Rel dowdell biography definition

Tools Tools. Download as PDF Printable version. In other projects. Wikidata item. American film director. This article uses bare URLswhich are uninformative and vulnerable to link rot. Please consider converting them to full citations to ensure the article remains verifiable and maintains a consistent citation style. Several templates and tools are available to assist in formatting, such as reFill documentation and Citation bot documentation.

August Learn how and when to remove this message. PhiladelphiaPennsylvaniaU. References [ edit ]. Archived from the original on July 26, The film stars Sean Riggs, Irma P. Hall, Dennis L. The picture was cited by FilmFresh. Rel Dowdell : Always an honor, Kam. This was an interview I was really looking forward to doing. RD: I was simply tired of seeing how negatively African-American fathers were depicted in the media.

They look scared to death to be a father and running from fatherhood. Moreover, they have hatred for the child because the child was with a woman they no longer have an affinity for. Those are very damaging and malignant images in society today. One should never embellish stereotypes that are crippling. Therefore, I wanted this film to show that there are a myriad of African-American fathers out there who really want to be active and loving fathers to their children, but have been faced with some arduous circumstances, some seen, and some unforeseen, that have hindered them from doing so.

I wanted to give African-American fathers a voice that they previously did not have, to share their most personal stories about the pitfalls they have faced with the child support system and their failed relationships. KW: This was your first documentary. Did you have any trepidations about tackling a new genre? RD: A little. It really makes one go into places and chasms of creativity that one previously would never have the chance to with doing strictly feature films.

I thought your comment in your review comparing me to Michael Moore was insightful, for the African-American community has never really had that type of filmmaker tackle some of the most important and affecting issues in our community. KW: How do you go about presenting a balanced view of the child support issue when you might be tempted to slant the film towards one side or the other?

Rel dowdell biography definition

RD: You have to go into dealing with each subject in a non-accusatory fashion. One of my subjects was a father who had eight children with seven different women. One may feel that father should be demonized. However, it was important to let that particular father tell why he made the decisions he made over and over, and see if he learned anything from them.

His answers, I think, will surprise the audience. I also asked an African-American mother why she filed for child support. Her answer, I think, will also surprise, as well as enlighten. RD: Everyone. We all came from parents. Some of us have great and loving relationships with our parents, and some, unfortunately, do not. Our parents, or lack thereof, have a profound effect on our lives and the person we end up becoming.

The child support system has a lot of problems with it that people do not want to discuss. He is also a full-time university professor of English and Film Studies and is a film historian. About: Rel Dowdell. Property Value dbo: abstract Rel J. Dowdell's first feature film, Train Ride, received substantial critical acclaim. Produced with independent financing, the film was acquired and distributed by Sony Pictures in and was a tremendous financial success.

The film also garnered high praise in film historian and writer Irv Slifkin's best-selling book, Filmadelphia: A Celebration of a City's Movies.