Marcus Garvey Celebration & Gala Fundraiser Planned for Saturday, August 18, 2018 in Harlem, NY
New York – Following on the success of Queen Nanny: Legendary Maroon Chieftainess (58 mins, 2015), an award-winning film based on Jamaica’s only female National Hero, director/producer Roy T. Anderson is near completion on his new project Marcus Garvey: The Untold Story. This feature length documentary-film will chronicle the life of one of the greatest political thinkers of all time.
Anderson, the Jamaican-born filmmaker and veteran Hollywood stuntman, will peel back all the layers in his much-anticipated presentation of this oft misunderstood and controversial figure. The film will be narrated by Emmy Award-winning actor Keith David (Armageddon, Platoon).
The people’s ‘Black Moses’ arrived on scene August 17, 1887 in the tiny seaside community of St. Ann’s Bay on the northern coast of Jamaica, 53 years after slavery was abolished. In his short life, Marcus Mosiah Garvey would go on to become the world’s foremost Pan-Africanist and, in some eyes, the greatest mass leader of the 20th century. He dedicated his life to the project of redeeming Africa, which he saw as the dawn of civilization.
Influenced greatly by educator and author Booker T. Washington, Garvey formed the Universal Negro Improvement Association and African Communities League (UNIA-ACL) and launched it fittingly on Emancipation Day, August 1, 1914 in Kingston, Jamaica. Garvey took his message of black pride to the United States during the height of the Harlem Renaissance, arriving at a time of vacuum in black leadership.
By the time he died in 1940, Garvey’s followers grew to more than four million with over 1,000 UNIA-ACL branches around the world. Even in death Garvey’s philosophy has impacted many social and political movements around the world.
Production on the film started in Jamaica in December of 2016, then shifted to the United States, Canada, Costa Rica, United Kingdom, and Ghana. Post-production begins this fall. The film will feature interviews and commentary from world-renowned leaders, scholars, and prominent personalities ranging from actor Danny Glover, and Dr. Julius Garvey, the youngest son of Marcus Garvey, to leading Garvey Scholars, and even White Supremacist leader Jared Taylor.
One particular group that has kept Garvey’s Pan-African spirit alive, is the Rastafarians. Among this legion are Bob Marley, Burning Spears (Winston Rodney), and Steel Pulse, world-famous musicians who have immortalized his philosophy and teachings in songs. This connection will be examined in the film.
Besides showing the docu-film Queen Nanny, and exclusive clips from the Garvey film, the Gala Fundraiser will feature live performances and special guest appearances. The event will be held Saturday, August 18, 2018 at the St. Charles Barromeo Auditorium, located at 211 W. 141st Street, Harlem, NY 10030; and goes from 7: 00 pm – 10: 30 pm. Not only is this a celebration of the Pan-Africanist icon’s birthday, the organizers of the event will be issuing an urgent appeal for financial assistance with the completion of this unprecedented film. Admission is free.
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