The Nine Network’s documentary Gentlemen of Vision has been selected for this year’s American Film Showcase (AFS), a film diplomacy program of the United States State Department.
Gentlemen of Vision tells the story of a ground-breaking step team from St. Louis. The step team includes students from several St. Louis area school districts and was founded by Marlon Wharton, who is a professional counselor with Riverview Gardens School District.
The film will be screened in Cartagena, Colombia and on the island of San Andrés in early March. Wharton and Co-directors Frank Popper and Jim Kirchherr will travel to the screening sites to share their experiences with audience members.
“This is an extraordinary opportunity to take our story to different audiences that cross cultural and social lines,” Wharton said. “I’m excited to see how the people will respond and I’m eager to learn and grow from this shared experience.”
AFS, a partnership between the U.S. State Department and University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts, works with U.S. embassies and consulates to show local audiences independent films that offer contemporary insights into American society and foster understanding across cultures.
“I’ve been fortunate to have films in festivals in the U.S. and Europe,” Popper said, “but this is special. To be called a “film envoy” and to have the opportunity to build trust and understanding internationally, especially in this age, is really extraordinary.”
Many of the programs are shown in developing countries and include workshops and discussions with the filmmakers, designed to spark dialogue and empower local communities to tell their own stories.
“It’s exciting to be asked to represent our country and St. Louis, but I’m sure that wherever we might go, we will learn as much about them as they do from us,” Kirchherr said.
Gentlemen of Vision has broadcast on public television stations across the country. The film won the Midrash Award at the 2016 St. Louis International Film Festival, was voted Best Documentary Feature at the 2018 Cinema on the Bayou and was an official selection at the prestigious 2017 AFI Docs.
