Maya Angelou: And Still I Rise to Screen February 11th and Director Rita Coburn to Host Workshop on February 13th as Part of No Malice Film Contest

Two exciting virtual events—the screening of the film "Maya Angelou: And Still I Rise," co-directed by Rita Coburn on Thursday, February 11th at 6pm CST; and the film workshop by Rita Coburn this Saturday morning, February 13th, at 10am CST—will be available this week to anyone from any state, and any age, as part of the No Malice Film Contest, presented by the Roger and Chaz Ebert Foundation, the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum and the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library Foundation. The contest is currently inviting young filmmakers who are residents of Illinois between the ages of 11 and 21 to create short films that explore and promote racial healing. The film entries can be submitted up until Friday, April 30th (you can find all the details here). To promote justice and a better world by highlighting important voices in film and supporting young artists, I have arranged for virtual presentations every Saturday in February and the first Saturday in March. Here is the screening and workshop scheduled for this week, along with links where you can register for them...

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 11TH, 2021

SCREENING OF "MAYA ANGELOU: AND STILL I RISE"

An eloquent poet, writer and performer, Maya Angelou’s life intersected with the civil rights struggle, the Harlem Writers Guild, the New Africa movement, the women’s movement, and the cultural and political realignments of the 1970s and ’80s. Her first book, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, catapulted Dr. Angelou onto the literary stage and became an international best-seller. She appeared in numerous documentaries, talk shows and feature films, was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize, yet shockingly, has never been the subject of her own feature documentary. 

Having lived such a rich, passionate life and been a witness, as well as a participant, in some of the most profound periods of the last century, her full biography is extraordinarily rich and varied. Dr. Angelou lived not one life, but half a dozen, and yet parts of her story have fallen into obscurity. "Maya Angelou And Still I Rise" reflects on how the events of history, culture and the arts shaped her life and how she, in turn, helped shape our own worldview through her autobiographical literature and activism. This screening is offered courtesy of American Masters, The People’s Poet Media Group, ITVS and Artemis Rising.

Register for the Zoom session here.

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 13TH, 2021

RITA COBURN PRESENTS "DIRECTING: THE STORYTELLER"

Rita Coburn is a Peabody and Emmy Award winning Director, Writer, and Producer with nearly four decades in radio, television and film. Coburn primarily focuses on the stories of women by uniquely addressing topics from a multi-generational lens through the untold stories of prominent figures and key ideals relevant to our culture. Coburn co-directed and co-produced "Maya Angelou: And Still I Rise for American Masters" which premiered at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival and garnered a Peabody Award in 2017. It also earned the first Ebert Icon Award at the Roger Ebert Film Festival (Ebertfest) in 2019. Coburn's notable credits include historical documentaries on black culture, the Oprah Winfrey Show, Oprah Radio, and BET/Centric. Her current project in production is "Marian Anderson: The Whole World in Her Hands." The documentary is a Co-Production of Coburn’s company RCW Media Productions, Inc and American Masters.