{"id":6356,"date":"2022-08-08T11:34:23","date_gmt":"2022-08-08T11:34:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ugandaupdatenews.com\/?p=6356"},"modified":"2022-08-08T11:34:31","modified_gmt":"2022-08-08T11:34:31","slug":"barack-and-michelle-obama-make-surprise-appearance-at-mvaaff-variety%ef%bf%bc","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/barack-and-michelle-obama-make-surprise-appearance-at-mvaaff-variety%ef%bf%bc\/","title":{"rendered":"Barack and Michelle Obama Make Surprise Appearance at MVAAFF &#8211; Variety\ufffc"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>The 2022 Martha\u2019s Vineyard African American Film Festival (<a href=\"https:\/\/variety.com\/t\/mvaaff\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">MVAAFF<\/a>) kicked off Friday with great pomp and circumstance \u2014 and a few bars of \u201cHail to the Chief\u201d \u2014 as Barack and Michelle Obama made a special appearance for the opening night screening of Netflix documentary \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/variety.com\/t\/descendant\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Descendant<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/variety.com\/2022\/film\/festivals\/descendant-netflix-higher-ground-1235166645\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Netflix acquired worldwide rights<\/a>&nbsp;to the Sundance award-winning documentary in January, the Obamas\u2019 production company Higher Ground signed on to present the feature alongside the streamer and Participant. The documentary, which earned the U.S. special jury award for creative vision at Sundance, is set to launch on the streamer later this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Directed by Margaret Brown (\u201cThe Order of Myths,\u201d \u201cBe Here to Love Me: Townes Van Zandt,\u201d \u201cThe Great Invisible\u201d), the documentary follows members of Africatown, a small community in Alabama, as they share their personal stories and community history as descendants of the Clotilda, the last known ship carrying enslaved Africans to the United States. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The ship arrived in America 40 years after African slave trading became a capital offense. It was promptly burned and its existence denied, but \u201cafter a century shrouded in secrecy and speculation, descendants of the Clotilda\u2019s survivors are reclaiming their story,\u201d according to the film\u2019s logline.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For nearly 15 minutes, the former president and first lady held the audience\u2019s attention as they preached the importance of uncovering untold history and their aim to support projects that do just that, like \u201cDescendant,\u201d through their Higher Ground banner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWhen we screened this\u2026 we looked at it and immediately thought, \u2018This is why we\u2019re doing Higher Ground.\u2019 Because what we know about our history as Black people, we don\u2019t talk about nothing. We can\u2019t get anything out of our elders, can we? We don\u2019t know anything,\u201d Michelle said. \u201cOur mothers don\u2019t talk about menopause, nobody knows about why grandma and grandpa got divorced. We just don\u2019t talk. And there\u2019s a lot of psychology around that, but what this film reminds us of is the power that our stories have. And we have to tell that truth.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Michelle added, \u201cWe have to tell our stories to our younger folks. We have to be the ones, we cannot follow that tradition of keeping our pain silent, because what this film shows us is our stories are the power that makes us seen. And I also thought, this could be the beginning of a storytelling process, because guess what we have? We have phones, everybody\u2019s using them. And we need to encourage our young people to reach out to the elders that are existing. And instead of taking photos of your food, or in addition to taking photos of your food and the latest TikTok whatever it is, how about talking to grandma and great-grandma and asking them some of those questions.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>They also made a couple of cracks about Martha\u2019s Vineyard being their vacation home. After being introduced by \u201cDescendant\u201d executive producer Ahmir \u201cQuestlove\u201d Thompson, Michelle approached the mic and said, \u201cSurprise!\u201d she praised the festival\u2019s founders, Floyd and Stephanie Rance, and joked that they don\u2019t get to come to the event often because they \u201ccreate a commotion.\u201d And when someone yelled to Barack that they wanted him back in the White House, he remarked that if he did that, he couldn\u2019t spend a month on the island. But Barack\u2019s speech soon turned serious as he reflected on the importance of being a part\u00a0of telling the story of Africatown.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWhen we left the White House, Michelle and I talked about the things we wanted to do post-presidency. We\u2019ve got a lot of stuff going on, but one of the things that we learned both when we were campaigning for office and taking office was the importance of stories and who tells stories and what stories are valid and what stories are discounted,\u201d Barack said. \u201cAnd it\u2019s one of the powers of this festival, and the work that the Rances have done is to lift up stories that too often have been lost in the flow of time. Because we believe that everybody\u2019s stories matter. Everybody\u2019s got a sacred story that motivates us, moves us. It\u2019s not just a matter of nostalgia, it powers us into the present and the future.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Kyle Martin, Essie Chambers and Brown produced the project. Executive producers are Participant\u2019s Jeff Skoll and Diane Weyermann; Kate Hurwitz of Cinetic Media; Two One Five Entertainment\u2019s Ahmir \u201cQuestlove\u201d Thompson, Tariq \u201cBlack Thought\u201d Trotter, Shawn Gee and Zarah Zohlman.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On hand for the opening night screening were Brown, Chambers, Martin and co-producer Dr. Kern Jackson, who participated in a Q&amp;A about the film following the sold-out event with Joycelyn Davis and Veda Tunstall, both descendants of the Clotilda and subjects of the doc. The conversation was moderated by Dr. Jessica Harris.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Last month,&nbsp;<em>Variety<\/em>&nbsp;exclusively announced that the documentary would open the landmark 20th edition of the film festival, but the Obamas\u2019 appearance at the event was a pleasant surprise. Also spotted in the audience was Stacey Abrams, former Atlanta mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms and Rev. Al Sharpton \u2014 who will sit for a conversation about \u201cLoudmouth,\u201d the documentary on his life of activism and protest, on Saturday afternoon. After a shoutout from the pre-show DJ, the trio of political powerhouses received a standing ovation from the packed house.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Martha\u2019s Vineyard African American Film Festival, an Oscar-qualifying film festival in the short film category, runs from Aug. 5-13 with an impressive slate of independent films, documentaries, panel discussions and exclusive events. This year\u2019s fest features Tyler Perry, in conversation about his upcoming Netflix film \u201cA Jazzman\u2019s Blues,\u201d and Kasi Lemmons, who receives the Legacy Spotlight for her classic film \u201cEve\u2019s Bayou\u201d. Additional talent includes, Regina Hall, Reginald Hudlin, Michael Ealy, Patina Miller and the cast of Peacock\u2019s \u201cThe Best Man: The Final Chapters.