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Stanley Nelson
Meet CCNY Alumnus Stanley Nelson, Film-Maker and "Genius"
Stanley Nelson, a Harlem-based documentary filmmaker and 1976 graduate of City College, is a 2002 MacArthur Fellow.
A veteran filmmaker who received his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the film program at City College in1976, Mr. Nelson is the co-founder of Firelight Media/Half-Nelson Films, an independent non-profit film and video production company where he also serves as director, producer and writer.
Mr. Nelson is renowned for his signature style and distinctive cinematic voice. His films on a wide variety of subjects convey powerful stories with evocative technique. In his exploration of African-American history, Mr. Nelson looks beyond standard topics of this genre to investigate less-explored themes and biographical subjects. His award-winning film, The Black Press: Soldiers without Swords, synthesizes biography and history, bringing clarity and dimension to the often-neglected role of Black journalists in chronicling American history. The Black Press: Soldiers without Swords, released in 1999, won the “Best Documentary Film Award” at the San Francisco Film Festival and the “Freedom of Expression Award” at the Sundance Film Festival.
In Marcus Garvey: Look for Me in the Whirlwind, Mr. Nelson examines an enigmatic African-American icon, illuminating character and cultural context. With Puerto Rico: Our Right to Decide, he probes still farther a field, considering the implications for political democracy arising from the historical trajectory of confluence and conflict among Anglo, Spanish, African, and indigenous social structures.
Mr. Nelson, whose other awards include the duPont-Columbia Silver Baton and the CINE Golden Eagle Award, has recently completed a documentary about the murder of Emmett Till. His other projects include the heritage of the African-American middle class on Martha’s Vineyard, and the international anthropology of the trans-Atlantic slave trade. Through such projects, Mr. Nelson extends his larger mission of raising awareness of the pervasive influence of the African-American experience on the nation’s common historical and cultural heritage.
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