"A tour de force of civil rights activism, attitude and violation"

That's the verdict of Marilyn Bauer writing for the Treasure Coast Palm Beaches paper in Stuart, Florida, under the headline: Filmmaker shows racism won't be tackled 'Alone'

It feels so good to be part of a project like this when people "get it" the way Marilyn does. Of course, the challenge is to get the message across to all those people who think, like the audience member in the article, that the answer is as simple as "get a job."

Let's see: A job takes education. So is the answer "Get an education"? Where do you get that education if you missed it in your first 18 years because, as a 6 or 10 or 16 year-old nobody made you go to school and simply living in our great society failed to convince you that an education would be a good thing? (Pop quiz: Name 5 rich and famous Americans in the news today who are synonymous with the benefits of getting a good education.)

And who is going to pay for this education? And so on. Clearly, there are way more levels to this than "get a job" and hopefully people who watch "Dare Not Walk Alone" will see that, if they don't already.
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Arne Duncan, Obama's Pick for Secretary of Education, on Dare Not Walk Alone

We'd like to be among the first to congratulate Arne Duncan for being President-elect Obama's pick for Secretary of Education. It is another example of the President-elect choosing to surround himself with the brightest and best.

Mr Duncan he was an early supporter of Dare Not Walk Alone. Here's what he has to say about the film:

"An important tool for showing the bravery of those who struggled for equality during the civil rights movement. But it goes far beyond past history and exposes issues that we face everyday in the continued struggle for equality, especially when it comes to the health and education of all our children."

At the time he wrote that, Mr. Duncan was CEO of Chicago Public Schools. We wish him every success in his new role as a key player in the Obama administration.

And for the record here's what some other prominent public servants have said about Dare Not Walk Alone:

"This moving film, which I was honored to be a part of, will serve as an important reminder to audiences that even though we have made advances in the civil rights arena since the 1960s, we still have a long way to go."

That was US Congresswoman Corrine Brown. Here's Florida State Senator Tony Hill:

"The documentary was so moving that, as chairman of the Black Caucus of the State of Florida, I have filed a bill for the 2007 legislative session in the House and the Senate to have all records cleared for anyone who was arrested because of segregated laws. That is how compelling the film was to me."

More Great Feedback on Dare Not Walk Alone's "Transformative" Power

We just heard back from a university professor in Tennessee who used Dare Not Walk Alone in a class project.

She said that watching the film was "a profound experience for our group and in a few cases truly transformative."

In the next few days we hope to post some of the student comments here. (As a reminder, Jeremy Dean, the director of Dare Not Walk Alone, is available to visit colleges and universities with the film--email info@dnwa.info for more details.)

Photo Caption: Watched by state troopers, black and white protestors opposed to segregation kneel in prayer outside the Monson Restaurant in St. Augustine, Florida, 1964.
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Powerful Civil Rights Film Now On DVD

Here is the latest press release about the DVD. Please pass it on to any reporters or journalists you happen to know. You can send them this short link: http://is.gd/70Pc

Thanks!

POWERFUL CIVIL RIGHTS FILM NOW ON DVD

Brooklyn, New York, November 11, 2008 -- Dare Not Walk Alone, a feature-length documentary about little-known events in America's civil rights struggle, is now available on DVD at Walmart and other stores. The film clearly illustrates what President-elect Obama has called "the gap between the promise of our ideals and the reality of their time." While documenting Dr. King's heroic campaign to end segregation, the film also paints a disturbing portrait of lingering inequality, some 40 years later, in one community where that campaign was waged.

The Dare Not Walk Alone trailer can be seen at the film's web site: http://darenotwalkalone.com.

Created by Brooklyn-based artist and director, Jeremy Dean, Dare Not Walk Alone has been hailed by critics as "a powerhouse of a picture" and "important filmmaking." However, making the film was an uphill battle according to executive producer Stephen Cobb.

"The director insisted the film go beyond documenting the bravery and brilliance of Dr. King's victorious strategy of non-violence to explore the aftermath of that victory," said Cobb. "But a lot of people thought this approach was too radical for a mainstream audience."

Yet this is one small budget independent documentary that beat the odds and achieved DVD distribution through major stores like Walmart, Target, FYE, Movies Unlimited, and Amazon.com. The film's distributor is Indican Pictures.

"When Indican told us Walmart ordered DVDs," says Dean, "We were thrilled, but also stunned. That's almost impossible when you're an indie project with no star backing."

Although the DVD is not on the shelves in every Walmart yet, the retail giant is shipping from Walmart.com, according to Cobb.

"Our hats are off to both Walmart and Indican," said Cobb. "We're delighted with Indican because they have moved us closer to our goal of giving everyone in America a chance to see this film."

