RIVER CITY DRUMBEAT is a powerful story of music, love, and legacies set in the American South. Edward “Nardie” White devoted his life to leading the African-American drum corps he co-founded with Zambia Nkrumah in Louisville, Kentucky three decades ago. Together they inspired youth from their West Louisville neighborhood to thrive by connecting them with the art and cultural traditions of their African ancestors. Now Albert Shumake, whose destiny was shaped by the drumline, must take up the mantle for the next generation. Meanwhile, student drummers Imani, Jailen, and Emily navigate adolescence and life changes. RIVER CITY DRUMBEAT follows this creative community of mentors, parents, and youth making their way in a world where systemic forces raise obstacles to fulfilling their dreams.
SFF Program Director Jeff Schmidt spoke with Directors Marlon Johnson and Anne Flatté ahead of the festival - RIVER CITY DRUMBEAT screens during Week 2 (Friday, July 17 - Thursday, July 23) of our virtual Salem Film Fest and tickets can be purchased here.
Jeff Schmidt: How did you become familiar with the River City Drum Corp and what convinced you to make your film?
Marlon Johnson: The film was inspired by the tireless work of the founders and current leaders of the River City Drum Corp (RCDC). Anne and I were connected to this story through producer Owsley Brown, who was raised in Louisville, and is dedicated to independent documentaries that explore the power of art and music. We all observed the impact RCDC was having and the role they were playing in saving the lives of kids in the community of Louisville. The power of the arts to steer one’s own life toward the best version of themselves is exemplified in this film. Often, art films involving youth follow a competition model, however we wanted to take an emotional, narrative approach that more closely aligned with River City Drum Corp’s non-competitive philosophy. Mr. White has taken the long view when it comes to his corps members -- building up their inner leadership and life skills so they can go on to carry those lessons into the rest of their lives. As a result, the drum corps is a strong tree rooted in African-American culture, and its members and alumni are the fruit of that tree. When we met Albert Shumake, the new leader of the corps, he was juggling a number of roles and personal milestones. He was a new father, his mother was gravely ill, and he wanted to continue working as a DJ and an artist while stepping into the very large shoes of Mr. White. His was a compelling, relatable story arc about identity, legacy, and duty. It has been a joy and a journey making this film over the last few years with the drum corps community. Their stories resonate deeply with my own experience of growing up in Miami and finding my path through the saving grace of the arts.
Anne Flatté: I’ve always been drawn to stories about artists and how they create art to both interpret and shape the world inside them and around them. As a parent of two children, I have come to understand and appreciate the work that is required to raise children by not just immediate family but an extended community of caring adults, teachers, and mentors. These themes are at the core of River City Drumbeat. When Marlon and I first met Mr. White, he shared some very intense stories about his life and work, as well as the fact that he was at an important crossroads and in his final year at RCDC. All of us felt this film had to happen before he moved on.
JS: It's obviously a crucial time in our nation's history to recognize and remedy the unfair challenges in society that African-Americans and people of color face every day, can you talk about how you approached making RIVER CITY DRUMBEAT and your storytelling approach?
MJ: As an African-American who has experienced a lot of the same things, I wanted to explore the complexities of a community like the drum corps in a way that felt true to me. So often these communities are presented in a monolithic way which is often overwhelmingly negative. There are far more other truths than those so often presented to audiences. I also think it was meaningful for the participants in the film, who actively cultivate mentors within their community, to see someone who looked like them who is a working artist in a leading position.
AF: From the beginning, we were very clear with ourselves that this was a collaboration with Ed White and Albert Shumake in telling their life stories and the story of RCDC, and they helped us every step of the way. We had a very small crew, never more than four including Marlon and me. I think because they are both artists they understood the process and us figuring it out and following our instincts and our visions. Also, we all enjoyed being in each other’s company. There was a lot of trust, built with a lot of conversations that were not filmed, and a lot of communication at all stages of production that continues now during distribution. Marlon and I are very committed to developing the documentary art form and language, including the terminology, production, and expression on the screen.
JS: What has been the response from film festival audiences to the film? And how about the drum corp themselves?
MJ: Last fall we screened the film to Ed White, Albert Shumake, Ed Hamilton, the seven “seniors” and many more from the RCDC community. It was an incredible honor to be there with them and then hear how much they loved the film. People stood up after and spoke about how they felt to see their stories represented in a way that felt real to them. I will never forget that incredible moment. We were very happy with their very positive response to the film. Since then we have screened for other community groups and at festivals and the conversations afterwards are always fantastic.
