P R E S S R E L E A S E
For Immediate Release
NC Black History Film Premieres Online
NEW BERN, N.C. – February 2011 - Awaken Pictures, Inc, an emerging movie, television, and documentary production company recently released the first chapter: Memorial, a documentary from the compelling Black History Series "Freedom Lost: Restoration". The project consists of a series of documentary shorts and a feature film focusing on African Americans living in James City and New Bern, NC (the Colonial Capital of NC now celebrating its 300th Anniversary). The first chapter: “Memorial” is a 30 minute documentary that can be viewed on Youtube. Tom Swift, co-executive producer and writer/director of “Memorial”, has been working on Freedom Lost: Restoration for 5 years. Swift says he began researching this subject in 2001 while working at the ABC news affiliate there as a videographer. He says this is an area rich with Black History but has been overlooked and deserves more national attention. “I discovered that an incredible piece of history was right in my backyard, and I knew it just had to be told.”
Swift says since New Bern has just celebrated its 300th Anniversary that the release date is “very timely” especially in a day when people are very interested in African American history since the election of the first African American president in 2008. “Successful filmmaking is all about timing,” says Swift. “And I believe without a shadow of a doubt that this is the right time to release it. I've actually been trying to release it for years, but God didn't permit it until now. Everything is really in His time.”
James City traces its roots to a North Carolina settlement in the 1860s, which became a sanctuary for thousands of slaves, established by the Union army when they took the city of New Bern (known historically as a haven for Free Blacks) captive during the Civil War. After the war was over, the city became a self-sustaining community of former slaves. But growing hostility from a wounded and bitter South, and the loss of protection from the Union victors, allowed for the birth of Jim Crow laws, and other prejudices that forced this promising and thriving community to fight desperately to keep their freedom.
“Freedom Lost: Restoration” as a project explores how far this community has come after freed slaves lost their freedom by the dawn of the 20th Century. The project is about sharing history to bring healing. Swift believes that many of the difficult racial issues of today are rooted in events of long ago, “long before many of us were born,” he says.
The First Chapter: “Memorial” showcases the lives of 3 African-Americans (Sharon Bryant, Bernard George, Ben Watford) who are making a positive impact in their community by bringing remembrance to the past. Sharon Bryant is the African-American Outreach Coordinator from Tryon Palace who conducts Black History tours in New Bern. Bernard George is an Eastern North Carolina Historian who has been working on preserving an Oral Black History in New Bern. Ben Watford, a historian from the James City Historical Society, oversees the Crocket Miller Slave Quarters and memorial in James City, NC. “Memorial” teaches us an important life lesson that “ in order to know where you're going, you have to know where you've come from”
The Historical and docu-Drama: “City of Refuge: The James City Story” is a narrative feature film that is still in development. The docudrama focuses on a slave (played by Scott Nunnally from the “Mothman Prophecies”) who flees to New Bern during the Civil War. The filmmakers hope that releasing “Memorial” will draw more attention to the feature film so it can finally be made. The docudrama is based on the book, “James City: A Black Community in North Carolina (1863-1900)” by Joe A. Mobley. Swift says he is also excited to have had the opportunity to work with the North Carolina Office of Archives and History, who gave permission to base the project on the book. “They have been very gracious to us and extremely helpful throughout the entire process.”
Scott Nunnally, who runs the film company Executor Arts Media in Pittsburgh, PA is also the Co-Executive Producer of Freedom Lost: Restoration. Bill Hand serves as the historical advisor and producer for the series along with Angela Swift and Dan O'Connell who serve as Co-Producers.
While the First Film: “Memorial” is streaming online, it is also available to schools, universities, churches, and other organizations to obtain an affordable license for public screenings. Swift is currently working on releasing it on DVD in the near future. For more information, visit the official website at www.awakenpictures.com/restoration.html where you can also find the link to watch the documentary. Visit the Freedom Lost blog at www.freedomlostproject.blogspot.com. For more information about Awaken Pictures, Inc. visit the website at www.awakenpictures.com
