Harlem's Last Poet
New York City, New York | Film Feature
Documentary, Music
In 1968 The Last Poets formed and gave birth to hip-hop. When their self-titled debut album was released in 1970, their co-founder Abiodun Oyewole was in prison for robbing the KKK. Abiodun wrote every day in prison making time serve him, instead of serving time.
Harlem's Last Poet
New York City, New York | Film Feature
Documentary, Music
0 Campaigns | New York, United States
In 1968 The Last Poets formed and gave birth to hip-hop. When their self-titled debut album was released in 1970, their co-founder Abiodun Oyewole was in prison for robbing the KKK. Abiodun wrote every day in prison making time serve him, instead of serving time.
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
I first met Abiodun Oyewole in the summer of 2013 when Gabrielle David the publisher of 2 Leaf Press asked me to take some publicity photos for Branches Of The Tree Of Life, a 40-year omnibus collection of Abiodun’s poetry. I’ve been working in the film industry for well over 25 years and have worked alongside some of the biggest celebrities in the world but have never really been star struck but going to see Abiodun Oyewole brought out a nervous excitability. I was going to hang out and photograph one of The Last Poets, a revolutionary poet of a revolutionary period in the history of this country, one of the pioneers of Hip Hop.
When we got to Abiodun’s apartment on Morningside Avenue and 120th Street Abiodun immediately put me at ease with his wide-toothed grin and his disarming relaxed no-nonsense hospitality. We spoke for an hour or so about art and politics and thanks to Abiodun’s casual openness I found myself on the corner of reverence and ease. He had a way of dismissing the cult of personality while maintaining his mystique.
We went outside to shoot across the street in Morningside Park as the late afternoon July sun peeked and poked through the branches and leaves of the trees. We continued talking about art and politics and as we talked I shot photos. When the sun dipped behind the building and the light got flat in the shadows of the setting sun we wrapped. I scrolled through some of the photos and showed them to Abiodun and Gabrielle to see how he felt about them. He was pleasantly surprised and then confessed that he hated having his picture taken but that this whole process was painless and actually enjoyable. That put the day over the top for me.
A few weeks later Gabrielle asked me to design the cover of the book using one of the photos from that day. I was of course honored and when I was done and Gabrielle had approved the cover she sent it to Abiodun to see how he felt about it. Abiodun called to tell me that he loved the cover and that I had captured both his essence and vision for the book.
Since Branches Of The Tree Of Life is an omnibus of Abiodun’s poetry he wrote a condensed autobiography of his life and it became the preface to the book. Here was a man who was born in Ohio in a home for unwed mothers who at 3 years old decided to leave his mother to live with his aunt in New York. Here was a man who fell in love with the word and felt compelled to put that love in service to the freedom of his people. Here was a man who robbed the KKK to get bail money for a friend in jail only to himself be caught and serve time in prison. Here was a man who went on to international prominence with his with the love of the word and his commitment to the freedom of his people. After reading that preface the machinery that constructs imagery in my head started turning and I could immediately see a documentary starting to taking a form and giving itself a shape in my imagination. How could this not be the fertile ground for a documentary?
I went on to shoot a book video for 2 Leaf Press for Branches Of The Tree Of Life called 'Last Poet In Harlem' along with Abiodun reciting a few poems. On December 6th, we did a shoot for two of Abiodiun's better-known poems 'Reign Of Terror' and 'My People' on 125th Street in front of the Apollo. During the shoot, the marquee on the Apollo announced that Nelson Mandela had passed away. The urgency of doing Harlem's Last Poet became overwhelming. We were losing our heroes and although Nelson Mandela's story is well known there were many other stories that were going untold and we couldn't let the story of Abiodun be relegated to an omission in history. Abiodun enjoyed the process of the shoots we did for his book video and when I approached him about doing a documentary about his life and he agreed enthusiastically.
Harlem’s Last Poet will follow Abiodun Oyewlole as he works with a group of talented musicians to create a concept album documenting his life. The life of Abiodun Oyewole is an epic story that would seem completely unbelievable if it weren’t actually true. The impact he had on Hip-hop with The Last Poets cannot be overstated. His commitment to the freedom of Black people and to poetry is something that is recognized the world over.
As Abiodun and the musicians work on the album, Abiodun will recount stories from his life as well as his philosophical views on art and politics. At key moments of these recollections, there will be short surreal, hallucinatory, dream-like reenactments that are fleetingly woven into his narrative playing on the idea of how memory is constructed. Intwined into these elements will be poetry videos where Abiodun will perform some of his most widely known and best-loved poems.
Abiodun’s story won’t simply play out in interviews but will be reflected in the poetry workshops he does with both school children and prisoners. For the past 40 years, Abiodun has also been holding an open arts salon in his home every Sunday where musicians and poets come and perform work in an informal setting. Often times famous musicians and poets mix with younger up and coming poets and the film will incorporate some of these interactions at the weekly salon.
