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Harlem Debut of the film "THE WAITING ROOM" by Peter Nicks on May 12

Join Us for the
Harlem Debut of the Film
THE WAITING ROOM
by Peter Nicks
Saturday, May 12th
Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Harlem

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Yoruba Richen Wins Creative Promise Award at Tribeca

Producer Yoruba Richen was honored with the Creative Promise Award at Tribeca All Access for her explosive new documentary, The New Black. Click here to read the article. Congrats Yoruba! Read more

Byron Hurt's "Soul Food Junkies" World Premiere at American Black Film Festival

The American Black Film Festival has selected Byron Hurt's Soul Food Junkies to make its World Premiere in Miami, FL, June 20-23, 2012! Soul Food Junkies is 1 of 5 films selected to compete for the prestigious CNN Documentary Award which garners a cash prize! Congrats Byron!

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CRITICS GIVE "JESSE OWENS" THUMBS UP!

JESSE OWENS aired on PBS on May 1st. Jesse Owens is a Firelight Films production for the PBS series American Experience. The film examines the life and legacy of the African-American sprinter, a sharecropper's son, who triumphed over adversity to win four gold medals in the face of Hitler's Aryan nation at the 1936 Berlin Olympic Games.

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Black Youth Vote! Screens Freedom Riders!

On April 5, 2012, a diverse group of youth and elders gathered for a screening of Freedom Riders at the African American Civil War Memorial and Museum in Washington, D.C.

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Interview with Director Laurens Grant on New Film "Jesse Owens"

JESSE OWENS is a Firelight Films production for the PBS series American Experience. It centers on the African American track and field star, Jesse Owens, who triumphed at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin amidst the rise of Nazi propaganda. This is the first feature-length documentary directed by Laurens Grant for PBS. The film is also produced and written by veteran filmmaker Stanley Nelson with whom Laurens has worked with on a number of projects, including Freedom Riders, which garnered three Emmy Awards. JESSE OWENS aired on PBS on May 1, 2012.

Laurens is also a participant in the Firelight Media Producers' Lab where she is working on another film Rokia: Voice of a New Generation. Check out our exciting interview with Laurens below.

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Firelight Media & OSF Seminar: Creating Social Impact through Story in a Transmedia World -- Application Due April 27th!

THE FIRELIGHT MEDIA PRODUCERS' LAB & OPEN SOCIETY FOUNDATIONS PRESENT:
Creating Social Impact through Story in a Transmedia World
A two-day Seminar
MAY 3RD AND 4TH, 2012

The Firelight Media Producers' Lab & Open Society Foundations (OSF) cordially invite emerging producers and directors of color to apply to the our latest seminar: "Creating Social Impact through Story in a Transmedia World." Over the course of two days, broadcasters, programmers, independents, executives, and community organizers will explore how social and transmedia has: diversified media content, altered means of production, and broadened platforms of distribution.

This seminar will be held in New York City. Details TBA.

Interested producers and directors please complete the attached application and email to: stacey@firelightmedia.org. In the subject line please type “Firelight & OSI Application May2012”. Download a copy of the application here: fm_osi_seminar_application

DEADLINE EXTENDED! All applications must be received Friday, April 27th.

Stanley Nelson Speaks About Creating Nonfiction Cinema

Last week, in anticipation of the Full Frame Docuemtary Festival in Durham, North Carolina, Stanley Nelson spoke about his beginnings and life-long career creating documentaries with NewsObserver.com. He stated: “I wanted something with a learning curve that was never-ending.” He decided to pursue documentaries after seeing the 1971 feature The Murder of Fred Hampton. “I liked that I was affected by (the Hampton) film,” he said. “It was different from what I had known about documentaries, the films they brought into your school class that were boring. This was telling stories that were true to life.” Click here to read the whole article.

The Full Frame Festival honored Nelson for his work with a multi-day Tribute.

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MABLE SPEAKS! Mable Haddock Weighs in on Schedule Changes to Independent Lens and POV at PBS

WHY PRODUCERS OF COLOR SUPPORT THE CALL TO ACTION TO SUPPORT INDEPENDENT LENS AND POV, THE UNIQUE CHALLENGES FACED BY PRODUCERS OF COLOR, AND SOME RECOMMENDATIONS FOR ACTION.

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Gil Noble, Legendary Journalist and Documentarian, Dies at 80

The Firelight family mourns the passing of legendary journalist and documentarian Gil Noble. Noble, who passed away last Thursday at the age of 80, was the host of Like it Is, the pioneer television show about black public affairs, culture, and politics. The show which aired weekly on WABC-TV, featured hard-hitting interviews with critical known and unknown figures in the black global community.

Spanning over 40 years, Like it Is archives features a vast array of public figures including: Aretha Franklin, Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King, jr, Michael Manley, Julius Nyerere, Bob Marley, Lena Horne, Harold Washington, and Muhammad Ali, to name a few.

Noble also loved the documentary genre. He said that documentaries “remain a powerful weapon to change false values, correct historical error and cure the poison of prejudice..." His documentaries covered subjects ranging from Fannie Lou Hamer to Paul Robeson.

Noble managed to weave through the challenges of mainstream media to provide thought-provoking and powerful black content. A fellow Harlemite, Brother Gil Noble will be sorely missed.

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