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Art House | KC Filmmaker Vies to Share Black Perspective

Art House Extra

October 7, 2022  |  John G. McGrath  |  1 min read

Not long ago, Kansas City filmmaker DeVonte Brown often felt isolated on local movie sets.

Not so much now.

“When I first started filmmaking, I was the only Black person on set – at least locally here,” Brown said. “And that’s changed drastically in the last three years, which I’m so happy to see.”

More diverse representation comes through strongly in two compelling short films by Brown, “Vie” and “Now What?”

Brown’s latest, “Vie,” addresses the struggle for closure by a mother and child in the wake of tragedy. “Now What?” is a heartfelt coming-of-age story of a young boy struggling with the preconceptions of society.

“It’s important to show African American filmmakers, people of color filmmakers, stories, simply because it’s about perspective,” Brown said. “And I think that’s what both of those films represent in my eyes.”

To see and hear more about Brown and his films, watch the attached video.

John McGrath is a video producer and host of Art House for Kansas City PBS.

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