I’m not big on fortune tellers or psychics, but I do get a kick out of reading fortune cookies. Every once in a while you get a good one like my colleague whose fortune read, ‘You will become a millionaire.’ I believe that one has come true for my colleague, or he’s very close to making it a reality. A couple of years ago I got one that read, ‘Never give up until you reach the finish line.’ This August marks the six-year anniversary of when I made my sojourn to South Africa to begin filming Dressed Like Kings. In doc years I’m apparently on track. But for Stacey’s timeline, Dressed Like Kings should have run the national and international film festival circuit, screened on television networks around the world, and should be enjoying the number one “queue” slot on Netflix accounts nationwide. These goals have not yet been realized. However, despite the turns, twists, jolts, jabs and dives, the vision remains and has now expanded to Tullahoma, Tennessee.
2008 ended with a plethora of love letters (i.e. “We regret to inform you…,” “Thank you for your submission, but…” etc.) from grant organizations. One of the aforementioned love notes boldly asked the question, “Why should we care?” I guess a story that depicts a positive side of African life that isn’t clouded by AIDS, genocide and war isn’t enough; for the letter-writer I have to go deeper, I have to connect the dots.
Sometimes scorned “love” imbues inspiration. Those heart-tugging dots led me to a black and white image of a man that I never met, John Henry Holman, my paternal Great-Grandfather and master tailor who lived in Tullahoma, Tennessee. My impetus for documenting the fashion-forward men, the reason for the film, and to be totally honest, my love for seeing Black men in fine tailored suits, resided with him. And as I dug deeper, John Henry’s keen sense of style has carried through the generations from my Grandfather, Father, and Brother, and ultimately leading me to a special group of men who have the same classy and self-respecting fashion sense, the oswenkas. What has started to unfold is a film that pays homage to a man who recognized the power Black men possess when dressed in a suit.
As I continue to press toward the finish line with Dressed Like Kings, 6 Things I Never Told You is making waves. I’m excited to announce the premiere of 6 Things at the Pan African Film & Arts Festival in Los Angeles and the FESPACO Film Festival in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, West Africa.
Pan African Film & Arts Festival
Culver Plaza Theatres
9919 Washington Boulevard Los Angeles, CA
(310) 836-5516
Saturday, 2/14, 7:00pm
Sunday, 2/15, 2:30pm
Monday, 2/16, 4:30pm
The actual screening dates and times of FESPACO will be posted at a later date, but the festival will take place February 28th – March 7th.
I look forward to posting regular updates on Dressed Like Kings, 6 Things I Never Told You, the other projects that are in development, and the ones yet to be revealed. If you’re working hard and running faster toward your dreams, but yet they seem miles away remember the encouraging words of the fortune cookie “Never give up until you reach the finish line.” It just might be right around the corner.
Pressing forward.
Stacey