The DVD features interviews with Ambassador Andrew Young and the late James Brock, owner of the motel in St. Augustine, Florida, where Dr. King was arrested. There is also an interview with Dean who is currently on a campus tour, most recently appearing at Notre Dame University's WorldView Film Series.

About Dare Not Walk Alone

Featuring rare archival footage, the film also contains recent interviews with participants in the campaign to pass the 1964 Civil Rights Act. The project began in 2003 when director Dean was still in his twenties. After post-production work at Atlanta-based Crawford Communications, the final cut debuted in 2007 and was quickly signed for distribution by Indican Pictures. Theatrical screenings in New York, Los Angeles, and Portland garnered praise from critics:

"Powerful slice of roiling American history."
Los Angeles Times

"Has great potential to do real good in the world."
Boxoffice.com

"Minutely attuned to disparities of class and race...a triumph of outrage and empathy."
Willamette Week

"Deserves to be seen"
New York Times

"Packs a punch."
Village Voice

Contact:
Jeremy Dean, writer and director
Stephen Cobb, executive producer
email: info@dnwa.info

Release is now on the wire and showing up:
MarketWatch,

New York Times Says Dare Not Walk Alone "Deserves to be seen"

[Media: cell phone shot of the Dare Not Walk Alone poster outside the Pioneer Theater]

When the toughest critic for one of the toughest papers says that your movie "deserves to be seen" you have to embrace that, even if she leads off her review with some painful [and in our humble opinion misguided] comments that could hurt attendance. It would be a pity if some people who might otherwise be exposed to the film stayed away because of those comments.

However, we are pleased to report that the opening night, Friday, went very well, with a good-sized crowd in attendance. A slight problem with the print was remedied in time for the Saturday screening. Judging by the number of people who hung around afterward to talk with the director and producer on Friday evening, the film was well received (with no reports of the rumored unwatch-ability).

Interestingly, nobody seemed to have a problem with the way the film flowed from past events to slices of present reality, not unlike the way hip-hop mixes samples from old recordings with fresh vocals. So maybe some people just expect films that address this subject matter to do so in a strictly sequential and formal format. Admittedly, Dare Not Walk Alone might be more challenging to watch that a traditional documentary, just as some hip-hop can be more challenging to listen to than traditional music. And certainly the film makes no claim to deliver clear-cut answers to complex issues, but muddled? A lot of people would beg to differ.
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Thank You New York Times, Maybe

Today's review of Dare Not Walk Alone in the New York Times was both encouraging and disappointing. The line we should all take from the review is: Deserves to be seen.

Those of you who have helped us over the past four years to work against the odds and get this film made and distributed should take heart that a. the film is playing in New York City (an incredible achievement for an independent film about a controversial topic made with virtually no budget); b. it has so far racked up an impressive string of positive reviews, with great scores on RottenTomatoes and IMDB.

What you should not do is pay any mind to the negative comments in this NYT review, which merely echo remarks made by other, equally narrow-minded reviewers on the other coast. When critics say the movie is "muddled" or "haphazard" they are clearly missing the point.

Dare Not Walk Alone is a different kind of civil rights film, in more ways than one. Just as the film takes you closer to the gritty, street-level reality of the civil rights struggle than other films, it also exposes you to the muddfled and haphazard reality of life today in a community where that struggle was waged.

And if there is one thing everyone can agree on when it comes to the issue of race and rights today it is this: it's messy. So why would a film about this topic be neat and tidy and nicely linear, like every other potted history of a movement that is still working itself out in American society today?

Thankfully, a lot of people who see the film do get the point, and see the skill of Jeremy Dean's direction, particularly those who experience the film in a theater. As we've said before, most movie reviews are not written by people who watch the film in a cinema side-by-side with their fellow citizens. When you do that, when you have that expewrience, you get what the film accomplishes, and why it is, and had to be, so different from the linear, date-by-date history lessons that we are accustomed to seeing on this topic.

So we say "See it!" For as even the New York Times says: It deserves to be seen.
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Packs a Punch! What critics are saying about Dare Not Walk Alone

Here is the cream of the Los Angeles reviews for Dare Not Walk Alone which played there last week.