The film will also include Abiodun’s legal battles to gain authorial control over his work with The Last Poets during the recordings done with Jimi Hendrix record producer Alan Douglas. When the concept album Abiodun has been working on is near completion Abiodun will go into the studio to record the album and the film will conclude with a performance with his band before a live audience. Harlem’s Last Poet has cross-media elements factored into the film. The film will produce an album by Abiodun and a concert film will accompany the documentary.
Last Poet In Harlem from Audio Visual Terrorism on Vimeo.
Shortly after Abiodun agreed to do this documentary I dragged him up on the roof of his building in Harlem to talk about Harlem and the effect that Harlem has had on his life. I say dragged because Abiodun doesn’t like heights. I wanted him to be comfortable so I thought quickly and brought his chair and his small African table from Senegal along with a lamp from his living room up onto the roof and asked him to relax as if he were in his living room. It worked. Abiodun sat and smoked and talked about Harlem in the late afternoon light of a warm October day on the roof of his building with the Grant Projects of Harlem as his backdrop.
Since that first day of shooting, we have gone on to shoot The Last Poets in London. We shot Abiodun in Deptford SE London doing his famous poem 'When The Revolution Comes' under an arched brick train overpass that was acoustically perfect with Donn Baba Babatunde on percussions. We also shot an interview with the Last Poets on the roof of the famous Birds Nest in Deptford (where bands like Dire Straits and Squeeze got their start). We've shot a series of interviews in Abiodun's home in Harlem. We walked around Harlem and shot him for hours as he was stopped and greeted on every street.
HARLEM SHOUT OUT TO ABIODUN FROM JUNE CANCUN from Audio Visual Terrorism on Vimeo.
It’s a beginning, but filmmaking is an all-encompassing art form and it often requires more resources than are at one's disposal to be done right. In those cases, one has to go out and find the resources to do a film justice. The life of Abiodun Oyewole is an epic story that would seem completely unbelievable if it weren’t true. The impact he had on Hip-hop with The Last Poets cannot be overstated. His commitment to the freedom of Black people and to poetry is something that is recognized the world over. How can the life of Abiodun Oyewole not be the subject of a documentary? All one has to do is read the condensed autobiographical preface to 'Branches Of The Tree Of Life' to realize that.
If you're wondering how we got this far, it's only out of love, hard work, respect, hard work, resilience, hard work, and persistence. (Did I mention hard work?) Until now, when time and love don't pay the bills, we've self-financed the film. We've explored more traditional financing, going to the American Film Market in 2017 to find distributors and possible financiers only to find that the AFM is not a good place to finance documentaries. In 2018 we took third place at the Princeton Independent Film Festival Pitch Contest. We participated in Meet The Decision Makers meetings at the Independent Film Projects, IFP Week in New York in 2017, 2018 and 2019 and generated keen interest in the film. We were invited to be a part of the very exclusive Production Finance Market in London in 2018 and once again generated a lot of positive interest in the film from distribution partners, sales agents, and financiers but as of right now, we have no financial commitments from any of the people we've approached. So we've turned to Seed & Spark and decided to make our appeal directly to the people.
We're trying to raise money for the more complex parts of the project. We need to shoot the writing workshops Abiodun does in prisons and schools but we need to do so with multiple cameras, extra sound people and extra crew in general. Those shoots will also require more in terms of logistics with added liability insurance and clearances. We also want to shoot the reenactments of key moments in Abiodun's life that require period costumes, set dressing and art direction. The weekly arts Salon on Sundays Abiodun does in his home will also require some resources in order for us to do it right.
The beautiful thing about helping us make this campaign financially successful is that it not only helps us to make the film but it also proves to the industry people we've spoken to at the American Film Market in Santa Monica, the Independent Feature Project in New York and the Production Finance Market in London that there's an audience for this film. We believe that their reluctance to financially back the film can be overcome by proving that there's a sizable audience that warrants supporting Harlem's Last Poet.
We've managed to lay down a solid foundation with this project and we invite you to join us and help build on it. Whether you help in sharing the campaign with family and friends or bless us with a financial contribution or support us with an in-kind contribution we appreciate the encouragement. Together we can make Harlem's Last Poet, with all the respect, admiration and love that a project such as this deserves.
Audio Visual Terrorism on Twitter
Audio Visual Terrorism on Facebook
Audio Visual Terrorism on Instagram
Harlem's Last Poet on Facebook
Speller Street Films on Twitter
Speller Street Films on Facebook
Speller Street Films on Instagram
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Camera Crew
Costs $5,000
We need additional camera operators for days when we shoot with second and third cameras.
