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Why does BPM invest in Black talent and untold stories?
Because the combination of the two has a long lasting effect!
stanley nelsOn
BPM supported Stanley Nelson’s early films because he was producing stories on historical subjects that were known in Black communities, but relatively unknown to broader American audiences.
BPM Relation: Project Funding and/or Distribution
• The Black Press: Soldiers Without Swords (1999)
• Marcus Garvey: Look for Me in the Whirlwind (2000) • A Place of Our Own (2004)
• Sweet Honey in the Rock: Raise Your Voice (2005
Where Are They Now? Nelson is the owner of Firelight Media, an award-winning production company that has produced over 25 hours of primetime programming for public television, and through its nonprofit Doc Lab is cultivating a new generation of documentary producers of color. Nelson has earned three Primetime Emmys for his work and is a MacArthur Genius Fellow, a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and a recipient of the NEH National Humanities Medal
presented by President Obama in 2014.
Michele stePhensOn
Michelle Stephenson is a multilingual & multi-platform filmmaker who draws inspiration from her Haitian and Panamanian roots. From her early requests that we consider acquiring a few Haitian documentaries for a festival she was curating to her award- winning documentary American Promise, Stephenson has demonstrated an unflagging commitment to stories of the African Diaspora that truly reflect the diversity of the Black experience.
BPM Relation: Project Funding and/or Distribution
• Faces of Change (2006)
• Pawn Chronicles Web Series (2008)
• Haiti: One Day, One Destiny Web Series (2011) • American Promise (2014)
• Hispaniola (In Production)
Where Are They Now? Stephenson is co-owner of the Rada Film Group, an award-winning production company that has produced for NYTimes OpDocs,TIAA, and the CMBA (Campaign for Black Male Achievement?). Her work has also appeared on PBS, Showtime and MTV. Her most recent film, American Promise, was nominated for three Emmys and won the Jury Prize at Sundance. Stephenson was recently awarded the Chicken & Egg Pictures Filmmaker Breakthrough Award and is a 2016 Guggenheim Fellow. She is currently in production on two documentaries: Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Story and Hispaniola.
thOMas allen haRRis
Thomas Allen Harris has a special knack for making first-person stories and rooting them in our shared experiences as Black people.
BPM Relation: Project Funding and/or Distribution • 12 Disciples of Nelson Mandela (2006)
• Digital Diaspora Family Reunion (2009)
• Through A Lens Darkly (2015)
Where Are They Now? Harris is co-owner of Chimpanzee Productions, LLC, an award- winning production company. He has received critical acclaim at International film festivals such as Sundance, Berlin, Toronto, FESPACO, Outfest, Flaherty and Cape Town and have been broadcast on PBS, the Sundance Channel, ARTE, as well as CBC, Swedish Broadcasting Network and New Zealand Television. In addition, Harris’ videos and installations have been featured at prestigious museums and galleries including the Museum of Modern Art, Whitney Biennial, Corcoran Gallery, Reina Sophia, London Institute of the Arts and the Gwangju Biennale. He is currently in production on his first series Family Pictures, LLC.
• Family Pictures, USA (In Production)
SECTION 2
CASE STUDIES