The Authentic Films
Authentic: Real Talk about the Cave
Authentic: Real Talk about the Cave is the third in the three-part Authentic short film series produced by Executive Producer Tommy Ross. The dogmatic Mr. Turner, the jaded Diamond in the Rough, dejected Desperada, and bigoted Mr. Reinhart live their lives surrounded by darkness. They are obsessed with the fear and pessimism they hear constantly coming from the old-style television that serves as their only source of information about the outside world. There is no sense of time and space as they repeat and reinforce among themselves the news that represents their reality of hopelessness and despair.
When Mr. Turner is forced to leave their home on a mission to restock diminishing supplies, he encounters a group of people who are eerily familiar but live in a world of light, hope, and optimism. Finding his worldview challenged by these people, Mr. Turner reels in confusion when he encounters one person in the group who represents the ultimate challenge to his existence.
When he returns to his dark world to share the news of his discovery, he is attacked and forced to resubmit to the darkness as the last glimmer of memory of his experience in the world of light fades away.
Think of Authentic
Real Talk about the Cave as The Twilight Zone meets The Wizard of Oz, where those who live in the unchallenging comfort of their cave are challenged to look to a brighter future of hope and possibility and to have the courage to step out of the cave and into the light.
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Authentic: Real Talk About School Choice
Choice: the right to choose.
To decide for oneself which path to take. Associate with whomever we desire, live where we want, and express our ideals and views in a way that reflects the freedom we experience in this country. The ability to express one’s choice is respected and is a given in how we conduct our daily affairs. Or is it? There are school districts, schools, and teachers who, sometimes at great personal sacrifice, are preparing students to excel in further academic endeavors and in life. But let’s say you are a parent whose children attend a school that does not provide a safe environment where students can thrive and experience a shared value of the need for an education and consideration for those who teach, as well as those who attend. Who respects the desires and needs of that parent?
The debate about the right to choose in education is not new. But rarely has the focus been so intense on what and how children are being taught and who has the principal responsibility to make those decisions. In the first Authentic: Real Talk at the Barbershop, we explored the diverse political views in the Black community and whether there is any one view that can claim the title of being “authentically Black.” In this second film of the Authentic series, Authentic: Real Talk About School Choice, we tackle the various views about parental choice in a way that is candid and acknowledges the challenges faced by parents whose only desire is to choose the best for their children.
Choice…the right to choose.
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Authentic: Real Talk at the Barbershop
The barber shop can be a sacred place. It’s where clients and community members can bare their souls and let it all hang out with candid exchanges about issues of the day, ranging from news of the neighborhood to the latest dirt about who did what to whom. Politics, international affairs, or philosophy—nothing is off limits. Add a spice of humor and sometimes in-your-face candor, and talk in the barber shop can be more invigorating and even more informative than the latest network or cable Sunday talk shows. Authentic: Real Talk at the Barbershop is the first of three short films in the Authentic film series and takes on the age-old topic of whether there is one voice, one perspective that represents the views of the Black community. The debate about the needs and the demands of that community during these times of partisan polarization, social unrest, and an international pandemic is occurring in the framework of the ubiquitous media coverage of a presidential campaign
Conservative, progressive, and moderate voices provide more clarity than the so-called experts, intellectuals, lawyers, and political pundits we hear from so often.
Authentic: Real Talk at the Barbershop teaches us a lesson. It is possible to have a vigorous, animated debate and still recognize that even given our certainty and emotional commitment, we can learn something by engaging those with whom we disagree.
Authentic: Real Talk at the Barbershop teaches us a lesson. It is possible to have a vigorous, animated debate and still recognize that even given our certainty and emotional commitment, we can learn something by engaging those with whom we disagree.
Real talk at the barbershop. Come in and take a seat. Join the conversation.
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