Location Sound Crew
Costs $4,000
Location Sound person for days when we do multi-camera shoots.
Insurance
Costs $5,000
Additional production insurance to shoot in a prison and a school.
Red Camera Rental
Costs $4,000
Although we own a Red Epic there will be days when we need to shoot with additional cameras.
Set Dressing
Costs $5,000
We need to rent furniture and props for our period reenactments.
Wardrobe Rentals
Costs $2,500
We need to rent period costumes for our reenactments.
Studio Rental
Costs $2,500
We need to rent a studio for two of our reenactments.
Actors
Costs $5,000
We'll need actors for the reenactments.
Casting Director
Costs $1,500
We'll need a casting director for our reenactments.
Van Rental
Costs $1,500
We'll need to rent both Passenger and Cargo Vans for reenactments, prison shoot, and school shoots.
Craft Services
Costs $1,000
Craft Services for cast and crew for reenactment, prison, and school shoot days.
Catering
Costs $2,000
Catering for reenactment, prison and school shoot days.
Incentive Fulfilment
Costs $1,000
The cost of postage, packaging, and logistics to fulfill our incentives for this campaign.
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
vagabond • Producer • Director
vagabond is a writer, artist, and filmmaker. He's worked in the Puerto Rican independence movement since 1997 and has organized rallies, protests, and marches, created murals, pamphlets, and agitprop with the artist collective he co-founded called the 'RICANSTRUCTION Netwerk'. His artwork and writing have been featured in Blu Magazine, AWOL, SALVO, Left Turn, and Liberator Magazine. His first feature film MACHETERO is about the ongoing struggle for Puerto Rican independence and has screened at festivals around the world winning awards in South Africa, Wales, England, Thailand, Ireland, and New York.
His short story 'KAFKA'S LAST LAUGH' was a part of the sci-fi anthology 'OCTAVIA'S BROOD: SCIENCE FICTION FROM SOCIAL JUSTICE MOVEMENTS' a book inspired by the life and work of Octavia Butler. 'OCTAVIA'S BROOD' debuted at #3 on Amazon in Science Fiction anthology's and 'KAFKA'S LAST LAUGH' was featured on TruthOut.org. vagabond is also an award-winning short filmmaker winning multiple awards at film festivals around the world for his films 'NO WAY HOME', 'CONEY ISLAND DREAMING', 'SACRED AND PROFANE FACELESS JACKS', and 'BARON SATURDAY OF CONEY ISLAND'.
He’s about to complete a feature-length documentary on original Nuyorican Poet Jesus Papoleto Melendez called 'ALL ROADS LEAD TO THE FIRE ESCAPE'. He’s currently producing and directing 'HARLEM'S LAST POET', a documentary on the life of Abiodun Oyewlole a founding member of The Last Poets, who served time in prison for robbing the KKK.
Christopher Everett • Producer Marketing And Distribution
Christopher Everett is a creative director, producer, archivist and curator. He is the President of Speller Street Films, North Carolina’s premiere film production and distribution company.
Born and raised in Laurinburg, North Carolina, he has mastered the titles of film producer and director. He has also grown to showcase his abilities as a social media specialist and graphic designer. He currently works with Full Frame Documentary Film Festival in Durham, North Carolina as the Communications Manager which has continued to influence his growth in the film industry branching off into new regions.
Christopher has been the keynote speaker at a magnitude of events and festivals, where he displayed social media strategies and audience building along with presenting films that he has curated. His speeches have been heard in the audiences of Savannah State University, St. Augustine University, Northwestern University, University of North Carolina Greensboro and North Carolina State University to name a few. He has showcased his films at events such as the North Carolina Film Forum, Cause and Effect Film Festival, SAURUS Festival, Tek Mountain, Scotland County NAACP MLK Celebration and more.
He has been featured in several well-known publications and media platforms such as The New Yorker, Documentary Magazine, NPR, WNYC, Shadow & Act, PBS / UNC-TV, Spectrum News, and Film Trooper.
Going on three years, his debut feature documentary “Wilmington on Fire” which chronicles the 1898 Wilmington Coup, screens to sold-out crowds across the state of North Carolina and several parts of the country. He is currently filming his next two documentaries, “Wilmington on Fire 2”, the follow-up to his award-winning documentary “Wilmington on Fire” and also “Grandmaster” which looks at the legacy of martial arts pioneer Vic Moore.
Christopher attended King’s College located in Charlotte, North Carolina in 2002 where he received his Associate of Applied Science Degree in Graphic Design. He has received notable awards such as Best Local Independent Film from Encore Magazine in 2016, Best Documentary Feature as NC Black Film Festival and Best Director First Feature Documentary from Pan African Film Festival in 2017 amongst other awards and many more to come!
