The late Sandra Bland was an activist primed for the social media age. In a series of videos that attracted a significant following, the telegenic young African-American woman spoke out on thorny issues of race and injustice in America, and supported the aspirations of an audience she addressed directly as “my kings and queens.”
What led to her death at age 28 seems, in a disturbing way, almost inescapable—to be caught up, arguably, in the very machinery of racial bias that she had called out in life.
“She was educated, she was passionate about issues. She wanted to make an impact,” declares David Heilbroner, co-director with Kate Davis of the HBO documentary Say Her Name: The Life and Death of Sandra Bland, now in contention for Emmy nominations. “We came to think of her almost like a Rosa Parks. She wouldn’t go to the back of the bus.”
In her videos,...
What led to her death at age 28 seems, in a disturbing way, almost inescapable—to be caught up, arguably, in the very machinery of racial bias that she had called out in life.
“She was educated, she was passionate about issues. She wanted to make an impact,” declares David Heilbroner, co-director with Kate Davis of the HBO documentary Say Her Name: The Life and Death of Sandra Bland, now in contention for Emmy nominations. “We came to think of her almost like a Rosa Parks. She wouldn’t go to the back of the bus.”
In her videos,...
- 5/6/2019
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
The winners of the 50th NAACP Image Awards were announced last night during the live broadcast on TV One from The Dolby Theatre in Hollywood. The live special was hosted by Anthony Anderson, who also doubled as a nominee.
The big winner of the night was “Black Panther” which took home eight trophies, including Outstanding Motion Picture, Outstanding Directing in a Motion Picture, and Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture.
In the television categories, “black-ish” topped all winners with five awards, including Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series, Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series and Outstanding Comedy Series.
Meanwhile, Beyoncé was honored as the NAACP Entertainer of the Year, and Congresswoman Maxine Waters was presented the NAACP Chairman’s Award.
Additional winners included radio host and personality Tom Joyner who was presented with the Vanguard Award, which recognizes an individual whose groundbreaking work increases our understanding and awareness of racial and social issues.
The big winner of the night was “Black Panther” which took home eight trophies, including Outstanding Motion Picture, Outstanding Directing in a Motion Picture, and Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture.
In the television categories, “black-ish” topped all winners with five awards, including Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series, Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series and Outstanding Comedy Series.
Meanwhile, Beyoncé was honored as the NAACP Entertainer of the Year, and Congresswoman Maxine Waters was presented the NAACP Chairman’s Award.
Additional winners included radio host and personality Tom Joyner who was presented with the Vanguard Award, which recognizes an individual whose groundbreaking work increases our understanding and awareness of racial and social issues.
- 3/31/2019
- by Tambay Obenson
- Indiewire
Sandra Bland went viral after dashboard camera footage showed state trooper Brian Encinia pulling her over for failing to signal while driving, and ultimately threatening to “light [her] up” and trying to pull her out of the car. But well before that 2015 incident, which ultimately led to her dying under mysterious circumstances in a jail cell, she was using social media to empower and educate. That is why filmmakers Kate Davis and David Heilbroner, who directed “Say Her Name: The Life and Death of Sandra Bland,” wanted to start their documentary about her with one of her own videos.
In a piece that Bland originally shared on her Instagram account, she opens “Say Her Name” by saying, “Today #SandySpeaks is going to talk about white people.” It is a moment, Heilbroner points out, that often gets a laugh from the audience because it’s “an immediate disarming, witty side” of the woman.
In a piece that Bland originally shared on her Instagram account, she opens “Say Her Name” by saying, “Today #SandySpeaks is going to talk about white people.” It is a moment, Heilbroner points out, that often gets a laugh from the audience because it’s “an immediate disarming, witty side” of the woman.
- 11/30/2018
- by Danielle Turchiano
- Variety Film + TV
If there’s a common theme weaved throughout the 2018 Nashville Film Festival, it’s a strong sense of diversity. With submissions from more than 135 countries and female filmmakers making up more than 40% of the film bracket, in addition to several films led by African-Americans and those who defy gender norms, filmmakers from wide-ranging backgrounds are turning to the Nashville Film Festival as an outlet to share their voices.
“The storytelling has gotten deeper,” artistic director Brian Owens says of the 2018 festival, which runs May 10-19 at Regal Hollywood Stadium 27. “These films really address the now, all the way through the program. There really seems to be an urgency that wasn’t there before. It’s a reflection of the times.”
This sense of urgency is mirrored in the festival’s numerous documentaries, a category in which the presence of women is prominent across a variety of socially conscious films. “Dark Money” is one example,...
“The storytelling has gotten deeper,” artistic director Brian Owens says of the 2018 festival, which runs May 10-19 at Regal Hollywood Stadium 27. “These films really address the now, all the way through the program. There really seems to be an urgency that wasn’t there before. It’s a reflection of the times.”
This sense of urgency is mirrored in the festival’s numerous documentaries, a category in which the presence of women is prominent across a variety of socially conscious films. “Dark Money” is one example,...
- 5/10/2018
- by Cillea Houghton
- Variety Film + TV
HBO's new documentary film Say Her Name: The Life and Death of Sandra Bland tackles the controversial 2015 suicide of Chicago woman Sandra Bland, with Bland herself taking the lead role thanks to Sandy Speaks, her online video series where she discussed racial inequality, including police brutality toward black people.
“Sandra was different because she was writing about, speaking about the very issues that came back to haunt her,” co-director David Heilbroner told The Hollywood Reporter of his and fellow director Kate Davis' attraction to the project. “This had this eerie resonance that there was no other story like that in the country.”
...
“Sandra was different because she was writing about, speaking about the very issues that came back to haunt her,” co-director David Heilbroner told The Hollywood Reporter of his and fellow director Kate Davis' attraction to the project. “This had this eerie resonance that there was no other story like that in the country.”
...
- 4/27/2018
- by Zoe Haylock
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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