HBO's 'We Are The Dream: The Kids of the Oakland MLK Oratorical' documentary trailer will leave you in shambles. I recently attended a screening of the documentary at the Fox Oakland Theatre in California. In the Oakland event, competing students can perform their own original poems, monologues and scenes in addition to well-known speeches by King and others. He talks about Lincoln; he talks about equality; he talks about justice; and then he gets on a bus and faces the height of injustice.”. We Are The Dream: The Kids Of … On February 18, HBO will air We Are the Dream: The Kids of the Oakland MLK Oratorical Fest. “The Apollo,” “We Are the Dream: The Kids of Oakland MLK Oratorical Fest,” “Moonlight Sonata: Deafness in Three Movements,” and “McMillions” are all available to stream via HBO Max. The festival is less about competition than about encouraging the students to “bridge the past and the present as we are thinking about their futures,” said Awele Makeba, an educator and professional storyteller who produces the contest and appears in “We Are the Dream.”, It’s about “the possibility of who they want to become,” Makeba added, “and the world they want to create.”. In the poem, Mohammed imagines an America where Muslim children and their families are welcomed and can wear their “scarves” (hijabs) freely without rebuke. ET on HBO. Just in time for Martin Luther King Jr. Day, PEOPLE presents the exclusive trailer for HBO’s powerful new documentary, We Are the Dream: The Kids of the Oakland MLK Oratorical Fest. The film comes from "Songs of Parkland" director Amy Schatz and executive producer Mahershala Ali. While this past Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day was filled with surprises from White House counselors and the FBI, we're sure this executive-produced worked by Oscar-winning actor Mahershala Ali will do the Reverand and the youth of Oakland, CA justice. HBO’s We Are The Dream Trailer Will Bring You To Tears. WE ARE THE DREAM: THE KIDS OF THE OAKLAND MLK ORATORICAL FEST features the Oakland Unified School District’s MLK Oratorical Festival in California – one of the many oratorical competitions that take place in communities across the country. Abrar Mohammed was among the young performers in “We Are the Dream.”. #MLK #WeAreTheDream #HBO #HBODocs The book included a story about King, as a high school student, entering (and winning) a student oratory competition about 90 miles outside Atlanta in 1944. Students take the stage in a public speaking competition in this inspiring portrait of Oakland, CA's 40th Annual MLK Oratorical Festival. ), “I just thought about the contrast of what that would look like,” Anderson said. Watch We Are the Dream, now streaming on HBO. The children are encouraged to reflect on the topics that matter to them the most, ranging from topics including cultural commentary/acceptance, political activism, social justice, environmentalism, and more. Find more posts: Documentaries, To Watch, Trailer. HBO’s “We Are The Dream: The Kids of the Oakland MLK Oratorical” documentary trailer will leave you in shambles. HBO released a trailer for its feature documentary about Oakland's annual Martin Luther King Oratorical Festival, titled "We Are the Dream." Schatz, known for her documentaries and series about children confronting what she called “life’s big subjects,” like climate change and gun violence, originally thought “We Are the Dream” would be about the contest itself and largely consist of profiles of the winners. On their bus ride home afterward, King and his teacher were ordered to give up their seats to white passengers — the young King wanted to resist, but his teacher convinced him not to escalate the situation. But as viewers see in the film, Kamalraj learns to draws connections between King’s nonviolent movement and his own family’s past struggles as part of the Tamil minority in Sri Lanka. We Are the Dream - HBO Documentary (2020) - Executive Producer Mahershala Ali. Aramide A. Tinubu is … For example, Karunyan Kamalraj, a 9-year-old boy from Sri Lanka, had never heard of King before getting involved in the contest. “We have the responsibility to continue to strive for a world that is fair and inclusive and free.”, In ‘We Are the Dream,’ Oakland Students Channel Dr. King. “And then also ideas about kindness or what it means to do the right thing.”. While Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s national holiday commemorating his life and legacy is officially behind us, HBO's upcoming We Are The Dream: The Kids of the Oakland MLK Oratorical documentary will follow the youth of Oakland as they prepare to compete in the city's annual Martin Luther King Oratorical Festival. Teaser Trailer. In ‘We Are the Dream,’ Oakland Students Channel Dr. King Mahershala Ali returns to his Bay Area roots with this HBO film, his first undertaking as a documentary producer. Mahershala Ali returns to his Bay Area roots with this HBO film, his first undertaking as a documentary producer. He was 9, at bible camp, and he had written a poem. Every year, hundreds of children from pre-K through 12th grade take the stage at the Oakland MLK Oratorical Fest, a public speaking competition where they perform poetry and speeches inspired by the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The documentary “We Are the Dream” follows competitors in the Oakland MLK Oratorical Fest, like Gregory Payton, above. The festival is a “little outlet and platform of self esteem,” said Mahershala Ali, above with the students at the film’s premiere. From HBO.com:. Get the hottest music, news and videos delivered directly to your inbox. READ MORE: 6 Must-See Documentaries On Martin Luther King Jr. To Add To Your Watchlist. In celebration of the great hero Martin Luther King's day, HBO releases a trailer for the documentary "We are the Dream," which gives an insight into black culture. An HBO documentary about Oakland kids whose amplified voices echo the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was recognized with an Emmy Award on Sunday. 