TULSA, Okla.–A group of student filmmakers graced the red carpet at Circle Cinema Saturday morning to debut an empowering documentary for Tulsa’s youth.
The short film, “We R One” follows the journey of Black Wall Street’s Kode Ransom, a youth coach, mentor, music artist and entrepreneur. Through years of mentoring and providing tours of the Historic Greenwood District, Ransom has become one of the most familiar faces for youth in a community long-neglected of resources. The story focuses on his We R One AAU basketball program.
The film was directed by student filmmaker Keith Ross. The students, whose positions ranged from director to make-up artist to set designer, debuted the documentary as their final assignment for the Keepin it Reel: Script 2 Screen Youth Film Camp, a program run by award-winning filmmaker, producer and writer Dr. Tamecca Rogers.
“The most challenging thing was getting together everybody’s schedule, because with a documentary, you’ve got to make sure that you’re on time for the people that you’re interviewing. And with kids, you have different parents with different schedules,” Dr. Rogers told the Black Wall Street Times after the screening.
Student film “We R One” debuts at Circle Cinema
Through her program for student filmmakers, Dr. Rogers takes 10-18 year-olds in Tulsa through the stages of pre-production, production and post-production with the creation of their very own films at the end of the camps. Dr. Rogers partnered with Circle Cinema, Webster High School, TWHTV Studios and several local filmmakers to turn ideas into reality.
Determined to make the student filmmakers feel valuable and seen, she made sure they pulled up in style, dressed in suits stepping out of a limousine.
For a generation used to communicating through their phones, Dr. Rogers said the most rewarding thing was seeing the students come together to finish the project.
“By the end of the camp, their phones were down. They were picking up equipment. They were talking the film language,” she said. “Everybody had their part, and everybody did their part. That’s what I loved.”
Tulsa student filmmakers bring community to the big screen
The film highlights Ransom’s journey reaching kids who face the same kinds of barriers to success that he faced when he was a teenager navigating north Tulsa. Following the screening, Ransom was the first of several Black men who received an Ancestor’s Echo award from Dr. Rogers for their roles positively impacting Tulsa’s youth.
“First I want to say thank you to the boys. Y’all got to come see the stuff that normally don’t get a camera on it. We go out and win or lose, but what we do in practice is really why I coach,” Ransom said during his acceptance speech.
One of the most impactful moments of the film involved the story of a student who learned his injury would prevent him from playing basketball. Ransom revealed he was able to connect to the youth authentically because elders poured into him when he was a kid.
“Keep it in your mind when you walk past these young kids that, again, a lot of them go through life feeling invisible. They don’t feel seen at all. So, when you walk past them and don’t speak, it helps solidify them feeling invisible,” Ransom said.
Other recipients of the Ancestor’s Echo award included:
- Tulsa Mayor Monroe Nichols
- Charles LaMont, co-founder of World Won Development
- Dr. Dewayne Dickens, Director of Culturally Responsive Practices for Tulsa Community College
- Tim Newton, pastor and director of the Tulsa Dream Center
- Bobby Eaton Sr., civil rights activist and business owner
- Phil Armstrong, President and CEO of Oklahoma Center for Community and Justice
- Hank Byrd, educator and nationally-recognized screenwriter
- Dwayne Gardner, campus director for Tulsa Tech – Peoria Campus
While Tulsa Mayor Nichols wasn’t able to attend the screening, he recorded a message that was played for the student filmmakers.
“As I think about the students who I am so happy to be connected to through all their projects and everything we do here at the City and beyond, I gotta say, just like the ancestors were inspirations to me, you all are inspirations to me,” Mayor Nichols said.
“You all are the best about all of us, and you make me proud as mayor. So I’m excited to have this award with all the wonderful other awardees, good friends of mine, powerful brothers, who are doing special things in this community every day,” he said.
Creating more Tulsa student filmmakers: How to get involved
Following Saturday’s screening, the program will be screening all six of its past student films during the Circle Cinema Film Festival in July.
To learn more about the Keepin it Reel: Script 2 Screen Youth Camp and how to sign up, visit this link or contact Dr. Tamecca Rogers at inspirepublishingllc@gmail.com.
At a time when the community is working to address gun violence impacting Tulsa’s youth, Dr. Rogers said her program teaches skills to student filmmakers that go beyond lights and cameras.
“It’s more than just learning about directing, acting, and all those things,” she said. “It’s giving you life skills on, how you work with each other, how we complement each other. If you got this, then I got that.”
Related Stories:
- Youth documentary camp kicks off Black History Month at Black Wall Street Art Gallery
- Script to Screen: Tulsa youth debut films at Red Carpet Showcase
This is absolutely fantastic, and worthy of everyone’s support. Where and how can the film be viewed by the public?