Omar Villegas • Producer
Bronx born, but Brooklyn raised, from Guatemalan parents, Omar graduated from The High School of Art and Design a specialized art school in Manhattan. He went on to the School Of Visual Arts for a year but left to find work in the film industry. Ironically enough he got his first job through his father, who’s love of film was a huge influence on Omar to become a filmmaker. He landed his first job as a wardrobe assistant on ‘The Ambulance’ starring Eric Roberts and James Earl Jones.
He met his producing partner, vagabond, while the two of them were working as parking coordinators on Barbet Schroder’s ‘Reversal Of Fortune’. Omar and vagabond’s first major production was shooting ‘SALSA CON SABOTAGE’ a punk rock documentary following NYC based Puerto Rican punk band, RICANSTRUCTION, while on tour, interviewing people all across El Salvador, five years after the civil war ended. Omar went on to shoot several seasons of television for Galavision and SiTV (now NuvoTV) for a few years. He was the second unit director on the internationally award-winning feature film MACHETERO.
Recently, Omar’s been working on a variety of Audio Visual Terrorism productions. He played the lead in the experimental anti-narrative ‘NO WAY HOME’, which took three awards at film festivals. He produced the five-time award-wining ‘CONEY ISLAND DREAMING’ which stars his daughter Mondriana (who is also an accomplished composer). He also produced ‘CONEY ISLAND SIREN’ and produced and shot the gorgeous ‘CONEY ISLAND SUNRISE’. He also produced and directed the experimental short film ‘MYSTIC SYSTEM OF THE ROSY ORDER’ with poet and writer Youssef Alaoui.
He played the lead role in the Fringe Festival award-winning play ‘TRASH TALK: A Play About Garbage’ written by Not4Prophet, and reprised the role when it played at the Frenzy Fest. His most recent film as a producer is the award-winning ‘BARON SATURDAY OF CONEY ISLAND’ starring Tony award winner Wilson J Heredia, his daughter Mondriana and himself. He’s been producing and shooting a series of music videos lately, HE PROMISES’ for The Impossible Kings, ‘STRICTLY STREETS AND SUBWAY’ and ‘NO SOY DE AQUI’ for Abrazos Army as well as ‘WHO ARE WE NOW’ for Synacure which featured Abiodun Oyewole.
Lance Cain • Editor
Lance Cain is a primetime Emmy award winning editor, filmmaker, and photographer with almost twenty years of experience. He started his career in advertising, working with companies such as Young and Rubicam and Saatchi and Saatchi. Eventually, he moved into television and films.
His latest directorial project, The Invisible Ones, tells the story of two schools on the top of Mount Sarazin in Haiti. His art documentary film 'A Few Days After' debuted at the 2011 Ghost Shadows art exhibition at Dada Post Gallery in Berlin. The title refers to the shadows of the World Trade Center, which fell across the Tribeca neighborhood where Lance and six other artists lived and worked prior and during that tragic day. His film and installation explored his neighborhood ground zero just days after the 9/11 attacks.
Lance began his career as a commercial editor at Version-2 Editorial and then as a creative director with Third Element Productions and JP Studios. During this period he produced and directed dozens of commercial spots and music videos for Capital, Select and Tommy Boy Records. In the early 2000s, Cain produced online digital content, joining forces with Time Inc. Studios, where he produced and edited doc webisodes for L’Oreal, Essence Magazine, and WebMD. He also continued acting as a creative director for an array of companies that included; Dogmatic Productions, TAG Creative, The Sundance Channel and MH3 Productions.
In 2005, Cain won an Emmy for Outstanding Editing in a Comedy, Music or Miniseries for the A&E documentary Paul McCartney In Red Square. In 2008 Cain co-created and directed the web series New York Verité, a mélange of downtown theater, cinema verite, and reality TV, digitally filmed before a live studio audience.
In 2010 Cain edited the romantic feature film, ”My Last Day Without You” starring Nicole Beharie and Ken Duken for director Stefen Schafer and Circala Filmworks. Cain’s first major photo exhibition “The Corner Of Haarlemmerstraat and Saint Germain Blvd” (2009) opened at the Soho Creative Gallery and exhibited at Axis Gallery in New York City. The show featured a collection of photos juxtaposing images of Parisian cafés with Amsterdam coffee-shops. His most recent photo exhibit is part of his series The Last days Of Tribeca. The Knitting Factory was the last live music venue to close in Tribeca and Cain captures the last hip hop night, featuring musical artists Talib Kwali and Quest Love.
In 2011, after a decade of operating in Tribeca NY, Cain moved his digital production company New Renaissance Productions, specializing in narrative, documentary and experimental digital filmmaking, to the revitalized art scene of New York City’s Harlem. Cain is presently in pre-production for his new documentary Chez Baldwin, a film on acclaimed writer James Baldwin’s last twelve years of his life in Saint Paul de Vence, France.
