Art

feature: filmmaker nate parker launches film and drama school at wiley college

March 22, 2016

Fresh off the success of his record-breaking film The Birth of a Nation, which was sold at Sundance for the highest price ever paid for a film at the festival, filmmaker Nate Parker has announced that he is launching a film and drama school at Wiley College. The East Texas HBCU is known as the setting of Denzel Washington’s “The Great Debaters”, which Parker starred in alongside Forest Whitaker, Kimberly Elise, and Jurnee Smollett. “The hope is that we cover all aspects of filmmaking, from sound, lighting and cinematography to just studying film specifically with the cultural component and the history of film,” Parker told The Root.

The first classes will be offered this fall, in the meantime, 30 high school and college seniors will test out the program this summer through a nine-day program.

By Erin White*, AFROPUNK contributor

Picture credit: Kevin Winter/Getty Images

*Erin White is an Atlanta-based writer and AFROPUNK’s editorial and social media assistant. You can follow her on Tumblr or friend her on Facebook. Have a pitch or an inquiry? Shoot her an email at erin@afropunk.com.

Related