8 /10 1 Votes
7/10 IMDb Country United States Language English Box office 94,000 USD | 4/4 Roger Ebert 70% Rotten Tomatoes Initial release 18 October 2013 (USA) Production company Rada Film Group Cast Idris Brewster, Seun | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Directed by Joe Brewster
Michèle Stephenson Release date January 20, 2013 (2013-01-20) (Sundance) Directors Joe Brewster, Michèle Stephenson Similar American Teacher, High School, The Education of Shelby, LaLee's Kin: The Legacy of, Blacks and Jews Profiles | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
American Promise is a documentary film spanning 13 years from directors Joe Brewster and Michèle Stephenson. The film captures the stories of Brewster and Stephenson's 5-year-old son Idris and his best friend and classmate Seun as these families navigate their way through the rigorous prep-school process. The film is set against the backdrop of a persistent educational achievement gap that dramatically affects African-American boys at all socioeconomic levels across the country.
American Promise premiered at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival. The filmmakers also launched a national campaign at Sundance to help raise $100,000 and 100,000 volunteer hours for Big Brothers Big Sisters of America' Mentoring Brothers in Action program.
Release
The PBS documentary series POV was set to broadcast American Promise in 2013. Random House was set to publish a companion book about the film and the issues it raises in conjunction with the American Promise Campaign.