Lance continues to produce and direct his independent films while working in television as an editor and story-producer for companies like Vice, Bravo, NatGeo, and CBS. He’s an adjunct professor and thesis advisor at his alma mater, The School of Visual Arts in New York City.
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
I first met Abiodun Oyewole in the summer of 2013 when Gabrielle David the publisher of 2 Leaf Press asked me to take some publicity photos for Branches Of The Tree Of Life, a 40-year omnibus collection of Abiodun’s poetry. I’ve been working in the film industry for well over 25 years and have worked alongside some of the biggest celebrities in the world but have never really been star struck but going to see Abiodun Oyewole brought out a nervous excitability. I was going to hang out and photograph one of The Last Poets, a revolutionary poet of a revolutionary period in the history of this country, one of the pioneers of Hip Hop.
When we got to Abiodun’s apartment on Morningside Avenue and 120th Street Abiodun immediately put me at ease with his wide-toothed grin and his disarming relaxed no-nonsense hospitality. We spoke for an hour or so about art and politics and thanks to Abiodun’s casual openness I found myself on the corner of reverence and ease. He had a way of dismissing the cult of personality while maintaining his mystique.
We went outside to shoot across the street in Morningside Park as the late afternoon July sun peeked and poked through the branches and leaves of the trees. We continued talking about art and politics and as we talked I shot photos. When the sun dipped behind the building and the light got flat in the shadows of the setting sun we wrapped. I scrolled through some of the photos and showed them to Abiodun and Gabrielle to see how he felt about them. He was pleasantly surprised and then confessed that he hated having his picture taken but that this whole process was painless and actually enjoyable. That put the day over the top for me.
A few weeks later Gabrielle asked me to design the cover of the book using one of the photos from that day. I was of course honored and when I was done and Gabrielle had approved the cover she sent it to Abiodun to see how he felt about it. Abiodun called to tell me that he loved the cover and that I had captured both his essence and vision for the book.
Since Branches Of The Tree Of Life is an omnibus of Abiodun’s poetry he wrote a condensed autobiography of his life and it became the preface to the book. Here was a man who was born in Ohio in a home for unwed mothers who at 3 years old decided to leave his mother to live with his aunt in New York. Here was a man who fell in love with the word and felt compelled to put that love in service to the freedom of his people. Here was a man who robbed the KKK to get bail money for a friend in jail only to himself be caught and serve time in prison. Here was a man who went on to international prominence with his with the love of the word and his commitment to the freedom of his people. After reading that preface the machinery that constructs imagery in my head started turning and I could immediately see a documentary starting to taking a form and giving itself a shape in my imagination. How could this not be the fertile ground for a documentary?
I went on to shoot a book video for 2 Leaf Press for Branches Of The Tree Of Life called 'Last Poet In Harlem' along with Abiodun reciting a few poems. On December 6th, we did a shoot for two of Abiodiun's better-known poems 'Reign Of Terror' and 'My People' on 125th Street in front of the Apollo. During the shoot, the marquee on the Apollo announced that Nelson Mandela had passed away. The urgency of doing Harlem's Last Poet became overwhelming. We were losing our heroes and although Nelson Mandela's story is well known there were many other stories that were going untold and we couldn't let the story of Abiodun be relegated to an omission in history. Abiodun enjoyed the process of the shoots we did for his book video and when I approached him about doing a documentary about his life and he agreed enthusiastically.
Harlem’s Last Poet will follow Abiodun Oyewlole as he works with a group of talented musicians to create a concept album documenting his life. The life of Abiodun Oyewole is an epic story that would seem completely unbelievable if it weren’t actually true. The impact he had on Hip-hop with The Last Poets cannot be overstated. His commitment to the freedom of Black people and to poetry is something that is recognized the world over.
As Abiodun and the musicians work on the album, Abiodun will recount stories from his life as well as his philosophical views on art and politics. At key moments of these recollections, there will be short surreal, hallucinatory, dream-like reenactments that are fleetingly woven into his narrative playing on the idea of how memory is constructed. Intwined into these elements will be poetry videos where Abiodun will perform some of his most widely known and best-loved poems.
Abiodun’s story won’t simply play out in interviews but will be reflected in the poetry workshops he does with both school children and prisoners. For the past 40 years, Abiodun has also been holding an open arts salon in his home every Sunday where musicians and poets come and perform work in an informal setting. Often times famous musicians and poets mix with younger up and coming poets and the film will incorporate some of these interactions at the weekly salon.
