Dare Not Walk Alone
| Dare Not Walk Alone | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Jeremy Dean |
| Written by | Jeremy Dean |
| Produced by | Stephen Cobb Jeremy Dean Richard Mergener |
| Cinematography | Russell Brownley |
| Distributed by | Indican Pictures |
Release dates | September 15, 2006 |
Running time | 80 min. |
| Language | English |
Dare Not Walk Alone is a 2006 documentary directed by Jeremy Dean. The film played the festival circuit in 2006 and in 2007 received the audience award at the Deep Focus Film Festival in Columbus, Ohio.[1] It was signed by THINKFilm for non-theatrical distribution and by Indican Pictures for theatrical release.[2] A DVD release is expected some time in 2008.
Overview
Dare Not Walk Alone is about the civil rights movement and its aftermath in St. Augustine, Florida, the site of prolonged inter-racial tension and protests by the NAACP and the SCLC.[3] The most notable protests immediately preceded, and possibly precipitated, the signing if the 1964 Civil Rights Act.[4]
Background
Dare Not Walk Alone was conceived in 2003 by artist Jeremy Dean, who was then living and working in the Florida tourist town of Saint Augustine, "America's oldest city."
When Dean volunteered to help restore the stained glass windows in an historically black church he learned of the events of 1964, the protests, the beatings, and the brilliant campaign of civil disobedience that led to the passage of the first civil rights act.
While Dean felt honored working to preserve a place where Dr. King had once stood side-by-side with Jackie Robinson to rally supporters, he was stunned that he had never heard of these events before, so he set about researching them. He uncovered archive footage that had never been aired. He sat down with the people who were there, who put their lives on the line in the fight for equality and freedom from segregation.
Waiting tables to finance the film, Dean created the first cut of the film in 2005 and in 2006 the first public screening of Dare Not Walk Alone took place at the historically black Ritz Theatre (Jacksonville), Florida in an event attended by Florida State Senator Anthony C. Hill.
By the end of 2007 the film had been signed for non-theatrical release by THINKFilm and in April of 2008 the film began its theatrical release in Los Angeles with Hollywood-based distributor, Indican Pictures.
Reviews and Awards
In 2007, Dare Not Walk Alone won the Audience Award at the Deep Focus Film Festival in Columbus, Ohio. When the film had its theatrical premiere at the Laemmle Grande 4 in Los Angeles, Robert Abele of the Los Angeles Times described it as a "powerful slice of roiling American history." Sara Schieron of Boxoffice Magazine declared it "has the potential to do real good in the world"[5] and Eric Monder of Film Journal International noted, "The racial politics of the current presidential election make this film all the more significant."[6]
References
External links
- darenotwalkalone.com - official site for the film
- Dare Not Walk Alone at Rotten Tomatoes
- Dare Not Walk Alone synopsis - from Indican Pictures
- Dare Not Walk Alone Trailer