"Powerful slice of roiling American history" -- LA Times

"Packs a punch" -- LA Weekly

"Mesmerizing and heart-rending" -- L.A. City Beat

"Dean's ability to explore history through such a local nexus creates a uniquely intimate document." -- Variety

"The racial politics of the current presidential election make this film all the more significant." -- Film Journal

"Clear-eyed look at the adversaries of Martin Luther King Jr.’s utopian “dream”...reminds us that, for far too many Americans of color, “free at last” has meant trading one sociological prison for another." -- LA Weekly

"Has great potential to do real good in the world" -- Boxoffice

"A very strong comment on the capacity of people to ascend from their suffering." -- Boxoffice

"Dean handles the historical material with skill, insidiously intercutting vintage travel promos touting St. Augustine's tourist-friendly beaches with sequences of mass chaos in the same locations." -- Variety

"More than just another civil-rights history lesson. This thoughtful documentary brings alive a disturbing time in American history." -- Film Journal

So Long LA and Thanks for all the Reviews

We want to send out a big THANK YOU to all the DNWA supporters in the Greater Los Angeles area who came out to see the film. Thanks to you, will look set to open in several more cities [details will be posted here on the blog].

The Los Angeles engagement showed that DNWA, made on the kind of budget that doesn't even register on Hollywood's radar, can hold its own in the heart of commercial movie country AND come away with some solid reviews. Very few independent documentaries get this many reviews from major publications.

In fact, the film is currently scoring 100% on the review roundup web site known as Rotten Tomatoes, with 5 positive to 0 negative. And we're talking big name reviewers here, like the Los Angeles Times and Variety. In a few days we will post some of the comments from these reviews, comments that should help the film gain even more "buzz" in the next engagement.

Not that we all agree with all of the reviewers. Many of them don't seem to 'get' the way the second half of the movie works. One could say "it doesn't work for them" but bear in mind most reviewers watch the film on DVD, not in a cinema where you can feel and hear the audience reaction to the film. In our experience a lot of people who see the film in theaters 'get' the material, even though it can be jarring, even disturbing. If you want to check out the reviews, you will find links to them at Rotten Tomatoes.

A Powerhouse of a Picture: Latest review of Dare Not Walk Alone

The upcoming screening of Dare Not Walk Alone in Portland this next Saturday led to a review in the Willamette Week which is Portland's Pulitzer-winning alternative newspaper. Here are some memorable quotes:

"A POWERHOUSE OF A PICTURE"

"MINUTELY ATTUNED TO DISPARITIES OF CLASS AND RACE"

"A TRIUMPH OF OUTRAGE AND EMPATHY"

Needless to say, we think the reviewer really 'got' what Dare Not Walk Alone is all about. You can read the full review online on this page, just scroll down the movie list.

And just a reminder, there will be a free screening of Dare Not Walk Alone on Saturday, February 23 at 4:00 p.m. at the New Columbia Community Education Center (4625 N. Trenton Street, Portland, 97203). Bring your family, bring your friends.
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Director Dean to Attend Q&A at LeHigh Screenings of Dare Not Walk Alone

This just in: Dare Not Walk Alone's award-winning director, Jeremy Dean, will be attending quesion and answer sessions following both screenings of the film in the Packard Lab on the campus of Lehigh University, Thursday afternoon (today: 6/21/07) at 5:05 and Friday afternoon, (tomorrow: 6/22/07) at 12:15. There is a map here.

Dean is a dynamic speaker who enjoys sharing insights and experiences acquired during the long and challenging experience of making Dare Not Walk Alone, a unique account of the civil rights struggle that was made on what he describes as "a less than shoestring budget."

See this previous posting for one teacher's reaction to the film.

And this collection of comments from educators.
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Dare Not Walk Alone: An educator's take on "the most gritty" civil rights film

After a recent screening of Dare Not Walk Alone a high school teacher sent these comments to the film's director, Jeremy Dean:

"My students have awarded you their highest accolade--they found your piece to be interesting and more important, relevant to their own lives--they have told me that way too many documentaries are done in such a dry and droning fashion, and are so repetitive and so deeply anchored in the past, that kids today struggle to make any kind of personal connection with most historical documentaries. Your's was a delightful and wonderful exception to their common experience.

"You have created not only a beautifully filmed and edited piece of work, but what I believe is a very historically important film, to boot. You maintained such incredible objectivity throughout the piece--it was a very impressive accomplishment.

"Your willingness to spend time with my students and the audience after the film truly enhanced our experience. We held an intensive post-film processing session today, and they were unanimous--they want to see the film again.

"...just let me add, from my heart, that your film moved me in ways I hadn't expected. It is a truly incredible piece of work..."
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Educators Weigh in on Indie Civil Rights Documentary

"An important tool for showing the bravery of those who struggled for equality during the civil rights movement...it goes far beyond past history and exposes issues that we face everyday in the continued struggle for equality."
-- Arne Duncan, Chief Executive, Chicago Public Schools

"Excellent film. Real problems put on film which forces you to examine your community."
-- Mark Brandenburg, Rollins College

"Excellent! First time I’ve seen juxtaposition of civil rights progress with continuing oppression in same film. I’d like to show it in my US government class."
-- Patricia Nellis, Valencia Community College
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