AF: It has been truly wonderful to see how the film moves audiences emotionally, and how they feel connected with the film’s protagonists, either because they recognize a community familiar to them, or because they connect with the spirit embodied by the West Louisville community they get to know. We were very fortunate to get to premiere the film in the fall to audiences in theaters before the pandemic, and feel the emotional energy in the room. Since Covid and going virtual, we have been able to participate in Zoom Q&As with community groups who have seen the film, and people have shared their feelings in these online conversations. We have also received a lot of messages and emails from people who have been moved to tell us how the film affected them deeply, and they have given us many beautiful responses, some of which appear on our website.
JS: I was really moved by the handing over of the leadership baton from Edward "Nardie" White to Albert Shumake - can you talk about their relationship? There are a lot of powerful and emotional moments with those guys.
MJ: They have a father/son type relationship that was fostered and flourished over many years, and also has many complicated layers. There was also a mutual recognition from one artist to the next that was really satisfying to see. Mr. White saw himself in Albert and cultivated the artist within him, and at the same time had really high expectations of his successor. It’s a loving relationship, but also a relationship of tough love. There is also a tradition in the African-American community of deep respect for one's elders; a tradition which predates our arrival to the Americas. This was also apparent in Albert’s regard for his mentor.
AF: We were definitely interested in this founder/successor dynamic, where the very circumstances and qualities that create a successful founder can also make it very difficult to pass the baton successfully. It was very difficult for Mr. White to put the burden down after carrying it so many years, but he knew what needed to happen, that he needed to begin the next chapter of his life.
JS: What would you like audiences to take away from your film?
MJ: We hope this deeply personal story of cultural connection and determination, challenged by the reality of this country’s history and circumstances, will inspire and engage audiences in a lot of different ways. We also hope the film inspires audiences and communities to become more active supporters of the arts and especially youth arts programs wherever they live.
AF: I hope people leave with a vision and validation of the community resources and investments that are needed to raise children in America, and are inspired to put in the time and resources to make our society healthier for all children.
If you would like to donate to the River City Drum Corp visit: https://rivercitydrumcorpky.org/donate/
RIVER CITY DRUMBEAT screened as part of SFF 2020.
Filmed from 2017-2019, WOMEN IN BLUE follows Minneapolis’ first female police chief Janeé Harteau, as she works to reform the Minneapolis Police Department by getting rid of bad cops, retraining the rest, diversifying the ranks and promoting women—who statistically use less force than their male counterparts—into every rank of leadership. The film focuses on four women in Harteau’s department, each trying to redefine what it means to protect and serve. After a high-profile, officer-involved shooting forces Chief Harteau to resign, the new, male chief selects only men as his top brass.
WOMEN IN BLUE offers an unprecedented view into the inner workings of the Minneapolis Police Department (MPD), chronicling a department—and a community—grappling with racism and a troubled history of police misconduct long before an MPD officer killed George Floyd in May of 2020. The film reveals the limitations of police reform through incremental change and asks questions that apply well beyond the city of Minneapolis. Could increased gender equity and more women —especially women of color—contribute to greater public safety?
SFF Blog Contributor Connor Ryan caught up with Deirdre Fishel, the director of WOMEN IN BLUE, ahead of the film's premiere during Week 1 (Friday, July 10 - Thursday, July 16) of our virtual Salem Film Fest.
Connor Ryan: Please tell us a bit about how this project began. When you approached the Minneapolis Police Department and Chief Harteau, were both parties initially interested? Were there any stipulations about what, where, when, or how you filmed?Deirdre Fishel: It took me a few months to get to Chief Harteau, but as soon as she was told about the film, she immediately gave me tremendous access. Chief Harteau had made it a point to put women into every rank of leadership, and she had just started a recruitment campaign to bring in more women. She was excited about elevating the work of women officers so she basically said if a woman agrees to be in the film, you can follow them on the job.
CR: How were you and your crew received by the MPD?
DF: At first with open arms, then after Harteau was asked to resign, I would say we were tolerated. It was a huge shake up, with intense scrutiny and a new male chief dealing with an International incident. So I was happy every time we filmed and we weren’t stopped. The new Chief restructured a lot of departments, eventually changing the Public Information Officers. The new lead, an older, tougher guy than his predecessors was definitely not happy we were there and that became more apparent. I heard later that a lot of men were upset we were there, but no one ever approached me directly.
Former MPD police chief Janeé Harteau
CR:How did you decide who your "main characters" would be in the film? Were any of them particularly excited or reluctant for the attention?DF: I was lucky that Chief Harteau put me into a room with almost all the women in the department which was incredible because they had never been in the same room before. I walked away with a short list, but with Sgt White I knew was immediate I really wanted her to play a big part in the film. She was forthright and has this energy. So I was incredibly excited when she said yes. But I knew very quickly with all the women and they were all deeply honored to be in the film. Women officers who don’t cave into police culture, are really marginalized, so for women in policing to be seen and have their work highlighted was something deeply meaningful for all of them. As the months went by, Sgt. White started to feel uneasy. As one of only 7 women of color in the department, she has always felt that she stuck out anyway and started to feel anxious that it might look like she was getting too much attention. Also, her conflict between being black and blue was exacerbated after two officers involved shootings happened while we were there, just making her feel torn and uneasy.
