WRITER/CO-DIRECTOR
SAPELO
(2021)
A heartfelt elegy...an affecting coming-of-age story underpinned by a lament for a vanishing heritage. An involving documentary.
Screen International
On the barrier island of Sapelo, two brothers are growing up in the last remaining enclave of the Saltwater Geechee people.
Their greatest joy is exploring the island like their adoptive mother, Cornelia Walker Bailey, did as a child. As Sapelo’s storyteller and elder matriarch, she works to preserve what remains of this unique community established by her ancestors.
Reflecting on the complicated splendor of her youth, Cornelia strives to shepherd her young sons through theirs. At the dawn of adolescence, the brothers inherit her hope, but their bond is tested as they begin to face the wider world.
BEST FEATURE FILM
National Competition - Visions du Réel
BEST DOCUMENTARY
Kansas City International Film Festival
Ojai Film Festival
River Run International Film Festival
Bend Film Festival
BEST DIRECTING
BEST DOCUMENTARY CINEMATOGRAPHY
Bend Film Festival
PRIX DE SOLEURE - NOMINEE
Solothurner Filmtage
HONORABLE MENTION
Nashville Film Festival
SPECIAL JURY AWARD
Cinema on the Bayou