World Premiere of Olympic Pride, American Prejudice at the LA Film Festival

June 4, 2016 the astounding Deborah Riley Draper documentary film Olympic Pride, American Prejudice had its world premiere at the LA Film Festival in Culver City, California. The film which chronicles the 18 African American athletes who competed in the 1936 Summer Games in Berlin, Germany at the height of Hitler's Nazi regime is a tour de force from Deborah Draper.  The 18 athletes who competed in track and field, boxing and boxing were Jesse Owens, Ralph Metcalfe, Mack Robinson (the older brother of baseball player Jackie Robinson), Art Oliver, James Clark Atkinson, John Brooks, Dave Albritton, James LuValle, John Woodruff, Archie Williams, Frederick Pollard,  Jack Wilson, Cornelius Johnson, Howard King, Willis Johnson, John Terry, Tidye Pickett, and Louise Stokes defied Hitler's notion of Aryan Supremacy.  Since the German's filmed everything, there is tons of footage of the track and field competitions. Although Jesse Owens was well known for the four gold medals he won in Germany, the other 17 athletes were largely ignored once they returned home under Jim Crow laws.

Written and directed by Ms. Draper whose 2012 multi-award winning film Versailles 73: American Runway Revolution (covered in this blog numerous times over the years) was just a glimpse into where this filmmaker is headed. Her tenacity for digging into the souls of the individuals covered in her documentaries is trail blazing. The research that it took to create this film is amazing. Ms. Draper and her crew traveled across the USA and to Berlin and beyond to bring a creditable film to the screen. From the opening vintage footage of the 400 meter race to the end logging each of the athletes accomplishments during and after Berlin, this film will inspire and fill you with pride.

Executive produced and narrated by multiple Image and Grammy Award winner Blair Underwood,  his well-tuned voice also resonates with the accomplishments of the athletes. The background music and the theme song " Find My Victory" written by Composer Cheryl Rogers for the film will fill you with emotion and if you find yourself shedding a tear, it's just a sign that the emotional ride was well worth it.

Executive Producer Blair Underwood, Writer/Director Deborah Riley Draper, Executive Producer Michael Draper, Executive Producer Amy Tiemann and daughter Miranda and husband Michael at the Olympic Pride, American Prejudice cocktail reception at the Culver Hotel during the LA Film Festival

Lorrie Ivas and Writer/Director Deborah Riley Draper at the LA Film Festival screening of Olympic Pride, American Prejudice at the Arc Light Cinemas

Eric Johnson and Shannon King Nash 

Executive Producer Blair Underwood, Writer/Director Deborah Riley Draper at the Olympic Pride, American Prejudice cocktail reception at the Culver Hotel during the LA Film Festival

Caralene Robinson, Evelyn Bakon Wheeler and Writer/Director Deborah Riley Draper, at the Olympic Pride, American Prejudice cocktail reception at the Culver Hotel during the LA Film Festival

Line Producer, Lacy Barnes, Evelyn Bakon Wheeler and Caralene Robinson on the red carpet at the Olympic Pride, American Prejudice cocktail reception at the Culver Hotel during the LA Film Festival

Executive Producer Blair Underwood and Evelyn Bakon Wheeler at the Olympic Pride, American Prejudice cocktail reception at the Culver Hotel during the LA Film Festival

Writer/Director Deborah Riley Draper, and Eric Johnson 

Writer/Director Deborah Riley Draper at the Q&A after the screening of Olympic Pride, American Prejudice at the LA Film Festival

DP Jonathan Hall, Writer/Director Deborah Riley Draper, Executive Producer/Narrator Blair Underwood at the sold out second screening of Olympic Pride, American Prejudice

Lorrie Ivas, Evelyn Bakon Wheeler and Writer/Director Deborah Riley Draper after the screening of Olympic Pride,  American Prejudice at the LA Film Festival

AAFCA Awards in Los Angeles

Grammy week in LA is loaded with parties and events everywhere. However, I arrived at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, Tuesday, February 9, 2016 to attend the AAFCA Awards the next evening.  This will be my third attendance at the AAFCA's. I am here to support my friend Writer/Director Deborah Riley Draper (her first documentary film was Versailles 73: American Runway Revolution) for which she was awarded the AAFCA Best Director Documentary Award in 2013) and is currently working on her second documentary, Olympic Pride, American Prejudice.  Deborah asked me to act as her publicist on the red carpet, as she will be presenting the Best Director Award for a documentary film along with Louis Gossett, Jr.  It was a full day starting with a visit to the taping of the The Talk at CBS Studios and lunch with Deborah, Lacy and Linda at the divine Asian fusion restaurant Rock Sugar.

Below are some AAFCA red carpet moments.