8. Tweet. This particular competition features hundreds of children ranging in grades from pre-kindergarten through the twelveth grade that get to publicly perform a mixture of published and original poetry and speeches. 5 Reasons Why 'Our Friend, Martin' Is The Most Iconic Educational Film Ever. Ali sees a bit of himself in the young orators captured in the documentary “We Are the Dream: The Kids of the Oakland MLK Oratorical Fest,” which premiered this week on HBO. ... “We Are The Dream… Executive producer and Oakland native Mahershala Ali talks about the impact of the Oakland MLK Oratorical Fest on the lives of students and the community. In HBO's "We Are Who We Are," as in his "Desire Trilogy," the Italian filmmaker's trademark nostalgia is not just a form of longing — it is also a warning. February is an exciting month; not only is it the month for the celebration of love, but it is also the Black History Month. So they stood in the aisle all the way back to Atlanta. This site uses cookies. Anderson and the producer Diane Kolyer spent time on YouTube watching speech videos from other King-themed student oratory contests in states like Texas, Ohio and Virginia. These moments of development and discovery give “We Are the Dream” its most poignant scenes. Every year in Oakland, CA, hundreds of pre-K through 12th grade students compete in the Martin Luther King Oratorical Festival, performing a mix of published and original poetry and speeches. These brave students, from all different walks of life, are continuing the legacy of the coveted Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. who used his oratorical skill set to bring the world together. But more important, the boy’s performance embodies the festival’s synthesis of legacy and optimism that “We Are the Dream” aimed to capture. (When Rosa Parks refused to give up her bus seat to a white passenger 11 years later in Montgomery, Ala., it sparked the boycott that brought King to the forefront of the Civil Rights movement. But the next morning, he was more interested in discussing a humbler but no less momentous occasion: the first time he had ever spoken before an audience. With its focus on young orators as they refine their speeches with their coaches, teachers and families, the film is a hopeful counterpoint to the spate of murder and true-crime docs on cable and streaming TV, shining a light on “this little outlet and platform of self esteem,” Ali said. The hour-long film profiles six students in pre-K through high school who participate in the … We Are The Dream: The Kids of the Oakland MLK Oratorical is a documentary that features many such performances at a competition centered around another powerful public speaker—Martin Luther King Jr. It’s a remarkable film that was just rewarded with an Emmy. A poem by Lamiya Mohammed, 12, written to be performed as a duet with her 6-year-old sister, Abrar, was inspired by an incident in which a random passer-by called their mother a terrorist. We Are the Dream premiered on February 18, so it’s available and free to stream on HBO now.. Related Articles: Tiger Electronics LCD Games Are Making a … Ali, who was born in Oakland and grew up nearby, joined the film after it had been shot — he was asked to executive produce through his Know Wonder production company, which has a partnership with HBO. But after spending time with the student orators, she decided the story should be more about “these issues that the kids were grappling with and the subjects that they cover, like race, social justice, gentrification, immigration,” she said. HBO's We Are The Dream, directed by Amy Schatz and executive produced by Mahershala Ali, will follow the journey of a multitude of beautiful, blossoming souls as they prepare for the 2019 40th Annual Martin Luther King Oratorical Festival. It was Anderson who first conceived “We Are the Dream”; the idea came to her from reading “The Autobiography of Martin Luther King Jr.” (edited by Clayborne Carson) while producing the 2018 documentary “Rise Up: The Movement that Changed America,” directed by Stanley Nelson to mark the 50th anniversary of King’s assassination. HBO has released the trailer for “We Are The Dream,” a documentary film chronicling students who, inspired by the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., … “I realized through this boy Karunyan that it was about what Martin Luther King contributed to the world,” Schatz said. In addition to appearing on HBO’s usual linear and on-demand platforms, the film was made available to nonsubscribers for a month on the network’s website. HBO on Martin Luther King Day today released its trailer for We Are the Dream, its documentary highlighting the annual Martin Luther King Oratorical Festival … Here’s the description, per HBO: A Word from the Mayor of Oakland and Awele Makeba, producer of The Oakland MLK Oratorical Fest. “Give it that Gregory Payton power,” says Zerita Sharp, his coach. Payton reminds Ali a little of another 9-year-old orator from once upon a time, he said. At the Oscars earlier this month, the two-time winner Mahershala Ali (“Moonlight,” “Green Book”) presented the best supporting actress statue in front of his Hollywood peers and millions of people watching live on television. “The courage that it took to go up there and share it, and see how people were impacted by it, was really empowering.”