The film will also include Abiodun’s legal battles to gain authorial control over his work with The Last Poets during the recordings done with Jimi Hendrix record producer Alan Douglas. When the concept album Abiodun has been working on is near completion Abiodun will go into the studio to record the album and the film will conclude with a performance with his band before a live audience. Harlem’s Last Poet has cross-media elements factored into the film. The film will produce an album by Abiodun and a concert film will accompany the documentary.
Last Poet In Harlem from Audio Visual Terrorism on Vimeo.
Shortly after Abiodun agreed to do this documentary I dragged him up on the roof of his building in Harlem to talk about Harlem and the effect that Harlem has had on his life. I say dragged because Abiodun doesn’t like heights. I wanted him to be comfortable so I thought quickly and brought his chair and his small African table from Senegal along with a lamp from his living room up onto the roof and asked him to relax as if he were in his living room. It worked. Abiodun sat and smoked and talked about Harlem in the late afternoon light of a warm October day on the roof of his building with the Grant Projects of Harlem as his backdrop.
Since that first day of shooting, we have gone on to shoot The Last Poets in London. We shot Abiodun in Deptford SE London doing his famous poem 'When The Revolution Comes' under an arched brick train overpass that was acoustically perfect with Donn Baba Babatunde on percussions. We also shot an interview with the Last Poets on the roof of the famous Birds Nest in Deptford (where bands like Dire Straits and Squeeze got their start). We've shot a series of interviews in Abiodun's home in Harlem. We walked around Harlem and shot him for hours as he was stopped and greeted on every street.
HARLEM SHOUT OUT TO ABIODUN FROM JUNE CANCUN from Audio Visual Terrorism on Vimeo.
It’s a beginning, but filmmaking is an all-encompassing art form and it often requires more resources than are at one's disposal to be done right. In those cases, one has to go out and find the resources to do a film justice. The life of Abiodun Oyewole is an epic story that would seem completely unbelievable if it weren’t true. The impact he had on Hip-hop with The Last Poets cannot be overstated. His commitment to the freedom of Black people and to poetry is something that is recognized the world over. How can the life of Abiodun Oyewole not be the subject of a documentary? All one has to do is read the condensed autobiographical preface to 'Branches Of The Tree Of Life' to realize that.
If you're wondering how we got this far, it's only out of love, hard work, respect, hard work, resilience, hard work, and persistence. (Did I mention hard work?) Until now, when time and love don't pay the bills, we've self-financed the film. We've explored more traditional financing, going to the American Film Market in 2017 to find distributors and possible financiers only to find that the AFM is not a good place to finance documentaries. In 2018 we took third place at the Princeton Independent Film Festival Pitch Contest. We participated in Meet The Decision Makers meetings at the Independent Film Projects, IFP Week in New York in 2017, 2018 and 2019 and generated keen interest in the film. We were invited to be a part of the very exclusive Production Finance Market in London in 2018 and once again generated a lot of positive interest in the film from distribution partners, sales agents, and financiers but as of right now, we have no financial commitments from any of the people we've approached. So we've turned to Seed & Spark and decided to make our appeal directly to the people.
We're trying to raise money for the more complex parts of the project. We need to shoot the writing workshops Abiodun does in prisons and schools but we need to do so with multiple cameras, extra sound people and extra crew in general. Those shoots will also require more in terms of logistics with added liability insurance and clearances. We also want to shoot the reenactments of key moments in Abiodun's life that require period costumes, set dressing and art direction. The weekly arts Salon on Sundays Abiodun does in his home will also require some resources in order for us to do it right.
The beautiful thing about helping us make this campaign financially successful is that it not only helps us to make the film but it also proves to the industry people we've spoken to at the American Film Market in Santa Monica, the Independent Feature Project in New York and the Production Finance Market in London that there's an audience for this film. We believe that their reluctance to financially back the film can be overcome by proving that there's a sizable audience that warrants supporting Harlem's Last Poet.
We've managed to lay down a solid foundation with this project and we invite you to join us and help build on it. Whether you help in sharing the campaign with family and friends or bless us with a financial contribution or support us with an in-kind contribution we appreciate the encouragement. Together we can make Harlem's Last Poet, with all the respect, admiration and love that a project such as this deserves.
Audio Visual Terrorism on Twitter
Audio Visual Terrorism on Facebook
Audio Visual Terrorism on Instagram
Harlem's Last Poet on Facebook
Speller Street Films on Twitter
Speller Street Films on Facebook
Speller Street Films on Instagram
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Camera Crew
Costs $5,000
We need additional camera operators for days when we shoot with second and third cameras.
Location Sound Crew
Costs $4,000
Location Sound person for days when we do multi-camera shoots.
Insurance
Costs $5,000
Additional production insurance to shoot in a prison and a school.
Red Camera Rental
Costs $4,000
Although we own a Red Epic there will be days when we need to shoot with additional cameras.