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The 2022 Martha\u2019s Vineyard African American Film Festival (MVAAFF) kicked off Friday with great pomp and circumstance \u2014 and a<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6357,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[65],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6356","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-national-news"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/barack.webp","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":11678,"url":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/barack-obama-makes-a-surprise-appearance-at-uk-no10-for-talks-with-rishi-sunak\/","url_meta":{"origin":6356,"position":0},"title":"Barack Obama makes a surprise appearance at UK No10 for talks with Rishi Sunak","author":"UgandaUpdate","date":"March 19, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Barack Obama\u00a0made a surprise appearance in\u00a0Downing Street\u00a0for talks with\u00a0Rishi Sunak\u00a0today. The former US president, 62, waved and smiled as he strolled up to the famous No10 door this afternoon. The visit, which lasted around an hour as the pair chatted in the PM's study, was described as a 'courtesy call'\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;National News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"National News","link":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/category\/national-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/th-1.jpg","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2288,"url":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/usa-presidency-obama-feared-for-his-marriage\/","url_meta":{"origin":6356,"position":1},"title":"USA PRESIDENCY ;OBAMA FEARED FOR HIS MARRIAGE","author":"UgandaUpdate","date":"November 25, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Former U.S. President Barack Obama's time in The White House put a hidden strain on his marriage to First Lady Michelle Obama. 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Raised under the intense public eye and surrounded by tight security, she grew up in\u00a0 \u00a0the White House\u00a0during one of the most iconic presidencies in modern American history. \\ But after eight years of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;National News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"National News","link":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/category\/national-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/1.jpg","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/1.jpg 1x, https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/1.jpg 1.5x, https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/1.jpg 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":11462,"url":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/american-award-winning-film-producer-in-uganda-to-produce-tourism-documentary\/","url_meta":{"origin":6356,"position":3},"title":"American Award Winning Film Producer In Uganda To Produce Tourism Documentary","author":"UgandaUpdate","date":"February 8, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"America\u2019s Emmy Award-winning producer, Mr. Peter Greenberg, is in Uganda to film a documentary that will promote the country\u2019s vibrant tourism industry to a global audience of over 100M people . Greenberg and his filming crew have since met President Yoweri Museveni and conducted an interview at State Lodge- Nakasero\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Tourism &amp; Travel&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Tourism &amp; Travel","link":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/category\/tourism-travel\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/IMG_7064.jpeg","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/IMG_7064.jpeg 1x, https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/IMG_7064.jpeg 1.5x, https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/IMG_7064.jpeg 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":15455,"url":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/robert-redford-an-enthralling-star-with-an-aura-that-lit-up-hollywood-dead-at-89\/","url_meta":{"origin":6356,"position":4},"title":"Robert Redford: An enthralling star with an aura that lit up Hollywood dead at 89","author":"UgandaUpdate","date":"September 17, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"The popular dramas and films h acted in: The president's Men , The Horse Whisperer and Indecent Proposal Out of Africa Robert Redford,\u00a0who has died at the age of 89, appeared in more than 50 Hollywood films, won an Oscar as a director, and became a champion of independent film-makers,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;National News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"National News","link":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/category\/national-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/f3c8c4a0-ae5c-11ef-9af3-974accc25a90.jpg.webp","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/f3c8c4a0-ae5c-11ef-9af3-974accc25a90.jpg.webp 1x, https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/f3c8c4a0-ae5c-11ef-9af3-974accc25a90.jpg.webp 1.5x, https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/f3c8c4a0-ae5c-11ef-9af3-974accc25a90.jpg.webp 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":12924,"url":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/obama-launching-four-week-campaign-blitz-for-harris\/","url_meta":{"origin":6356,"position":5},"title":"Obama Launching Four-Week Campaign Blitz for Harris","author":"UgandaUpdate","date":"October 4, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Former President Barack Obama will hit the campaign trail for Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz starting next Thursday, Oct. 10, through Election Day, according to a senior campaign official -- with stops planned for crucial battleground states. The first stop will be in the Pittsburgh area\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;National News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"National News","link":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/category\/national-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/AA1rH1Xv.jpg","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/AA1rH1Xv.jpg 1x, https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/AA1rH1Xv.jpg 1.5x, https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/AA1rH1Xv.jpg 2x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pc0aOV-1Ew","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6356","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6356"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6356\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6358,"href":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6356\/revisions\/6358"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6357"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6356"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6356"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6356"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}