The music video I directed for Sananda Maitreya’s “I Wanna Breathe” debuted on Afropunk right before Thanksgiving. It’s not everyday we get to match music to images in what we hope is a poignant presentation of the #BlackLivesMatter conversation.
ABOUT THE VIDEO: (via Afropunk article):
Pete Chatmon (the director of the video) states: “It seems we can’t go a week without another incident of police over-reach, ultimately ending with the unwarranted death of a black citizen. A father, mother, daughter, son, cousin, friend — and everything in between. The individual news reports and articles resonate, but I wanted to position this reality in a relentless barrage of real images that demand the viewer to watch, and hopefully wake up, to what’s going on. It was also important to me to connect what’s happening now with what has historically occurred in America, particularly within the civil rights era. The Eric Garner incident may have been what inspired Sananda to pen these lyrics, but the beauty in what he’s done is that he’s spoken, in an anthem, to the desire and inalienable rights of black people in America to live free, as everyone else does. His voice speaks to the struggle of a people while communicating hope. The narrative arc of the young boy is our anchor upon which to place the hope for change in future generations.”
BEHIND-THE-SCENES:
CREW:
Production Company: TreeHouse Publishing in collaboration with Double7 Images
Producers: Francesca Francone Maitreya, Pete Chatmon
Director: Pete Chatmon
Cinematographer: Dylan Verrechia
AC/Gaffer: Tristan Nash
Unit Production Manager: Bilynda Brown
Post-Production Supervisor: Jean Claude Billmaier | Marabigo
Editor: Adam Boese (on Premiere Pro)
Color Correction: Ben Dewey (on DaVinci Resolve)
Shot in N.Y. on the RED Epic
CAST:
Marcellus Brown (young boy)
Valence Thomas (business man)
Ravenell Williams (older man)