On Friday, February 10, at 6:45 pm PT, our documentary, MOVE WHEN THE SPIRIT SAYS MOVE: THE LEGACY OF DOROTHY FOREMAN COTTON, directed and produced by PhotoSynthesis Productions, premiered as an opening night selection at the Pan African Film Festival at the Cinemark Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza 15 and XD in Los Angeles, with an encore screening on February 11.
The documentary chronicles the life of DCI’s distinguished fellow and co-founder, Dorothy Foreman Cotton, and her inspiring, courageous work for civil and human rights. The film is directed by Ry Ferro (RIZE UP, THERE’SYOUR READY GIRL, RE:THINKING) and Deborah C. Hoard (RIZE UP, THEY CALL IT MYANMAR, CIVIL WARRIORS).
Dr. Cotton was the only woman on Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s executive staff. The film includes insights, commentary, reflections, and recounts from notables such as Ambassador Andrew Young and Bernard Lafayette, both of whom worked closely with Dorothy Cotton and Dr. King at the Southern Christian Leadership Conference), Latosha Brown, founder of Black Voters Matter, and Ash-Lee Woodard Henderson (Highlander Research and Education Center), civil rights leader Rev. Carolyn Maul McKinstry, Mrs. Aljosie Harding of the National Council of Elders, and Stanford historian and founder of the Martin Luther King Research and Education Institute, Dr. Clayborne Carson.
“We are honored to bring Dorothy’s story to the world during a time when democracy is being threatened,” said Deborah Hoard, producer and director. “Her legacy can help us to recognize our power as citizens and use it to bring about the change we seek.”
The film has been a collaboration between PhotoSynthesis Productions and the Dorothy Cotton Institute (DCI). DCI was founded by Dorothy Cotton and her colleagues in 2007 in Ithaca, NY. DCI offers human rights education and training in civic engagement, based on the philosophy and practices of nonviolence, reconciliation, restoration, and leadership development.
The Pan African Film and Arts Festival in Los Angeles (PAFF) presents and showcases a broad spectrum of Black creative works, particularly those that reinforce positive images and help to destroy negative stereotypes of Africans and African Americans. Since 1992, PAFF has remained dedicated to the promotion of Black stories and images through the exhibition of film, visual art, and other creative expression. Today, PAFF is one of the largest and most prestigious Black film festivals in the U.S. and attracts local, national, and international audiences. In addition, it is an Oscar-qualifying festival for animation and live-action films, and one of the largest Black History Month events in America. We are thrilled that Move When the Spirit Says Move played to a sold-out audience and producer Deborah Hoard and director Ry Ferro were honored by a surprise special guest. Civil rights activist and leader, Rev. James Lawson came to the screening and loved the film, and he expressed that it is so needed now.
This March, 2023, Move When the Spirit Says Move will be shown on March 18 at the Sebastopol Documentary Film Festival. The film has been nominated to the Toronto International Women Film Festival. There will be a special screening in Goldsboro, NC, Dorothy Cotton’s home town, and a special in-person screening in downtown Ithaca, NY on March 25 at the Finger Lakes Environmental Film Festival (FLEFF) at Cinemapolis.