Wednesday, January 30, 2008

Wilmington, N.C. – As part of its celebration of Black History Month, the University of North Carolina Wilmington announces a free screening of the world premiere of Colored White Boy, a film documentary written, produced and directed by Maurice M. Martinez, professor in the Watson School of Education. The screening will begin at 7 p.m. Friday, Feb. 1 in the recital of the UNCW Cultural Arts Building.

Live music performances by Department of Music faculty Mike Waddell, clarinet, and Jerald Shynett, piano, will accompany the film. Grenoldo Frazier, pianist and vocalist for the soundtrack of the film, will make a special guest appearance.

Colored White Boy is the true story of a white man from Pender County who discovers that he is actually African American. According to Martinez, the film sheds light on the racial diversity of North Carolina, which has been kept secret for countless generations. It opens the shutters of sheltered truths to reveal the pathos of human existence in a social order that restricted the freedom of some and allowed unlimited privilege for others.

Martinez, a Creole native son of New Orleans, also produced Too White to be Black, Too Black to be White: The New Orleans Creole, a documentary on the first authentic treatment of a group of Americans who proudly identify themselves as “Creoles.” When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts, a documentary on Hurricane Katrina directed and produced by Spike Lee, featured film footage by Martinez.

The world premiere of Colored White Boy is made possible through the combined support of the UNCW Department of Music, the Upperman African American Cultural Center, and the Watson School of Education.

Media contact:

Maurice Martinez, professor, Watson School of Education, 910.962.4270 or martinezm@uncw.edu

Media are invited to attend and cover this event.