Separate from his affiliation with The Famous Group which handles him for spots and branded projects, director John X. Carey took it upon himself to helm and edit Illegal, a short film about issues related to youth and immigration reform.
Known for his documentary-style filmmaking–which helped him and The Famous Group earn a 2012 AICP Show honor in the Spec category for The Anti-Drug program’s “Harlem Elvis”–Carey captures moving portraits of undocumented kids in America for Illegal, which also includes interviews with activists, policymakers, non-profit leaders, educators and clergy members.
Done for client illegalmovie.org, the short underscores the importance of enacting immigration reform beginning with the Dream Act. Funding for the short was provided by Houston philanthropist Curry Glassell who served as executive producer. Plans are to expand the short into a full-length film.
Kamala Harris Receives Chairman’s Prize At NAACP Image Awards
Former Vice President Kamala Harris stepped on the NAACP Image Awards stage Saturday night with a sobering message, calling the civil rights organization a pillar of the Black community and urging people to stay resilient and hold onto their faith during the tenure of President Donald Trump.
"While we have no illusions about what we are up against in this chapter in our American story, this chapter will be written not simply by whoever occupies the oval office nor by the wealthiest among us," Harris said after receiving the NAACP's Chairman's Award. "The American story will be written by you. Written by us. By we the people."
The 56th annual Image Awards was held at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium in the Los Angeles area.
Harris, defeated by Trump in last year's presidential election, was the first woman and the first person of color to serve as vice president. She had previously been a U.S. senator from California and the state's attorney general.
In her first major public appearance since leaving office, Harris did not reference her election loss or Trump's actions since entering the Oval Office, although Trump mocked her earlier in the day at the Conservative Political Action Conference.
Harris spoke about eternal vigilance, the price of liberty, staying alert, seeking the truth and America's future.
"Some see the flames on our horizons, the rising waters in our cities, the shadows gathering over our democracy and ask 'What do we do now?'" Harris said. "But we know exactly what to do, because we have done it before. And we will do it again. We use our power. We organize, mobilize. We educate. We advocate. Our power has never come from having an easy path."
Other winners of the Chairman's prize have included former... Read More