March 29, 2024
Annapolis, US 39 F

Sam Pollard joins Annapolis Film Festival Advisory Board

Last year, the Annapolis Film Festival hosted director Sam Pollard and two of his award-winning documentaries: Sammy Davis, Jr.: I’ve Gotta Be Me and Acorn and the Firestorm, which he co-directed with Reuben Atlas. This year, the festival welcomes Pollard back as a member of the Annapolis Film Festival Advisory Board.

A prolific and profound artist, Pollard has been nominated for two Academy Awards and is the recipient of six Primetime Emmys and four Peabody Awards. A frequent partner of Spike Lee, Kathleen Kennedy, Raoul Peck and Martin Scorsese, Pollard has spent almost 40 years building a body of work that is respected not only for its artistry but for its groundbreaking examination of inspirational leaders and American social movements.

Over the years, he has edited features such as Mo’ Better Blues, 1990, Jungle Fever, 1991, and Clockers, 1995, and documented the tumultuous blowback of Hurricane Katrina (When the Levees Broke: A Reqiuem in Four Acts, 2006), the racial terrors of the bombing of an African American church during the Civil Rights Movement (4 Little Girls, 1997), and examined the roots of civil unrest in California and the relationship between African Americans and LAPD (Burn, Motherf—er, Burn! 2017).

His work has brought him into conversation with newsmakers and entertainers of the past, present and future which is only part of the extraordinary perspective he brings to his craft, and will be able to bring to the festival.

“We are honored that he has agreed to serve on the AFF Advisory Board and we look forward to the energy, imagination and diverse perspective he will contribute to our efforts to make our film festival even more relevant and exciting for the entire community,” said Cheryl Miller, a member of the AFF Board of Directors.

In addition to directing, editing and producing film, Pollard, a native of New York City, is a tenured Professor at the prestigious NYU Tisch School where he teaches filmmaking.

Last year, during his visit to Annapolis, he told Writer’s Haven’s V. Helena that one of the primary goals of his work is to share through teaching.

“I did know that I had a love for business, a love for the craft and making film,” Pollard told V. Helena. “I knew, by hook or by crook, I was going to make it as an editor. That was my first goal. Then my goal was to become a director and make it as a director. I was always very ambitious. I always wanted to have – and Spike (Lee) has this attitude too – I wanted to have a body of work. And finally for me, the most important thing is to give back…. I love to teach. I love to share what I have. I won’t be here forever.”

Tickets and passes for the Annapolis Film Festival (March 21-24) are on sale now!

Source :
Previous Article

MSP arrest Annapolis men after traffic stop

Next Article

Councilwoman Rodvien re-introduces styrofoam ban bill

You might be interested in …