CR: The city of Minneapolis feels like a character in this film. How did you create this feeling, are there rules you follow to do so, or is it a more organic process?
DF: That’s definitely something that was important to me. But in truth, our shoots were very hard, especially since I was commuting in from New York, so I never followed rules as such. That said, Minneapolis is such a layered place. So beautiful and progressive, with lakes and this aura of niceness, “Minneapolis nice” but with some of the worst racial disparities in the country, high sex trafficking, an exploited Native community. So, I did start to view it as this character with a deep under belly.
CR: Given the killing of George Floyd and recent events, you’ve decided to label the current cut of the film as a "Work-In-Progress". Can you discuss how George Floyd’s killing may change the final arc of the film?
DF: Everything changed with George Floyd, in that it became clear that incremental reform failed. Minneapolis had two very progressive police Chiefs who spent years trying to reform the department, one a Native American, lesbian woman and then a Black man from the community. I think Minneapolis is a case study for the reality that without systemic changes, police culture can’t be changed. So, I am going back to start the film with the current reality and then go back in time, to this flashback not only to a group of women who were trying to redefine policing from the inside, but to the inner working of a department and a community grappling with racism and police brutality long before George Floyd was murdered. I still believe that women, particularly women of color, could bring so much to public safety, but without that happening in tandem with structural changes, nothing is going to change.
Each year we partner with Stephen Pizzello, Editor-in-Chief and Publisher of American Cinematographer to present the award for best cinematography at Salem Film Fest. Below is his review of the nominees and the announcement of the winner of the award.
All of the documentaries competing for this year’s American Cinematographer Award offered impactful imagery and insightful visual storytelling, but one stood out for its photographic merits.
SOMEWHERE WITH NO BRIDGES, an hour-long entry directed by Charles Frank with cinematography Jeff Melanson, captures an abundance of local flavor in presenting memories of Richie Madeiras, a beloved fisherman who disappeared off the coast of Martha’s Vineyard 20 years ago. To create a portrait of Madeiras, Frank and Melanson roamed the island, capturing its flavor, before deciding to interview the missing man’s family and friends. The result of their efforts is a very emotional and evocative document that truly captures the essence of Madeiras, the setting, and the island community that adored him.
MOSSVILLE: WHEN GREAT TREES FALL, which takes its title from a poem by Maya Angelou, also places viewers in a very specific setting — a Louisiana town devastated by the environmental poisoning caused by 14 plants built by the chemical company South African Synthetic Oil Limited (SASOL). In profiling both the town and its centuries-old Black community, director/cinematographer Alex Glustrom focus on Stacey Ryan, the last resident in a desolate town that was once home to 8,000 people. The documentary’s unflinching tour of the area exposes not only the toxicity of the chemical plants, but of racism itself.
THE WIND. A DOCUMENTARY THRILLER reveals the harsh effects of Halny, a powerful windstorm that blows through the valleys of the Tatra Mountains, which form a border between Poland and Slovakia. Striking shots of wind-blasted landscapes record the wind’s destructive effects on the region, but the documentary’s portraits of the area’s inhabitants reveal its psychological perils as well. Directed by Michal Bielawski and handsomely photographed in rugged locations by cinematographer Bartłomiej Solik, THE WIND underscores humankind’s vulnerability in the face of nature.
If I were to hand an honorable mention to one of this year’s entries, I would present it to OUR TIME MACHINE the heartfelt and life-affirming account of a Chinese conceptual artist’s deep reverence for his father, a former director of the Shanghai Chinese Opera Theater whose memories have been gradually erased by Alzheimer’s disease. As the older man loses his memory, the son attempts to mount an ambitious stage production — a sci-fi play with mechanical puppetry — that will serve as a “time machine” which allows the father to revisit various moments from his life. As presented by directors Yang Sun and S. Leo Chiang and cinematographers Sun and Shuang Liang, this touching family chronicle draws parallels between the preparation and mounting of the stage show and the family’s own narrative. Along the way, viewers are also treated to artful interludes of shadow puppetry and animation, comments on the artistic suppression that occurred during China’s Cultural Revolution, and cinematically crafted storytelling.
However, since the American Cinematographer Award is weighted heavily toward visual style, this year’s prize must go to the gorgeously shot HAVANA, FROM ON HIGH, directed and photographed by Pedro Ruiz. Taking his camera to the rooftops of Central Havana, Ruiz offer’s a bird’s-eye view of the city while profiling impoverished residents who have been forced to construct makeshift homes on those roofs amid the city’s chronic housing shortage. Immersing the viewer in these hardscrabble circumstances, the filmmaker demonstrates a painterly sense of composition and portraiture in beautifully shot exterior and interiors, making tremendous use of natural light and shadow. The documentary’s vibrant and lyrical imagery is complemented by the insightful and occasionally poetic observations of the residents themselves, who provide testimony to their own resilience — helping to make HAVANA, FROM ON HIGH a very worthy and deserving winner of this year’s prize.
