‘Black Uniform’ Documentary Spotlights Veterans – The Hollywood Reporter

When powerhouse attorney Bob Darwell isn’t working on deals for clients like Amazon Studios, Nickelodeon, and Wondery, he works as a documentary photographer.

darwell’s last movie, Black outfitIt tells the story of 12 black men and women who served in the U.S. Army during major conflicts dating back to World War II – including 104-year-old Romae Davis, who served in the 6888th, the only black women’s battalion ever formed. Sent overseas during World War II, former Congressman Charles Rangel, who received the Purple Heart and Bronze Star for his service in the Korean War. (Watch the trailer here.)

It won Best Documentary at the Los Angeles Documentary Film Festival, Orlando Urban Film Festival, and Diamond State Film Festival, and received the Luminary Award at the Los Angeles Awareness Film Festival.

Darwell’s first document Nineties clubIt premiered at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival in April 2022, and won Best Documentary at the Manhattan Film Festival, among other awards. The film centers on dozens of “very old” people in their 90s, and is streaming on Amazon Prime Video in the US and UK.

On the occasion of Veterans Day, Black outfit It will be shown at the Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival on Friday, and there will be a free cookout for veterans and their families. On Nov. 18, the film will premiere at the Montgomery Film Festival, which Darwell says he’s especially excited about because Davis is attending.

Darwell spoke with Hollywood Reporter About filmmaking, finding his subjects, and what’s next on his to-do list.

Why did you decide to start making documentaries?

Nineties club I always had some inspiration in the back of my mind. I wanted to do something to enhance the wisdom and vitality of the elderly. My parents had died two years ago, and it was more and more on my mind that I wanted to do something to attack ageism. I ended up talking to dozens of people who were in their 90s. I focused on this group because many people are now living into their 80s. You think of a 90-year-old, and most of us think they don’t have an active life, but a fair number of people are very involved in the world. Working from home (during the coronavirus lockdown) has given me the freedom on the weekends to produce this documentary.

What inspired Black outfit?

In making the first part, I got a little wrong. This is a lot of fun and I love the oral history part of it, getting people’s stories, and then editing them into something that can be shared with a wider audience. I knew I wanted to do something that would benefit veterans. My father served in the Army during the Korean War, but it was never anything we talked about while he was alive. So, I thought I would do something historical about people serving in different wars.

My last interview Nineties club He was with Fred Gray, who last fall received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from Joe Biden. He was a civil rights attorney who assisted Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks, representing them in all of their major cases. During that interview, he talked about his experience with the draft. Since I was already going to be interviewing people from World War II, the Korean War, Vietnam, and Desert Storm, I thought I would focus on black men and women who served in the military.

How many people did you end up talking to?

I repeated again with 12 l Black outfit. Two from World War II, a Tuskegee Airman, who was 96 when I interviewed him. He is now 97 years old. (There’s) a woman who served in Six Triple Eight, which I think Netflix is ​​doing a scripted feature on. It is the only black women’s battalion to serve overseas during World War II. She was 102 years old when I interviewed her. She’s 104 now. (There are) two from the Korean War, two from Vietnam, a few from Desert Storm, and a woman currently serving who was the first black soldier in the Army.

How did you find these people?

with Nineties club It was all kind of word of mouth. I’d tell people I was going to make this movie, and someone would say, “You should talk to my grandmother.” Except for Dick Van Dyke, who I targeted from the beginning. I mentioned to someone in the office that I wanted these to be regular people, but my dream is to have Dick Van Dyke. “Oh, I see him at the gym sometimes,” they said. When they came across him, they asked him if he would participate, so I called him the next day.

to black outfit, It was a little more targeted because I knew I wanted at least two people from every conflict dating back to World War II. So, this required more research.

What is your favorite story from Black outfit?

While it focuses on black men and women who served in the military, it actually calls attention to the fact that no veteran has the same story. Some face a life of disability afterward, or post-traumatic stress. One of the women I interviewed is one of the 28 percent of women who experience sexual assault during their service.

The nature of discrimination against black veterans has changed over time. World War II was separated. Now what you’re seeing is that black veterans are probably having a harder time accessing the benefits they’re entitled to.

Veterans are a group that doesn’t really get the appreciation, recognition, and proper attention they deserve. A lot of people go into the military to get those benefits — education, to get a pension if you’ve served 20 years — and then be able to start something new afterward. It’s really hard to hear that people who put themselves on the line in this way are having challenges getting those benefits. They have to navigate administrative organizations and deal with bureaucracy to do so. They often don’t have a support system to help them with this

Do you have a third documentary in the works or an idea for another?

I do, yes. I believe the third and final interview of this 12-pattern oral history interview will be The biggest achievement, who would be a former Miss Americas from various decades. There’s a woman in Minnesota in her early 90s who won in her late 40s. (It will be) getting the perspective of Miss America from the 1940s to the present day. The nature or perception of that competition has changed dramatically since I was a child. It has always been one of the most watched shows of the year, and now I don’t think I’ve seen it in a decade or two.

So, (it will be) a little bit about the nature of the competition, and what motivated these women to enter. Many have gone on to achieve truly amazing feats using that platform. I think Lee Meriwether (Batman: The Movie) She was the winner during (one of) the first televised Miss America pageants. Perhaps the most successful was the one who lost her crown to Vanessa Williams. Gretchen Carlson was Miss America. I will focus on those who won, and look back at how it helped them in their lives or hindered them in some way.

What’s new then?

The production team of Lea Rodriguez and Pilar de Posadas asked me to direct the film Snow Angels: Alaska’s Fierce Flyers. I’ll be heading to Anchorage at the beginning of December to start filming a documentary about female pilots in the Arctic.

The interview has been edited for length and clarity.