. #MLK #WeAreTheDream #HBO #HBODocs. As Gregory Payton, the 9-year-old grandson of a Baptist minister, practices an address interweaving King’s “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop” speech with the 23rd Psalm, viewers see him starting to master the crescendos and flourishes of the African-American rhetorical traditions of his grandfather and King. Check out the full-length trailer for HBO's upcoming documentary, We Are The Dream: The Kids of the Oakland MLK Oratorical in the video provided below. We Are The Dream premieres February 18, 2020, at 7 p.m. Follow. Directed by Amy Schatz. The trailer alone draws its viewers in as the courageous youths participate in what many adults refuse to engage in, public speech. “This young kid who made an oratory competition. Directed and produced by Amy Schatz and executive produced by Mahershala Ali, We Are the Dream: The Kids of the Oakland MLK Oratorical Fest is an uplifting documentary about young people finding their voices and the community that celebrates their passion. Kolyer proposed the Oakland Unified School District because of the diversity of the student body and contest’s longstanding importance in the community. Directed and produced by Emmy-winner Amy Schatz (In the Shadow of the Towers, Song of Parkland) and executive produced by Academy Award-winner Mahershala Ali (True Detective), We Are the Dream: The Kids of the Oakland MLK Oratorical Fest is an uplifting documentary about young people finding their voices and the community that celebrates and supports their passion. Directed by the Emmy-winning filmmaker Amy Schatz (“Song of Parkland,” “In the Shadow of the Towers”), the film follows several Oakland students during the lead up to last year’s installment of the annual festival, its 40th, which was founded as a platform for students to shine and connect with Martin Luther King Jr.’s life and words. ( ENSPIRE Entertainment ) WE ARE THE DREAM: The Kids of the Oakland MLK Oratorical Fest Photo Credit: Kelly Sullivan/FilmMagic for HBO. World Premiere of HBO’s “We Are The Dream” Photo Courtesy of Kelly Sullivan/FilmMagic for HBO. By using this site, you agree to our: HBO’s "We Are The Dream" Trailer Will Bring You To Tears, Selena Gomez Secures No.1 With "Rare" Knocking Roddy Ricch Out Of Top Spot, NFL's 2020 Draft Stage In Vegas Will Require Players To Be Transported By Boat, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s national holiday. In a statement released by HBO, the network praised the filmmakers' journeys alongside an amazing group of emboldened and empowered children stating, "It is a portrait of passionate young people raising their voices about issues they care about – social justice, immigration and more – and of a community that celebrates them.". Cinematography by Buddy Squires and Steve McCarthy, edited by Nancy Baker and a Production of Simon & Goodman Picture Company. last year | 56 views. This trailer for HBO’s forthcoming We Are The Dream: The Kids of the Oakland MLK Oratorical gives me hope that I won’t have to wait long. “Seeing Gregory sort of metabolize pieces of Dr. King’s message and just take ownership of it makes me, as an adult, feel like we are the hope,” Ali said. For more details, visit HBO's official website. “I think they felt like it was a nice fit,” said Ali, who was happy to use his connections and Bay Area roots to “raise awareness about the children, teachers, their families.” The other executive producers include the actor’s wife, Amatus Sami-Karim, as well as Mimi Valdés (“Hidden Figures”) and Julie Anderson (“God Is the Bigger Elvis”). We Are the Dream: The Kids of the Oakland MLK Oratorical Fest Every year, hundreds of children in pre-K through 12th grade participate in the Oakland MLK Oratorical Festival, a stirring public speaking competition where they perform poetry and speeches, both published and original, inspired by the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Rehearsing a Dream is a short documentary directed and produced by four time Oscar nominees Karen Goodman and Kirk Simon. We Are the Dream debuts Feb. 18 (7:00-8:10 p.m. ET/PT) on HBO in commemoration of Black History Month The trailer for HBO's documentary about a speech competition honoring Martin Luther King, Jr. dropped on Monday. “I ended up performing it in front of the whole church,” he recalled during a phone interview earlier this month. Stream We Are the Dream: The Kids of the Oakland MLK Oratorical Fest (HBO) on HBO Max. And also be on the lookout for the film to premiere on HBO February 18 at 7:00 P.M. EST. HBO will debut We Are The Dream streaming exclusively on February 18th next month. Created by the Academy Award-winning “Call Me By Your Name” director Luca Guadagnino, the new HBO miniseries “We Are Who We Are” follows two teen protagonists, Caitlin and Fraser, who live on an American military base in Italy a few weeks before the 2016 election.