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PRESS KIT
IMBA MEANS SING IS AN OFFICIAL SELECTION OF
FOR ALL MEDIA REQUESTS, PLEASE CONTACT ERIN BERNHARDT
[email protected]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
AWARD WINNING ATLANTA FILMMAKERS TO DEBUT “IMBA MEANS SING” DOCUMENTARY AT ATLANTA FILM FESTIVAL
Heartfelt Story About The African Children’s Choir Explores Human Rights, Education And The Power Of Music The Atlanta Music Project Choir and Yacht Rock Revue will perform before the screening at the world premiere event of “Imba Means Sing” on Tuesday, March 24, 2015 at 7:30pm at Atlanta’s Rialto Center for the Arts. th
(March 5 , 2015 – Atlanta, GA) – “IMBA MEANS SING,” the new documentary film from Producer Erin Bernhardt and Director th
Danielle Bernstein, premieres at the 39 annual Atlanta Film Festival on March 24, 2015. The film, shot by Jason Maris in Uganda, the United Kingdom and the United States, is an intimate character portrait of the young singers of The African Children’s Choir and follows the children on their journeys from poverty to success via music education. Stunning photography captures the stark contrasts between the Choir members’ homes in East Africa and their various tour stops thousands of miles away, where they experience firsts such as eating pancakes, building a snowman, seeing the lights of Times Square and singing the US National Anthem at an Atlanta Braves game at Turner Field. The film’s moving score is provided by Atlanta-­‐bred musician Ryan Potesta (Magnets and Ghosts). Dedicated to improving the lives of children, the filmmakers will donate 100% of film’s profits to support the Choir’s work educating thousands of students across Africa. ABOUT THE FILM “IMBA MEANS SING” is the story of a little boy named Moses who becomes a big star. Stardom, however, is not what he imagined. As the celebrity drummer for the Grammy-­‐nominated African Children’s Choir, Moses is responsible for wowing crowds – and providing a future for his family who lives in the slums of Kampala, Uganda. He dreams of being an airline pilot when he grows up. Yet, his parents lack the resources for him to attend school. His talent – and the nurturing educational programs the Choir provides – are the only things that can secure his future. The film follows Moses throughout his first Choir tour, where he’s joined by two other young singers – Angel and Nina – whose perseverance and joy-­‐filled performances embody the transformative power of music. By the time the children return to their own country for a homecoming concert, one thing is certain: life as they knew it will never be the same. ABOUT THE FILMMAKERS Erin Bernhardt served in the Peace Corps in Madagascar before returning to her hometown of Atlanta to produce specials for CNN, where she won Emmy and Peabody awards for her production work. After an encounter with the African Children’s Choir in Uganda, she left her job to tell the story of the children whose music changed her life, in hopes that their lives and songs might inspire others to act on behalf of education as a human right – and to prove that music has the power to lift entire families out of poverty. Danielle Bernstein is the founder of Clear Films Productions, an independent film production company that partners with nonprofit organizations to amplify issues and create solutions to help end extreme poverty. Her directorial debut, When Clouds Clear, attended over 50 film festivals and was the recipient of numerous awards. Additionally Danielle is the recipient of a Cine Golden Eagle Award, Accolade Award, the New York State Council of the Arts Grant, and First Pix NextPix. The Atlanta Film Festival, now in its fourth decade, is an Academy Award qualifying festival and one of the region’s largest and longest-­‐running preeminent celebrations of cinema in the Southeast United States. Over 20,000 festival attendees enjoy independent, animated, documentary, and short films each year, selected from over 3,500 submissions from more than 100 countries. Major funding for the Atlanta Film Festival is provided by the Turner Voices Foundation of Turner Broadcasting, XFINITY, MailChimp and the Fulton County Board of Commissioners under the guidance of the Fulton County Arts Council. For more information, please contact: Erin Bernhardt -­‐ (404) 702-­‐2879 -­‐ [email protected] http://imbafilm.com/ Photo by Ashley Nicole Jones
ABOUT THE FILM
An independent documentary feature film,
IMBA MEANS SING proves the power of
music and the impact of an education.
We are donating 100% of film profits
to support the Choir’s work educating
thousands of children across Africa!
IMBA MEANS SING is the story of one little boy
who is a big star. As the celebrity drummer from
the Grammy-nominated African Children’s Choir,
Moses relies on his youthful resilience. Growing
up in the slums of Kampala, Uganda, Moses and
his family lack enough resources for him to even
attend the first grade.
We are partnering with some of the most
effective poverty alleviation and youth
empowerment organizations in the world,
including:
The film is an intimate character portrait,
stunningly shot and told through Moses’
perspective on his one shot journey from
poverty towards his dream of becoming a pilot.
Our goal is to leverage IMBA MEANS SING
through audience outreach and engagement to
raise awareness and support for music education locally and equal access to education as a
human right globally.
The African Children’s Choir
Creative Visions Foundation
Girl Talk, Inc.
The United Nations
The House of Blues Foundation
ONE Campaign
The Hilde Back Education Fund
The Global Soap Project
The Akola Project
Choral groups around the globe!
