Harry Belafonte is well remembered for his involvement as an organizer of the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. He was instrumental in bringing a cadre of Hollywood celebrities to the Washington Monument to witness Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s historic ‘I Have A Dream’ speech and to appear before an estimated crowd of a quarter of a million protestors.
The sight of Paul Newman, his wife, Joanne Woodward, Charlton Heston, Marlon Brando, James Garner, Rita Moreno, Tony Curtis, Lena Horne, Diahann Carroll, Sammy Davis, Jr., Mahalia Jackson, Joan Baez, and Bob Dylan alongside author James Baldwin and activists/actors Ossie Davis, who emceed the program, and his wife, actress Ruby Dee, inspired future generations of artists who are spearheading the fight for social justice.
Paul Robeson, the celebrated Broadway and film star and son of a former slave who drew the ire of Sen. Joseph McCarthy and his Blacklist in the 1940s and 50s, mentored Belafonte himself.
Following Harry, directed by Susanne Rostock, is a Spotlight Documentary in its World Premiere at Tribeca Festival 2024. It is the director’s second film in a planned trilogy of films on Belafonte’s dedication to social justice over his long life and career.
The film follows Belafonte over the last dozen years of his life as he mentors artists and activists such as Aja Monet, Aloe Blacc, Carmen Perez, Philip Agnew and Jesse Williams in causes ranging from Black Lives Matter to LGBTQ+ and the fight against AIDS/HIV. Previously, Rostock’s documentary, Sing Your Song was presented at Tribeca Festival 2011.
Following Harry is an intimate portrait of the lived experience of Belafonte as he worked behind the scenes to mold and shape the new voices of the social justice movement. Rostock’s crew led by Cinematographer Martina Radwan and Production Manager David Johnson followed the actor and activist from the time he was 84 years old until the months shortly before his death at age 96.
Following Harry is produced by Frankie Nasso, Susanne Rostock, and Julius R. Nasso and executive produced by Harry Belafonte and Pamela Belafonte, Jeff Kranzdorf and Edward Zeng. The co-producer is Douglas Dicconson.
“We must give focus to the movement,” Belafonte declared in one of the opening scenes. Having learned the ropes of organizing at the ‘feet of the masters,’ such as Paul Robeson, A. Philip Randolph, and Dr. King himself, Belafonte was eminently qualified to train a new crop of leadership.
In protest rallies depicted in Following Harry, it is more the evident that Belafonte still had the ‘juice’ to roll out the big guns in terms of star power at protest rallies around the country.
“Get me Alicia (Keys) on the phone,” Belafonte bellows to a volunteer at the Black Lives Matter headquarters. “Call up Angela (Davis)!” Moments later we see them ‘speechifying’ before an enthusiastic throng, orchestrated by Belafonte and his new crew of social justice enforcers.
Belafonte’s dedication to fighting for causes continued until his death on April 25, 2023 at age 96.
Starting with the killing of 17-year old Trayvon Martin in Sanford, Florida in 2012, and continuing to the Black Lives Matter protests in Ferguson, Missouri over the fatal shooting of Michael Brown by Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson and finally to protests in his home town of New York City, Following Harry is a vivid reflection of Belafonte’s passion and legacy.
Following the World Premiere Screening at Tribeca, the Harry Belafonte Voices for Social Justice Award was presented.
Panelists Carmen Perez, CEO of the Gathering for Justice, an organization founded by Harry Belafonte, ‘Actrivist; Rosario Dawson, co-founder of VOTO LATINO, Surrealist Blues Poet aja monet, Gun Safety activist Matt Post, Grammy-nominated singer/songwriter Aloe Blacc, Sean Pica, Executive Director of Hudson Link for Higher Education in Prison and Tony-nominated actor and Grey’s Anatomy star (Dr. Jackson Avery), Jesse Williams, discussed Belafonte’s legacy and the ongoing work that he has inspired.
Following Harry had its World Premiere Friday, June 14 at Manhattan’s SVA Theatre with subsequent screenings on Saturday and Sunday, June 15 and 16 at Village East by Angelika and AMC 19th ST. East 6, respectively. For more on Tribeca Festival 2024, visit tribecafilm.com.