OPENING FILM : TELL THEM WE ARE RISING : The Story of Historically Black Colleges and Universities

By Stanley Nelson

IN PRESENCE OF OUR GUEST SPEAKER ISAIAH WASHINGTON 

SYNOPSIS :

A haven for Black intellectuals, artists and revolutionaries—and path of promise toward the American dream—Black colleges and universities have educated the architects of freedom movements and cultivated leaders in every field. They have been unapologetically Black for 150 years. For the first time ever, their story is told.

BY DIRECTOR STANLEY NELSON :

Stanley Nelson is Emmy-Award-winning documentary filmmaker, MacArthur “Genius” Fellow, and member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. He was awarded the National Humanities Medal by president Obama in August 2014. Nelson has directed and produced numerous acclaimed films, including FREEDOM SUMMER, THE MURDER OF EMMETT TILL and THE BLACK PANTHERS: VANGUARD OF THE REVOLUTION

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TBFF17 GUEST SPEAKER:

ISAIAH WASHINGTON : Isaiah Washington, best known for his role as Dr. Preston Burke on the ABC medical drama Grey's Anatomy, and currently starring as Chancellor Thelonious Jaha on the CW’s hit series, The 100, is a notable Hollywood actor, NAACP Image and SAG award-winner, producer and activist. A veteran of several Spike Lee films, Washington has starred alongside such actors as Clint Eastwood, Harrison Ford, Warren Beatty, George Clooney, William H. Macy, Steven Seagal, Jet Li, Halle Berry, and Jennifer Lopez, successfully carving a definitive niche for himself as a formidable talent. (read full bio here)