Saturday, January 23, 2010

Charles Burnett to helm documentary on Barack Obama's mother


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Dunham and a young Obama.

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According to The Hollywood Reporter, President Obama's mother will be featured in the documentary, 'Stanley Ann Dunham: A Most Generous Spirit.' The film will focus on Dunham raising Obama in Indonesia and Hawaii, and her contributions to female entrepreneurs in Third World countries.

Executive producer Mary Aloe of Aloe Entertainment says Dunham infused our current president with backbone and compassion.

At the helm of the project will be esteemed director, Charles Burnett, who happens to be a mentor and friend of mine. Burnett is a MacArthur Genius Award recipient, and most recently a United States Artists Fellow Award winner. His first feature film, Killer Of Sheep (1977), shot while he was a graduate student at UCLA, was selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the United States National FIlm Registry in 1990. Films in the registry are chosen for being culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.

Burnett most often works outside the Hollywood system, but To Sleep With Anger, which starred Danny Glover, was his most highly-profiled release. I stayed in California with Charles during the production of the movie and worked on it as a grip early in my film career about 17 years ago.

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Burnett.

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The documentary is scheduled to begin shooting this year in Indonesia, Hawaii, and Washington. Producers are currently working to secure President Obama's participation.

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