Barack, Michelle Obama Surprise Festival Crowd to Introduce Descendant – The Hollywood Reporter

Former President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama surprised the audience during the opening night of the Martha’s Vineyard African-American Film Festival to celebrate their documentary Descendant.

The pair visited Friday’s event to introduce the film, which their Higher Ground Productions picked up after its premiere at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival, and which will be released via Netflix later this year. Director Margaret Brown’s feature, which hails from Participant Media, centers on residents of Africatown, a small community in Alabama who share a shared history as descendants of the Clotilda, the last known slave ship that illegally brought captives from Africa to the United States. of the ship had been a centuries-old open secret, which was confirmed by marine archaeologists in recent years.

After an introduction from Descendant executive producer Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson, the Obamas took the stage at the Harbor View Hotel in Edgartown, Massachusetts. Michelle told the audience about the film, “It spoke to us immediately, so we wanted to make sure we were here to show our support for everyone involved.”

She explained that the film is a reminder of the importance of sharing personal information and community history with younger generations. “What Descendant reminds us that we need to tell our stories to our younger people,” said Michelle. “We have to be them. We can’t follow that tradition of keeping our pain quiet. Because what this film shows us is that our stories are the power that makes us seen.”

Barack also took a turn at the podium, where he thanked Netflix, the project’s team and festival founders Floyd and Stephanie Rance. That Promised Land author emphasized “the importance of stories and who tells stories and what stories are valid and what stories are excluded. One of the strengths of this festival and the work that Rances has done is to elevate stories, as everything too often has been lost in the flow of time. Because we believe that everyone’s stories matter.”

In her review of Descendant, The Hollywood Reporter critic Lovia Gyarkye praised it as “a riveting impressionistic doc.”

The Martha’s Vineyard African-American Film Festival runs from the 5th to the 13th. August.