Filmmaker St.Clair Bourne Gets La Props

St.Clair Bourne is taking a break from his new documentary about African-American photographer Ernest Withers (who shot the Martin Luther King assassination photos) to be honored at several events in Los Angeles.

On February 9th, Bourne will receive the Pan-African Film Festival 2007 Pioneer Award for social activism, achievements in the entertainment industry and contributions to Pan African culture. Also honored are Former Ambassador Andrew Young with the PAFF 2007 Lifetime Achievement Award; Regina King with the PAFF 2007 Beah Richards Award; Blair Underwood with the PAFF 2007 Canada Lee Award and Los Angeles Councilman Hon. Herb Wesson, Jr. with the PAFF 2007 Community Service Award. For 15 years PAFF has screened over Black films from around the world with over 40,000 people attending annually at the Magic Johnson Theatres.

On February 6, The Black Association of Documentary Filmmakers-West (BAD-West) will feature Bourne at their February meeting discussing “The Documentary Production Process”. BAD-West is a professional organization providing people of African descent working in media the opportunity to share resources in order to enhance the development, production, promotion and exhibition of documentaries.

On February 7, BAD-West hosts a Tribute Evening at the Writers Guild Of America building in Hollywood. There will be a reception beginning at 7 pm followed by a screening of Bourne’s films and a post-screening conversation with Bourne and noted filmmaker Julie Dash.

St.Clair Bourne has produced, directed and written some 45 productions, including documentaries for HBO, PBS, NBC, BBC and National Geographic. Among his most popular films have been JOHN HENRIK CLARKE: A GREAT AND MIGHTY WALK with actor Wesley Snipes as executive producer, the HBO production HALF PAST AUTUMN: THE LIFE AND WORKS OF GORDON PARKS and PAUL ROBESON: HERE I STAND! for the “American Masters” PBS series. Bourne was the Executive Producer for THE 12 DISCIPLES OF NELSON MANDELA by Thomas Allen Harris and is currently executive producing VISITORS, a documentary-in-progress by Turkish filmmaker Melis Birder about women who visit their loved ones every weekend in prisons located in distant upper New York State. For the past three years, Bourne has been shooting his own 4-hour documentary on the rise and fall of the Black Panther Party.

Contact Information

Denise Hamilton

Co-Chair, BAD-West

Black Association of Documentary Filmmakers-West

Contact via E-mail