These stories spotlight compelling personal and cultural narratives that locate the grey areas in all of us and beg the question: #WhatsYourISH? This cross-sectional, thematic grouping includes uplifting musical stories, improbable friendships formed on the sports field and complicated questions of identity and belonging.
It’s hard to imagine a more talented and groundbreaking performer who led a more complicated and contradictory life than Sammy Davis Jr. Featuring excerpts from his exhilarating performances and star-studded interviews, director Sam Pollard’s riveting documentary presents a very full and very human portrait of this complex, courageous and conflicted man.
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LOCAL SPOTLIGHT. On a street in Harlem in 1986, a young blond-haired Jewish kid who plays a first-rate blues harmonic struck up a musical friendship with a street musician named Sterling Magee, who calls himself Mr. Satan. The duo puts together an act that leads to music festivals and a successful record. Just as quickly, the act crashes when Satan mysteriously disappears. This documentary captures a fascinating journey of friendship, heartbreak and the transformative power of the blues.
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The preeminent jazz label of all time, which once boasted the great innovators of the great African American form—Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Thelonious Monk, for starters—was founded by a couple of Jewish refugees from Nazi Germany who became aficionados and respected authenticity over profits. Sincere devotion to the art form resulted in a legacy that is still an influence on young musicians. A complete delight from beginning to end.
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They are the most improbable teenagers to take up the preppy game of lacrosse, but their story is inspiring, uplifting and memorable: meet the determined young men of Charlotte Secondary School, a predominantly African American charter school in North Carolina. Their prospects change when they encounter Bobby Selkin, a Jewish ophthalmologist, who quickly becomes lacrosse coach, mentor, father figure, and helps transform the kids’ lives—while they transform his—in this powerful documentary.
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