FOR ALL MEDIA REQUESTS, PLEASE CONTACT ERIN BERNHARDT
[email protected]
Photo by Ashley Nicole Jones
ABOUT THE FILMMAKERS
ERIN BERNHARDT, Producer
Erin works through film, journalism and events
to inspire and motivate people to rally behind
important issues. Prior to IMBA MEANS SING,
Erin was a writer/producer at CNN, where she
won an Emmy and two Peabody Awards. Erin
is a graduate of the University of Virginia and
served in the Peace Corps in Madagascar. Erin
is a member of LEAD Atlanta and the Beltline’s
Young Advisory Council.
JASON MARIS, Cinematographer
Jason Maris has traveled extensively documenting projects for a diverse client base, including
the United States Marine Corp, Turner Broadcasting, Nike, Atlanta Falcons, and Coca Cola.
As a Getty photographer his editorial work has
been published worldwide in publications such
as Time Magazine, Newsweek, and ESPN. He
has won several awards, most recently a Bronze
Addy, and is a father of three.
DANIELLE BERNSTIEN, Director and Editor
Danielle is an award winning filmmaker dedicated to social issues. She attended School of
the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts University and
founded Clear Films Productions. Her directorial
debut, WhenClouds Clear, which attended over
50 film festivals. She has won a Cine Golden
Eagle Award, Accolade Award, the New York
State Council of the Arts Grant, and First Pix
NextPix. She is a contributor to ONE.org and the
proud mom to a baby girl!
RYAN POTESTA, Score Composer
Ryan is an LA-based musician, composer,
producer and performer and a member of
notable modern rock band Magnets and Ghosts
with Dean Roland.
Additional Producers:
KATHY ELDON/TREVOR HALL, Co-Producers
STEPHEN NEMETH, Executive Producer
EMMANUEL JAL, Executive Producer
FOR ALL MEDIA REQUESTS, PLEASE CONTACT ERIN BERNHARDT
[email protected]
The Atlanta Music Project Choir
Photo by Anthony Alston
Solidarity Films
WORLD PREMIERE EVENT
Join us for the world
premiere of
IMBA MEANS SING!
Tuesday
March 24, 2015
7:30 PM
Celebrate with the Atlanta-based filmmakers
and crew as part of the 39th annual ATLANTA
FILM FESTIVAL. Plus, enjoy a producer’s
discussion and performances by The Atlanta
Music Project Choir, with members from the
popular Atlanta band Yacht Rock Revue.
Rialto Center for the Arts
80 Forsyth St NW, Atlanta
For press tickets, contact
[email protected]
or CLICK HERE to purchase
tickets ($11.50 each).
FOR ALL MEDIA REQUESTS, PLEASE CONTACT ERIN BERNHARDT
[email protected]
ABOUT ATLANTA FILM FESTIVAL
Now in its fourth decade, the Atlanta Film
Festival—one of only two-dozen Academy
Award® qualifying festivals in the U.S.—is the
area’s preeminent celebration of cinema.
The Atlanta Film Festival is one of the largest
and longest-running festival in the country, welcoming an audience of over 25,000 to discover
hundreds of new independent, international,
animated, documentary, and short films, selected from 3000+ submissions from all over the
world. It is also the most distinguished event
in its class, recognized as Best Film Festival by
Creative Loafing, Sunday Paper, 10Best and
Atlanta Magazine. Recent festival guests have
included Josh Brolin (NO COUNTRY FOR OLD
MEN), Eddie Vedder (Pearl Jam), Michael Ealy
(BARBERSHOP), Jasmine Guy (DIFFERENT
WORLD), Gary Anthony Williams (MALCOLM IN
THE MIDDLE), Pauley Chris Moore (GOOD WILL
HUNTING,), Howard Zinn (The Peoples’ History
of the United States), Ray McKinnon
(THE BLIND SIDE), Walton Goggins (THE
SHIELD), Margaret Cho (DROP DEAD DIVA),
comedian Jeff Foxworthy, Pauley Perrette (NCIS),
Tichina Arnold (EVERYBODY HATES CHRIS),
John Sayles (PASSION FISH), Hal Hartley (SIMPLE MEN), Carlos Cauron (RUDO Y CURSI) and
Patterson Hood (Drive-By Truckers).
The Atlanta Film Festival is a membership-based
501(c)(3) arts non-profit with a mission to lead
the community in creative and cultural discovery
through the moving image. ATLFF presents a
diverse slate of year-round offerings for film-lovers, filmmakers, and industry professionals. Year
round programs —screenings, parties, panels,
workshops, and other educational events –provide a forum for building the community of film
lovers and film supporters. By bringing audiences and filmmakers together, the Festival has the
opportunity to broaden the perspective of both
artists and moviegoers.
FOR ALL MEDIA REQUESTS, PLEASE CONTACT ERIN BERNHARDT
[email protected]
DIGITAL MEDIA RESOURCES
Click on images and links below for more info.
ABOUT THE FILM
TRAILER
VIDEO FOOTAGE
http://imbafilm.com/ABOUT
http://imbafilm.com/trailer/
Click HERE to request exclusive clips.
PRESS PHOTOS
TEAM BIOS
CURRENT PRESS
DROPBOX
http://imbafilm.com/about/crew/
http://imbafilm.com/recognition/
(Please use photo credits as noted.)
Producer, Director and Composer
are available for interviews!
FOR ALL MEDIA REQUESTS, PLEASE CONTACT ERIN BERNHARDT
[email protected]