Our Nation is a short, historical fictionalization of the Hampton Roads response to the release of D.W. Griffith’s Birth of a Nation in 1915. Our Nation is set in Norfolk, VA in 1915 and focuses on a young African American boy’s cinephelic desire to see Birth of a Nation, billed at the time as the 8th wonder of the world, his disappointment and subsequent maturation, resulting in his newfound interest in the work of pioneer black filmmaker, Oscar Micheaux.
As screenwriter David Mallin explains,
“It is a coming of age story for the youngster Douglas, and a defining moment for the Chinese couple who find themselves caught between the white/black divide of another culture where they don’t understand how they fit in.
Our Nation is the most highly ambitious short film project undertaken by ODU’s film program to date. To attempt a 1915 period piece, shooting in 4k with a Digital Cinema camera package, and working with professionals outside the university walls, the film will act as a central learning experience for all student participants.”
Directed by Old Dominion University alumni Derrick Borte (The Joneses [2009], Dark Around the Stars [2013], H8RZ [2015]) based on a script by David P. Mallin (who also serves as Director of Photography) and produced by Mallin and Monty Ross (Do the Right Thing [1989], Malcolm X [1992], Clockers [1994]) , Our Nation stars Connor Berry (The Little Rascals Save the Day [2014]), Marsha Stephanie Blake (Django Unchained [2013], Orange is the New Black [2015]), and Derrick Baskin (Law & Order: SVU [2011-2015].
The film is partially financed through the generosity of Old Dominion University and the College of Arts & Letters’ Film Festival fund.
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Principal Actors & Filmmaker: Marsha Stephanie Blake as Margaret; Derrick Baskin as Jeremy; Connor Berry as Douglass; Director Derrick Borte