Actress Emayatzy Corinealdi

Comedian Tommy Lee Davidson

Actor Courtney Vance

Director Deborah Riley-Draper

Deborah Riley-Draper

Actress Sheryl Lee Ralph

Chaz Ebert and Deborah Riley-Draper

Singer/Actor Tyrese Gibson

Deborah Riley-Draper and Louis Gossett, Jr.

Stars of TV Sitcom "Blackish"

Miles Brown and Yara Shahidi from Blackish

Chaz Ebert

Deborah Riley-Draper

Sheryl Lee Ralph

Courtney Vance star of the OJ mini series as Johnny Cochran

Versailles 73:American Runway Revolution Makes It's Boston Debut During Fashion Week

Follow this link for the schedule for 2014 Boston Fashion Week

The documentary film Versailles '73:American Runway Revolution was screened October 9, 2014 during Boston Fashion Week at the Landmark Kendall Square Cinema in Cambridge, Massachusetts. I have been a fan of this documentary film since first viewing it during the debut at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival. It was there that I met filmmaker Deborah Riley Draper. Ms. Draper wrote, produced and directed this extraordinary film that has won numerous awards and screened internationally over the past two years.

The diverse Boston audience of academics, fashionistas, members of the business community enjoyed the film and were thoroughly engaged throughout the screening. A lively Q&A followed with Ms. draper answering a wide range of questions. Having attended quite a few screenings of this film over the past two years, I must say I was impressed by the audience response and the way in which they enjoyed the film.  I received a number of texts and emails the next day from audience members detailing how impressed they were with the film.

During the Q&A, Mr. Fabien Fieschi, Counsel General of France in Boston, stated that even though he is from France, he had never heard of the Versailles '73 event. Thanks to Deborah Draper after 40 years this event is now getting worldwide recognition.

Director Deborah Riley Draper and Fabien Fieschi, Consul général de France à Boston

Deborah Riley Draper, Versailles 73 Model Jennifer Brice, Audrey Evans and Felicia Faison 

Arlett Cox, Donald Burroughs and Teresa Burroughs 

Gregory Matthews and Wanda Bakon

Larry Faison, Evelyn Wheeler and Audrey Evans

Larry Faison and Evelyn Wheeler 

Lacy Barnes, Deborah Draper, Evelyn Wheeler and Jennifer Brice

Versailles 73 Model Jennifer Brice

Audrey Evans and Ophelia Bakon

Versailles '73 - 40th Anniversary Party Hosted by Coffee Bluffs Pictures and Totem Creative

Totem Creative in New York City was the scene of the 40th Anniversary Party chronicling the 1973 runway fashion show at the Palace of Versailles in Paris, France. Deborah Riley-Draper the director of the 2012 critically-acclaimed, multi-award winning documentary, Versailles '73: American Runway Revolution, hosted the evening along with Totem Creative.

Versailles ’73: American Runway Revolution is a new documentary produced, written and directed by Deborah Riley-Draper and narrated by Cameron Silver tells the story of the November 28, 1973 Battle of Versailles (as it was coined by the news media in 1973) between five American designers, Halston, Stephen Burrows, Anne Klein, Oscar de la Renta, and Bill Blass, and the French fashion giants Yves Saint Laurent, Christian Dior, Hubert de Givenchy, Pierre Cardin, and Emanuel

As a young woman in 1973 and someone who was strongly influenced by fashion since my early childhood, I remember reading about this story and being amazed and proud that African American models had made such a big impact on the world. I decided then and there that I wanted to be involved in fashion in some way or another. As a result I decided I wanted to start my own retail fashion business and as a matter of course it would have to have a French name. Nouveau Fashion Gallery was born out of that dream.

For more information, visit http://www.versailles73movie.com/.

Guests for the evening included many of the models who walked the runway that night at the Palace, Alva Chinn, Norma Jean Darden, Karen Bjornson, Nancy North, Barbara Jackson, and China Machado, as well as Designer Stephen Burrows and photographer Charles Tracy. Other celebrity guests included,  Essence Magazine Editor-at-Large Mikki Taylor, Actor Dennis Christopher, former design assistant for Halston, Socialite Simone Levitt, a patron at Versailles in 1973 and Author of Skin Deep Barbara Summers, all of whom also appear in the film. 

This is a must see film if you have not seen this critically acclaimed documentary. Versailles '73: American Runway Revolution recounts the legendary fashion show on November 28,1973 at the Chateau de Versailles that catapulted African American models and American ready-to-wear designers, Halston, Klein, Blass, De la Renta and Burrows onto the European stage.

Check out some of the pictures from the evenings celebration.

Versailles '73 Model China Machado, Ajak Deng

Versailles '73 Models Alva Chin and China Machado

Versailles '73 Model China Machado

Versailles '73 Models China Machado, Alva Chin, Norma Jean Darden and Director Deborah Riley Draper

Versailles '73 movie cast and Deborah Riley Draper

Deborah Riley Draper and Caralene Robinson