Confronted with a series of racially charged incidents, a young black man must overcome rage, alienation, and hopelessness in order to find his own humanity. For award-winning filmmaker and production faculty Skinner Myers, the logline of his latest film is much more than a plot summary, for many in the U.S., it is a painful reality.
“This film was birthed out of my desire to make a feature narrative that would speak on my fears of living as a black man in America,” said Myers, who also stars in the feature. The Sleeping Negro will have its World Premiere at the 2021 Slamdance Film Festival.
Myers’ other projects include the award-winning La Tierra Del Exodo which screened in over 90 festivals worldwide, Frank Embree which took home the Grand Jury Award at the 2017 Hollyshorts Film Festival, Nightmares by the Sea which premiered at the 2018 Art Film Festival in Cannes, and Things of Beauty Burn, which is currently on the festival circuit.
The Slamdance Film Festival is a showcase for raw and innovative filmmaking that has created a track record for showcasing breakthrough artists. Alumni who have shown their early short films and debut features at Slamdance include Bong Joon Ho (Parasite), Rian Johnson (Star Wars: The Last Jedi), Ari Aster (Midsommar), Gina Prince-Bythewood (The Old Guard), The Russo Brothers (Avengers: Endgame), Lena Dunham (Girls), Jon M. Chu (Crazy Rich Asians), Lynn Shelton (Little Fires Everywhere) and Christopher Nolan (Dunkirk).
The 2021 festival will run virtually from February 12-25. You can catch Myer’s The Sleeping Negro and over 100 other films by reserving your free pass here.
