Sunday, June 24, 2012

Trailer for the film

This is only the preliminary trailer and there are still more clips that we will provide on this blog and on our kickStarter campaign. So, stay tuned!




“It was you, yet it wasn’t you” are the words Kitty Wilson Evans’ ninety something year old mother whispers after seeing her daughter’s performance of her chosen yet questionable occupation. She has just witnessed her daughter wow a crowd, bring them to tears, and make some awkwardly ashamed. Her daughter is the renowned Kitty Wilson Evans. She is also affectionately and commonly known as “Ms. Kitty”. There are many words to describe Kitty Wilson Evans but there is one word that is always used.  Slave.  For the last two decades, Ms. Kitty has chosen to serve as a living history model for children and adults by traveling the country performing first person reenactments as Kessie the slave.


Kessie’s story begins as a young girl who is forced into slavery like so many other Africans during the late 1600s and 1700 timeframe. She has been separated from her family. Kessie becomes a strong woman who has been bought and sold into the south. She is ultimately sold into the Carolinas. Ms. Kitty weaves us in and out of the life of Kessie the slave masterfully and skillfully as she uses her body, voice, and songs to convey the tragedies and triumphs Kessie encounters. She shows us the inside life of the slave. She takes us with her as she travels to Historic Sites such as Andrew Jackson State Park, Living History Park and Magnolia Plantation and Gardens. It is at these locations that she, along with the help of other historians, restages history and shows us the typical and real everyday life of the slave. Her message is profoundly clear. There is an untold story about slave life.



 
Visitors and educators travel far and wide to see the charismatic Ms. Kitty perform. They speak about how seeing her become Kessie helps them to see up close and personal the challenges of slave life. They also willingly bring their kids to these events that feature Ms. Kitty because they know that she can delicately yet soundly explain the who, what, when, and why about history and that time period. Kitty Wilson Evans is a degreed educator and much respected historian who constantly does research for her craft. The visitors trust Wilson Evans to educate their children because they know that this part of history is often overlooked in today’s school system. She shares with the children interesting and often overlooked facts about African American history. She thoroughly details the contribution of slaves to the American way of life. When asked why she chooses to work as a slave in modern day 21st century, she excitedly tells the listeners that she “lives to tell the story”. Her mission is to keep telling the story of the slaves because without them none of us would have the life that we know today. She vows to continue to tell the story—the untold story of the slave.
                                                 

Synopsis of Film


My Life as a Slave: The Kitty Wilson Evans Story

Lucinda Dunn-Page and Terry Page

60 minutes





One sentence Synopsis

The film details the extraordinary life of the renowned Kitty Wilson Evans, a modern day woman and educator who has chosen to dedicate her life depicting a slave woman named Kessie who experiences tragedies and triumphs as she vies for her freedom.  


Working Title

My Life as a Slave: The Kitty Wilson Evans Story



Produced and Directed

Lucinda Dunn-Page

Terry Page



Production Company

Dunn Deal Publishing (DDP)

Meet The Team

It has been quite a journey working on the documentary. One that has given us many thrills. We have been blessed to be surrounded by an amazing abundance of talent.  Although our team is growing and there are many more names to be added to the list of credits, here are some of the main players:


Creative Personnel

Producers –Lucinda Dunn-Page and Terry Page

Directors –Lucinda Dunn-Page and Terry Page

Cinematography- Micah Lorick (Lorent Productions)

