Rita Coburn has signed on to helm another documentary about a pioneering woman of color. The “Maya Angelou: And Still I Rise” filmmaker is directing a doc chronicling the life and work of history-making opera singer Marian Anderson for PBS’ “American Masters.” IndieWire broke the news.
Born in 1897, Anderson was a contralto nicknamed “The Lady from Philadelphia” and “The People’s Princess.” She is “credited with breaking down barriers for African Americans in the arts, and galvanizing a fledgling civil rights movement with a 1939 concert at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington in a brave protest against racial intolerance.” She became the first black artist to perform at the White House in 1936, and the first African-American to perform at the Metropolitan Opera in 1955.
“As an African-American female director, I am honored to continue Marian Anderson’s legacy at a time when our culture needs to hear the tonality of resilience, power, beauty, voice, and courage,” said Coburn. “When ‘American Masters’ approached me with this opportunity, their support in curating a team of strength and talent from the black community was important to create a work that is empowered, inclusive, and entrenched in the rigors of authentic storytelling. I look forward to working closely with director of photography Henry Adebonojo, composer Kathryn Bostic, and executive producer Brenda Robinson.”
“When producing films about people who experienced racism and the Civil Rights movement, having a filmmaker who understands the lens of the subject is a crucial part of telling the story successfully,” explained Michael Kantor, executive producer of “American Masters.” “Rita co-directed our award-winning documentary ‘Maya Angelou: And Still I Rise,’ and we’re thrilled to have her at the helm of this project.”
Supported by the National Endowment for the Humanities, “Marian Anderson: The Whole World in Her Hands” will “trace Anderson’s impact as a talent whose career was steered by the limits imposed by racism and segregation. Despite racial prejudice, she became an internationally renowned star and a voice for social justice.” The doc will also delve into Anderson’s legacy, especially among black artists in classical music, and revisit some of her key performances. Her friends, colleagues, and fellow opera singers Denyce Graves and George Shirley will be among the interviewees.
The doc will showcase archival footage and audio recordings, as well as Anderson’s correspondence with trailblazers including Shirley Chisholm, W.E.B. DuBois, Duke Ellington, and Langston Hughes.
Anderson received the NAACP Spingarn Medal, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the Kennedy Center Honors, the National Medal of Arts, a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, and many other accolades. In 1943, she set up the Marian Anderson Award to support young singers. She died in 1993 at the age of 96.
Coburn co-directed and produced the Peabody-winning “Maya Angelou: And Still I Rise.” Previously, she served as production manager on the “Apollo Live” TV series.
“Racism and sexism still exist in this medium and in our culture. If you understand that premise, you will be misunderstood often,” Coburn told us. “The misconception is that since you have completed a project, you can take a deep breath and be content. This is not a medium of contentment. It is a medium of constant variables and a need to continue to work across all media.” She added, “As black women or as women of any descent, if we do not continue to tell our own stories, many of the stories told will misrepresent the larger culture.”
