Arts For Social Justice Documentary “Walk With Me” Has First-Round Digital Release

by 10/27/2013

John Travis HoltDocumentary about the legacy of arts and social justice distributed by LA based virtual  studio Filmbreak. New York — Against the backdrop of moments of historical social change, Walk with Me is an expressionistic portrait of three women – DC theater-artist Rebecca Rice, who grew up in Chicago during the turbulent ’50’s & 60’s; Lisa Biggs – a dance-theater artist and scholar; and Anu Yadav, a first generation South Asian actor-educator living in Washington, DC. Directed by Tanisha Christie and Ellie Walton, the film centers on the artists work in prisons, community centers and schools where each woman has found theater as a way to engage a level of activism in themselves, form inclusive spaces with others, and to tell stories of joy or sorrow.

 

The film made its round on the festival circuit debuting at the Langston Hughes African American Film Fest then going on to receive an Honorable mention SF Black Film festival and Best Documentary Feature at the Our City Film Festival. The film has also been show at Jackson State University and the San Diego School of the Performing Arts. “I hope that the film brings perspective to how artists are using theater to engage audiences and illuminate issues of social importance. It’s imperative that artists remain central in the public sphere,” shares Director, Tanisha Christie, who is a theater artist as well.
A Library Journal review says, “[Walk with Me] is an uplifting look at the power of art to transform lives.”

The film features the work of the former Living Stage Theatre Company (a venture of Arena Stage) and the Southwest Project, a project commissioned by Arena’s Artistic Director Molly Smith. Molly says “the film is beautifully done from top to bottom. It is fresh and elegant – and painted a wonderful picture of how we stand on the shoulders of giants.”

Walk with Me is DC-based filmmaker, Ellie Walton’s third feature film. Known for her critically acclaimed documentary ‘Chocolate City.’ Ms. Walton is the 2011 recipient of the Mayor’s Arts Award, the highest honor given to an individual artist in Washington, DC. Tanisha Christie is an interdisciplinary performer, educator, director and producer with years of working in the entertainment industry across media. A former Puffin Foundation and DC Commission on the Arts grant recipient, she now resides in Brooklyn, NY. Walk with Me has received support from the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities and the Humanities Council of Washington, DC and is fiscally sponsored by DC-based, Video Action. For more information, visit www.walkwithmethemovie.com.

Filmbreak is a data-driven marketing platform connecting film fans with filmmakers. They help filmmakers to actively build, engage and identify the taste of profiles of their online audience while simultaneously giving fans access to exclusive film content. Located in Santa Monica, California and founded by Darren Marble and Taylor McPartland. •

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