Blueprint For My People
BLUEPRINT FOR MY PEOPLE is a short film that explores the African American experience featuring rare, archival cyanotypes also known as "blueprints".
BLUEPRINT FOR MY PEOPLE is a short film that explores the African American experience featuring rare, archival cyanotypes also known as "blueprints".
BLUEPRINT FOR MY PEOPLE is a short film that illuminates the African-American experience by lyrically interweaving spoken-word narration of Margaret Walker’s epic poem, “For My People” with contemporary images and rare 19th century cyanotypes (blue photographic prints known as “blueprints”) of African Americans. By incorporating poetry, cyanotypes, contemporary imagery and graphics, the film captures the struggles of a people—through candid moments—whose lives created the context of American culture.
Carol Bash is the Founder and President of Paradox Films, a media production company based in Peekskill, New York. She is an award winning documentary filmmaker with over 20 years of experience. Her current project on the film festival circuit, Blueprint For My People, is a visual poem that interweaves spoken-word narration of Margaret Walker’s poem, “For My People” with contemporary images and rare 19th century cyanotypes (blue photographic prints known as “blueprints”). Also on the film festival circuit is the music video Windows that she wrote, produced, edited and co-directed (with Christopher Fox), which is a song on Future One's latest album, Do We Need Another Psycho. Her short film which showcases the natural beauty of a local farm, Morning at Hemlock Hill Farm, screened at film festivals and art exhibitions in the Hudson Valley, New York area. Her feature documentary, Mary Lou Williams: The Lady Who Swings the Band, on this renowned yet unsung jazz genius, is currently available on Showtime. Currently, Carol serves as the Programming Coordinator at Black Public Media. She is also a Peekskill Arts Alliance Board Member and an Organizer/Programmer of the annual Peekskill Film Festival. Carol is a former Black Public Media artist-in-residence and a Firelight Media Documentary Lab fellow.
World Premiere - Cleveland International Film Festival 2024
North American Premiere - RiverRun International Film Festival 2024
Midwestern Premiere - Hobnobben Film Festival 2024
New York Premiere - New York Shorts Film Showcase - Sept. 2024
Southwestern Premiere - Denton Black Film Festival 2025
Hobnobben Film Festival 2024 - Finalist, Unscripted Shorts Category
Poem "For My People" Written by - Margaret Walker
Spoken Word/Narration - Bettina "Poet Gold" Wilkerson
Spoken Word/Narration - Richard "Braf Matic" Brathwaite
Music Composed and Performed by Tony Jefferson
Executive Produced by Third World Newsreel