Set Dressing
Costs $5,000
We need to rent furniture and props for our period reenactments.
Wardrobe Rentals
Costs $2,500
We need to rent period costumes for our reenactments.
Studio Rental
Costs $2,500
We need to rent a studio for two of our reenactments.
Actors
Costs $5,000
We'll need actors for the reenactments.
Casting Director
Costs $1,500
We'll need a casting director for our reenactments.
Van Rental
Costs $1,500
We'll need to rent both Passenger and Cargo Vans for reenactments, prison shoot, and school shoots.
Craft Services
Costs $1,000
Craft Services for cast and crew for reenactment, prison, and school shoot days.
Catering
Costs $2,000
Catering for reenactment, prison and school shoot days.
Incentive Fulfilment
Costs $1,000
The cost of postage, packaging, and logistics to fulfill our incentives for this campaign.
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
vagabond • Producer • Director
vagabond is a writer, artist, and filmmaker. He's worked in the Puerto Rican independence movement since 1997 and has organized rallies, protests, and marches, created murals, pamphlets, and agitprop with the artist collective he co-founded called the 'RICANSTRUCTION Netwerk'. His artwork and writing have been featured in Blu Magazine, AWOL, SALVO, Left Turn, and Liberator Magazine. His first feature film MACHETERO is about the ongoing struggle for Puerto Rican independence and has screened at festivals around the world winning awards in South Africa, Wales, England, Thailand, Ireland, and New York.
His short story 'KAFKA'S LAST LAUGH' was a part of the sci-fi anthology 'OCTAVIA'S BROOD: SCIENCE FICTION FROM SOCIAL JUSTICE MOVEMENTS' a book inspired by the life and work of Octavia Butler. 'OCTAVIA'S BROOD' debuted at #3 on Amazon in Science Fiction anthology's and 'KAFKA'S LAST LAUGH' was featured on TruthOut.org. vagabond is also an award-winning short filmmaker winning multiple awards at film festivals around the world for his films 'NO WAY HOME', 'CONEY ISLAND DREAMING', 'SACRED AND PROFANE FACELESS JACKS', and 'BARON SATURDAY OF CONEY ISLAND'.
He’s about to complete a feature-length documentary on original Nuyorican Poet Jesus Papoleto Melendez called 'ALL ROADS LEAD TO THE FIRE ESCAPE'. He’s currently producing and directing 'HARLEM'S LAST POET', a documentary on the life of Abiodun Oyewlole a founding member of The Last Poets, who served time in prison for robbing the KKK.
Christopher Everett • Producer Marketing And Distribution
Christopher Everett is a creative director, producer, archivist and curator. He is the President of Speller Street Films, North Carolina’s premiere film production and distribution company.
Born and raised in Laurinburg, North Carolina, he has mastered the titles of film producer and director. He has also grown to showcase his abilities as a social media specialist and graphic designer. He currently works with Full Frame Documentary Film Festival in Durham, North Carolina as the Communications Manager which has continued to influence his growth in the film industry branching off into new regions.
Christopher has been the keynote speaker at a magnitude of events and festivals, where he displayed social media strategies and audience building along with presenting films that he has curated. His speeches have been heard in the audiences of Savannah State University, St. Augustine University, Northwestern University, University of North Carolina Greensboro and North Carolina State University to name a few. He has showcased his films at events such as the North Carolina Film Forum, Cause and Effect Film Festival, SAURUS Festival, Tek Mountain, Scotland County NAACP MLK Celebration and more.
He has been featured in several well-known publications and media platforms such as The New Yorker, Documentary Magazine, NPR, WNYC, Shadow & Act, PBS / UNC-TV, Spectrum News, and Film Trooper.
Going on three years, his debut feature documentary “Wilmington on Fire” which chronicles the 1898 Wilmington Coup, screens to sold-out crowds across the state of North Carolina and several parts of the country. He is currently filming his next two documentaries, “Wilmington on Fire 2”, the follow-up to his award-winning documentary “Wilmington on Fire” and also “Grandmaster” which looks at the legacy of martial arts pioneer Vic Moore.
Christopher attended King’s College located in Charlotte, North Carolina in 2002 where he received his Associate of Applied Science Degree in Graphic Design. He has received notable awards such as Best Local Independent Film from Encore Magazine in 2016, Best Documentary Feature as NC Black Film Festival and Best Director First Feature Documentary from Pan African Film Festival in 2017 amongst other awards and many more to come!
Omar Villegas • Producer
Bronx born, but Brooklyn raised, from Guatemalan parents, Omar graduated from The High School of Art and Design a specialized art school in Manhattan. He went on to the School Of Visual Arts for a year but left to find work in the film industry. Ironically enough he got his first job through his father, who’s love of film was a huge influence on Omar to become a filmmaker. He landed his first job as a wardrobe assistant on ‘The Ambulance’ starring Eric Roberts and James Earl Jones.