Stephen Pizzello
Editor-in-Chief and Publisher
American Cinematographer
Richard Estes has been called the “father of photorealism” due to his hyperrealistic paintings. He has humbly avoided media attention over his long career, yet is admired by artists ranging from Salvador Dali to Chuck Close. ACTUALLY, ICONIC: RICHARD ESTES invites viewers into Estes’ world with unprecedented access to the artist and his masterpieces. Through detailed discussions of his technique and inspirations and interviews with leading curators and critics, this delicate portrait does more than just explore Estes’ pioneering genius—it humanizes it.
SFF Program Director Jeff Schmidt caught up with Olympia Stone, the director of ACTUALLY, ICONIC: RICHARD ESTES, ahead of the film's premiere during Week 1 (Friday, July 10 - Thursday, July 16) of our virtual Salem Film Fest.
ACTUALLY, ICONIC: RICHARD ESTES director Olympia Stone
Jeff Schmidt: Our audience might remember your last film that screened at SFF 2016, CURIOUS WORLDS: THE ART AND IMAGINATION OF DAVID BECK - can you tell us about your background and how it has led you to focus on artists as the subjects for your films?
Olympia Stone: I make intimate films that profile singular artists people might otherwise never know about. I believe I have a unique viewpoint and access because of the environment I grew up in.
My father owned an art gallery in New York City but, more than that, he was obsessed with and consumed by art. The home I grew up in was like a cross between a warehouse and a museum. It was crammed floor to ceiling with all kinds of art - Congo nail fetishes, pre-Columbian artifacts, folk art, and all kinds of classical and contemporary western art, from sculpture to abstract expressionist paintings. It is really almost impossible to convey how much stuff there was—I was 12 years old before I realized that there were 2 fireplaces in our living room! The house was the greatest place for hide and seek, and also the scariest place to be a child at night.
Needless to say, this early exposure to all manner of art and objects stamped me with an appreciation and interest for not only art, but for people with obsessions—like my father and the artists he so admired. What does art bring to our lives? Why did my father feel the need to collect art the way he did? Why do artists feel so driven to create? What drives obsessed people to do what they do? The desire to answer these kinds of questions motivates me to make the films I make.
Richard Estes — Jone’s Diner. 1979
JS: How did you first meet Richard Estes?
OS: My father was Richard Estes' art dealer for many years, and Richard had his first show at my father's gallery in 1968 before I was born. I "met" Richard probably when I was a baby, but my earliest memories of him are from when I was around 6 years old. Richard and his partner, Jose, lived in Maine where my family would go in the summer. They would have these wild dinner parties with lots of music and dancing and delicious food, and as a kid, I remember being quite dazzled by them. Jose was a great dancer and definitely the life of the party, and Richard was quiet and shy but always extremely kind to me.
JS: What was it about Richard that convinced you to make a film about him?
OS: First of all, Richard has not received the recognition he deserves. As one of the founders of the photorealist movement, he has had a huge impact over his long career (Richard is 88) but he has never been given a retrospective by a major NYC museum. I think this is pretty outrageous. His work is so compelling that I wanted to help provide him the spotlight I believe he's entitled to. Secondly, Richard is such a lovely person and is so humble that on a personal level, I was drawn to him as a film subject.
JS: What was it like observing Richard in the studio? His attention to fine detail in his paintings is quite striking and must be extremely time consuming to create.
OS: Richard is a private person and that extends to his painting. It took some coaxing for him to allow us to film him painting. As a result, I didn't spend hours and hours of time watching him paint. Still, what I was able to observe was how painstaking the process was and the many steps required (and redos) to get to a completed painting. I was also struck by Richard saying that it doesn't get any easier to paint as you get older--that he still struggles with the lights and darks, and has his share of bad days in the studio. Perhaps somewhat perversely, I find that to be inspiring--the dedication to the work despite the struggle, day in and day out.
JS: What has Richard's reaction been to the film?
OS: As you can imagine, I was quite nervous about showing him the film but he was happy with it. His friends also told me that they felt that I was able to show the "real Richard" and that was gratifying to hear.
Richard Estes — Telephone Booths. 1968
JS: What do you hope audiences will take away from your film?OS: Most of all, I hope people will be in awe of the beauty of his work, and how many incredible paintings he has made over the course of his career. And I hope that people will be as inspired by Richard's talents as I am!
ACTUALLY, ICONIC: RICHARD ESTES screened as part of SFF 2020.