Music-- David Marlin Rice

Narration- Terry Page

Original songs –Terry Page and Kitty Wilson Evans


Lucinda Dunn-Page Bio
Dunn Deal Publishing was founded in 2006 by Lucinda Dunn-Page with a mission to, “find the uncut stones in the literary society and help fashion them into the rare gems they were meant to be.”  Her current release schedule for this year includes another seven titles, but with the fluidity of her company schedule that list could be expanded at anytime.  In 2008, she released her first children’s book, Kessie’s Tales: The Adventures of an African American Slave Girl in South Carolina, with the renowned Kitty Wilson Evans. Based on the fictional character created by author Kitty Wilson-Evans, Kessie's Tales provides parents and teachers with a gentle way to help youngsters understand and get a discussion going about a painful era in American history and its repercussions that we still suffer from today.  It is the success of Kessie’s Tales that has launched Lucinda Dunn-Page into the role of first time producer and filmmaker.  The high demand for Ms. Kitty’s interpretations and the success of the book at historic sites, learning institutions, and history centered organizations has led to a high demand of having Wilson Evans’s story captured on film.  The film, My Life as a Slave: The Kitty Wilson Evans Story is currently in post production. www.DunnDealPublishing.com
Terry Page Bio

 Noted for his outstanding news writing, Terry Page began reporting news and doing voice over work for both television and radio shortly after graduating from Central Michigan University.  After working as a Top 40 radio announcer, he began hosting the local portion of “All Things Considered” in Mt. Pleasant, Michigan. He went on to cover news for CBS and CNN affiliates before moving to television where he worked as an assignment editor for stations in North Carolina.  He recently added two new titles to his body of work, author and filmmaker. He is the author of the book, Surely, You Have Thought of This: A Book about Life and Co producer of the film, My Life as a Slave: The Kitty Wilson Evans Story.
 
Micah Lorent Bio
Micah Lorick is the owner of Lorick Enterprises, LLC. He is the main photographer and cinematographer. Most recently, he celebrated success as producer and director of the film Based on a Couple of True Stories. The film won Best Short Film at the Charlotte Black Film Festival.   


The reason behind the film....

First, let me say that making this film has been an absolute pleasure. It has been a pleasure because of the subject matter. No, not the subject of slavery but the woman who has dedicated her life to educating others. Ms. Kitty is an extraodinary woman. It was evident the first time that I chose to interview her many years ago (we will get to that later). She has an amazing yet unusual life. I am forever grateful for her sister suggesting that I interview her.  Having Ms. Kitty in my life has been a blessing. I am not alone in this acknowledgment. All of her family, friends, and fans feel the same way!


 
Producer/Directors intent:



My Life as a Slave: The Kitty Wilson Evans Story is not a typical biography. It is not a biography about a woman but a biography we all share. The film details the extraordinary life of a modern day woman who has chosen to dedicate her life to depicting a slave woman. The story of slavery has been told but sadly, this important piece of history is currently being left out of our children’s history books and education process. The American Revolution and Civil war cannot be told sufficiently without the interjection of slave history.  What Ms. Kitty does is bring slavery to life. This is evident by her demanding and busy schedule. She is recognized worldwide as the face of slavery. Her face was recently seen throughout the Sarah Colt Production God in America on PBS. In fact, Sarah Colt Production website features Kitty Wilson Evans on their home page. www.SarahColtProduction.com



They are not the only ones to request Ms. Kitty’s image as the face of slavery. She was recently selected by the National Park Service to appear on their booklet Slavery: Cause and Catalyst of the Civil War as the face of slavery. See website: www.illinoiscivilwar150.org/pdfs/SlaveryCause_CatalystNPS.pdf

 In addition to being on their book, she is featured on their banners. The banners are prominently placed at Fort Sumter and other National Historic Sites, including the Martin Luther King Jr. Center in Atlanta, GA. She has been interviewed and photographed by magazines, newspapers and other media organizations an unprecedented amount of times. She has won numerous awards and proclamations for her work as a historian—The Robert E. Lee Award, Sons of Confederate award, Catawba Keeper of the Flame Award to name a few. The University of South Carolina Lancaster also has designated a scholarship in her name. She is an independent contractor who is booked at colleges, schools and National and State Historic Sites for her reenactments. She is booked for the next 18 months and the demand continues to grow, as there is extreme need to educate the youth of today about this topic.  The National Park Service Civil War committee has also asked that she participate for the next 4 years in the annual reenactments.