'FLOWER' SHORT FILM TO DEBUT AT TRIBECA
I exe produced this social advocacy film with ballerina Misty Copeland
https://tribecafilm.com/films/flower-2023?fbclid=IwAR22WsvHU5jDOclYIrBInYe7zu_gZKtpfx8O31BbrZ90OzfcyyD1GRL3upk
I am very gratified that much of the work I started before the pandemic and then pushed through during 2020 and 2021 is finally seeing the light of day. First was ‘Say Hey Willie Mays’ that I directed for HBO MAX and just last week the first two episodes of ‘Dear Mama,’ which I executive produced, appeared on FX and Hulu. But while those were big budget productions, I’m happy to announce that the most challenging project I was involved in is finally debuting.
‘Flower’ is a twenty-eight minute silent dance film about homelessness and displacement, starring ballerina Misty Copeland, that I co-created with her and executive produced. It’s an attempt to use the language of dance to look at the emotional turmoil of a young woman in Oakland as she and her mother teeter on the edge of eviction. Directed by veteran dance director Lauren Finerman, the film showcases choreography by Alonzo King of Lines dance company in San Francisco and my friends Rich + Tone, who I worked with on ‘The Get Down’ series on Netflix. A dynamic young dancer, Babatunji Johnson, appears as a homeless man, who embodies the spirit of innovation found on Oakland’s streets. In addition Bay Area native, and R&B legend, Raphael Saadiq contributes several beautiful songs.
Choreographer Tone Talauega rehearsing with Misty Copeland in Oakland.
I directed a documentary about Misty, titled ‘A Ballerina’s Tale,’ that premiered at Tribeca in 2015, and we’ve stayed in touch over the years. While attending a performance of the American Ballet Theater in Los Angeles in 2019, I was struck about how much acting was involved in Misty’s performance, particularly when she wasn’t the focus of the scene. So much dance performance is a form of non-dialog acting, a style that harkens back to silent film. The next day, I pitched her the idea of a film about a famous ballerina and a street dancer. Over time the concept evolved into a vehicle to explore homelessness. Misty’s husband is from Oakland, a city rapidly gentrifying and with a huge community of houseless residents, so she wanted the story set there.
Misty Copeland, Babatunji Johnson and choreographer Alonzo King on set.
Leyla Fayyaz, Misty’s producing partner in the company, Life in Motion, took the reigns, raising money and putting the production team together with the Ford Foundation coming on board as a major supporter. There were a lot of challenges. It was an unusual, almost experimental, approach to making a social justice project that folks couldn’t understand. Several possible collaborators pulled out at the last minute, wrecking our schedule. While shooting in Oakland during 2020 we had an extra diagnosed with Covid-19, shutting us down before we shot several key sequences. Thankfully Misty, Leyla, Laura and the team were able to pivot and get the film done.
Right now we don’t have distribution post-Tribeca, so we’re hopeful the screenings will be well received and will generate buzz. If you’re in New York in June I hope you can attend a screening of this unusual and innovative project. The link above has information about screenings and tickets. So if you’re in New York in June for the festival, I hope you can catch it.
Babatunji Johnson standing outside an location in downtown Oakland where Misty and young dancers are preparing a scene.