He met his producing partner, vagabond, while the two of them were working as parking coordinators on Barbet Schroder’s ‘Reversal Of Fortune’. Omar and vagabond’s first major production was shooting ‘SALSA CON SABOTAGE’ a punk rock documentary following NYC based Puerto Rican punk band, RICANSTRUCTION, while on tour, interviewing people all across El Salvador, five years after the civil war ended. Omar went on to shoot several seasons of television for Galavision and SiTV (now NuvoTV) for a few years. He was the second unit director on the internationally award-winning feature film MACHETERO.
Recently, Omar’s been working on a variety of Audio Visual Terrorism productions. He played the lead in the experimental anti-narrative ‘NO WAY HOME’, which took three awards at film festivals. He produced the five-time award-wining ‘CONEY ISLAND DREAMING’ which stars his daughter Mondriana (who is also an accomplished composer). He also produced ‘CONEY ISLAND SIREN’ and produced and shot the gorgeous ‘CONEY ISLAND SUNRISE’. He also produced and directed the experimental short film ‘MYSTIC SYSTEM OF THE ROSY ORDER’ with poet and writer Youssef Alaoui.
He played the lead role in the Fringe Festival award-winning play ‘TRASH TALK: A Play About Garbage’ written by Not4Prophet, and reprised the role when it played at the Frenzy Fest. His most recent film as a producer is the award-winning ‘BARON SATURDAY OF CONEY ISLAND’ starring Tony award winner Wilson J Heredia, his daughter Mondriana and himself. He’s been producing and shooting a series of music videos lately, HE PROMISES’ for The Impossible Kings, ‘STRICTLY STREETS AND SUBWAY’ and ‘NO SOY DE AQUI’ for Abrazos Army as well as ‘WHO ARE WE NOW’ for Synacure which featured Abiodun Oyewole.
Lance Cain • Editor
Lance Cain is a primetime Emmy award winning editor, filmmaker, and photographer with almost twenty years of experience. He started his career in advertising, working with companies such as Young and Rubicam and Saatchi and Saatchi. Eventually, he moved into television and films.
His latest directorial project, The Invisible Ones, tells the story of two schools on the top of Mount Sarazin in Haiti. His art documentary film 'A Few Days After' debuted at the 2011 Ghost Shadows art exhibition at Dada Post Gallery in Berlin. The title refers to the shadows of the World Trade Center, which fell across the Tribeca neighborhood where Lance and six other artists lived and worked prior and during that tragic day. His film and installation explored his neighborhood ground zero just days after the 9/11 attacks.
Lance began his career as a commercial editor at Version-2 Editorial and then as a creative director with Third Element Productions and JP Studios. During this period he produced and directed dozens of commercial spots and music videos for Capital, Select and Tommy Boy Records. In the early 2000s, Cain produced online digital content, joining forces with Time Inc. Studios, where he produced and edited doc webisodes for L’Oreal, Essence Magazine, and WebMD. He also continued acting as a creative director for an array of companies that included; Dogmatic Productions, TAG Creative, The Sundance Channel and MH3 Productions.
In 2005, Cain won an Emmy for Outstanding Editing in a Comedy, Music or Miniseries for the A&E documentary Paul McCartney In Red Square. In 2008 Cain co-created and directed the web series New York Verité, a mélange of downtown theater, cinema verite, and reality TV, digitally filmed before a live studio audience.
In 2010 Cain edited the romantic feature film, ”My Last Day Without You” starring Nicole Beharie and Ken Duken for director Stefen Schafer and Circala Filmworks. Cain’s first major photo exhibition “The Corner Of Haarlemmerstraat and Saint Germain Blvd” (2009) opened at the Soho Creative Gallery and exhibited at Axis Gallery in New York City. The show featured a collection of photos juxtaposing images of Parisian cafés with Amsterdam coffee-shops. His most recent photo exhibit is part of his series The Last days Of Tribeca. The Knitting Factory was the last live music venue to close in Tribeca and Cain captures the last hip hop night, featuring musical artists Talib Kwali and Quest Love.
In 2011, after a decade of operating in Tribeca NY, Cain moved his digital production company New Renaissance Productions, specializing in narrative, documentary and experimental digital filmmaking, to the revitalized art scene of New York City’s Harlem. Cain is presently in pre-production for his new documentary Chez Baldwin, a film on acclaimed writer James Baldwin’s last twelve years of his life in Saint Paul de Vence, France.
Lance continues to produce and direct his independent films while working in television as an editor and story-producer for companies like Vice, Bravo, NatGeo, and CBS. He’s an adjunct professor and thesis advisor at his alma mater, The School of Visual Arts in New York City.