOLDIERS WITHOUT SWORDS (1999), MARCUS GARVEY: LOOK FOR ME IN THE WHIRLWIND (2000) and FREEDOM SUMMER (2014). 2004’s BEYOND BROWN: PURSUING THE PROMISE was used by organizations such as the NAACP, the National Baptist Convention and the Children’s Defense Fund, to reflect on the 50th anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education.
Nelson joins a renowned list of Guggenheim Symposium honorees:
Charles Guggenheim (2003), Barbara Kopple (2004), Martin Scorsese (2006), Jonathan Demme (2007), Spike Lee (2008), Albert Maysles (2009), Frederick Wiseman (2010), Chris Hegedus and D A Pennebaker (2011), Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky (2012), Errol Morris (2013) and Alex Gibney (2014).
The Guggenheim Symposium is free and open to the public. Tickets can be reserved at AFI.com/afidocs in late May. At AFI DOCS this year, screenings and discussions will continue to connect audiences, artists, issue experts, film subjects and policy leaders. Programs customized for filmmakers will be offered to unite the documentary community.
AFI DOCS is proud to have AT&T return as this year’s presenting sponsor.
