Opera on Film: DWB (DRIVING WHILE BLACK)

Part of Opera Philadelphia’s Opera on Film series

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DWB (DRIVING WHILE BLACK)

DU’BOIS A’KEEN, CAMRY A’KEEN | USA | 2021 | 42 MIN | NR | ENGLISH W/ ENGLISH SUBTITLES

Filmmakers Du’Bois and Camry A’Keen’s 2021 adaptation of Susan Kander and Roberta Gumbel’s one-woman opera incorporates elements of dance, music video production, and intimate storytelling. DWB (DRIVING WHILE BLACK) is a montage of poetic and haunting moments examining the trials and triumphs Black mothers experience as their children come of age in a society plagued by racism and inequality.

Cast: Karen Slack, Yeman Brown, Tweet Kay, Nicole Morris

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SOUL (SIGNS): OPERA

KEVIN NEWBURY, BRANDON KAZEN-MADDOX, JAMES MATTHEW DANIEL | USA | 2022 | 22 MIN | NR | ENGLISH, ITALIAN, & ASL W/ ENGLISH SUBTITLES

A series of three 2022 short films exploring the intersection of opera and American Sign Language, featuring arias from Mozart’s THE MAGIC FLUTE, Terence Blanchard’s CHAMPION: AN OPERA IN JAZZ, and Missy Mazzoli and Royce Vavrek’s BREAKING THE WAVES.

Cast: Dickie Hearts, Brandon Kazen-Maddox, John Taylor Ward, Jordan Rutter, Andrew Morill, Alberto Medero, Markel Reed, Monique Holt, Kiera Duffy