Movie • 1 hr 8 min 32 sec • News, History
Completed December 2014
After a summer of endless and tragic violence in their hometown of Chicago, a group of friends comprised of poets, playwrights, hip-hop artists, photographers, filmmakers & journalists were heartbroken and enraged by news that Mike Brown had been killed by police in Ferguson, Missouri. They banded together to launch the #LetUsBreathe initiative to bring donations of supplies to protesters whose peaceful demands are being met with police aggression.This is documentation of real stories to combat the one-sided media.
Black Lives Matter Music VideoMusic Video • 3 min 55 sec • Musical, Music, History
Completed February 2015
On the heals of the indictment of a NYPD officer in the stairwell death of Akai Gurley, R&B artist and actress, Lovely Hoffman, releases the music video, 'Black Lives Matter.' The song and video is a powerful anthem that bridges the current day struggle of the value of black life with the historical Civil Rights movement.
With soulful vocals accompanied by powerful lyrics, Hoffman skillfully arranges a chant of the old Negro spiritual 'Oh Freedom' throughout the chorus in order to evoke the emotion of the Civil Rights movement with the sentiments of the Black Lives Matter movement.
The Black Lives Matter music video incorporates footage of national and international Black Lives Matter protests, alongside images of the victims who have lost their lives at the hands of police. Also, interwoven within the video are subtle but intimate clips that capture Hoffman during the recording process.