Maya Angelou: And Still I Rise
A portrait of an American icon, writer and civil rights activist
2016 | Running Time: 114 minutes | Rating: NR
Maya Angelou has lived not one life, but half a dozen. While she’s best known as a poet and best-selling author of I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, her life has uncannily intersected with some of the most profound moments in modern American history. From her hardscrabble roots in the Depression-era South, she went on to become a singer, dancer and touring performer. She played an important role in the civil rights movement, working with Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X. And her novels, poetry, plays and film scripts made a huge impact on African-American culture. Angelou tells her own story supplemented by admirers like Bill Clinton and Oprah Winfrey. MAYA ANGELOU: AND STILL I RISE premiered at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival. Co-Directors: Rita Coburn Whack, Bob Hercules; Producers: Chris Gardner, Raymond C. Lambert; Co-Executive Producers: Reuben Cannon, Marquetta Glass; Executive Producers: Michael Kantor, Regina K. Scully
Robert Hercules, Director
Bob Hercules is an independent filmmaker and co-owner of the production company Media Process Group. Hercules’s documentaries, on subjects as diverse as the Joffrey Ballet and Obama’s 2006 trip to Africa, have been seen widely on PBS, Discovery Channel, IFC, The Learning Channel and at film festivals around the world.
Rita Coburn Whack, Director/Producer
Rita Coburn Whack is a director, producer & award-winning writer specializing in film, TV & radio, documentary programming and social media. She also serves as communications specialist for celebrity clients, national media and major brands. Coburn Whack is also a published author and educator.
George Foster Peabody 2017: Excellence in documentary filmmaking
Image Awards 2017: Outstanding Documentary (nomination)
AFI Docs Festival 2016: Feature Documentary
AARP Movies for Grownups Awards 2017: Best Documentary (nomination)
Black Film Festival Montreal 2016: Best Documentary
Black Reel Awards 2017: Outstanding Emerging Filmmaker (nomination)
Galway Film Fleadh 2016: Best International Feature Documentary
International Documentary Association 2016: Video Source Award
Mill Valley Film Festival 2016: Valley of the Docs
Milwaukee Film Festival 2016: Feature Film
“With its trove of archival images and interviews, the movie reminds viewers that America’s roiling history swirled around Angelou, as well as flowed through her.”
ESSENCE
Tags: Feature, Documentary, Biography, History, Culture, Race & Ethnicity, Gender