Over the last 7 months I had the privilege to work on Sarah Riazati’s film “monumental”. She approached me in August, shortly after my birthday and it was perfect timing. I had recommitted to my arts practice and my desire to move into other mediums, specifically film. She asked me to serve as a producer, consulting and helping to shape a particular piece of the film. It would include some casting and directing work as she wanted to do some reenactments. Of course, I said yes!

“monumental” was the perfect film for me to work on! And I am so proud of the work we did on set and so pleased by the portion I have seen so far. And with that, I present the trailer to “monumental”!

PREMIERES SATURDAY MARCH 23 IN DURHAM AT 7:00PM THE FULL FRAME THEATER http://mfaeda2019.org/riazati.html sarahriazati.com/monumental.html 'monumental' is an experimental documentary about toppled statues, Southern history, the legacy of names, the resilience of bricks, the power of poetry, the definition of patriotism, hidden family trees and segregated cemeteries. There is no static history. It lives on, layered in the landscape, painted on the brick mills. Through investigating the ripples of the words and deeds of local postbellum industrialist Julian Shakespeare Carr, paradoxically called “the most generous white supremacist,” and reenacting scenes from the childhood of Pauli Murray, an unsung civil and women’s rights activist, the film scratches away at surfaces of stories about Durham, North Carolina. Careful scrutiny of such surfaces may reveal effaced answers to the questions that history leaves us with today, regarding racial identity and segregation, industrialization and labor, and gentrification and community. As statues topple and new monuments rise, this documentary invites consideration of where have we been, where we are now, and where we are going. TRT: 35 min. Supported by a 2018 Princess Grace Award for Film. Completed as part of thesis for MFA in Experimental and Documentary Art from Duke University. — Featuring Kennedy Berryman Original music composed by Russell Favret: www.instagram.com/russellfavret/ Archival images courtesy of (1) The Julian Shakespeare Carr Papers #141, Southern Historical Collection, The Wilson Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and (2) The North Carolina Collection, Durham County Library. Oral histories courtesy of Southern Oral History Program Collection, Southern Historical Collection, Wilson Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. — Press: https://dukemagazine.duke.edu/article/a-students-film-will-explore-durham-through-two-prominent-lives https://www.dukechronicle.com/article/2018/09/180905-pran-riazati https://today.duke.edu/2018/08/student-documentary-filmmaker-wins-prestigious-princess-grace-award