The Problem of the Hero
2023, NR, U.S., Drama, 85 minutes
Florida Premiere
Filmmakers in Attendance
Juried Film
Director: Shaun Dozier
Producers: Ayana Johnson, Gravel Films
Writers: James A. Hodge, Ian Finley
Cast: J. Mardrice Henderson, David zum Brunnen, Derrick Ivey, Brandon Haynes, Josephine Hall, Charlie Cannon, Alex Yeames, Annie McElroy, Lex Wilson
It’s March of 1941, and groundbreaking author Richard Wright is teaming up with Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Paul Green to create a stage adaptation of Wright’s bestselling book, Native Son. But as opening night inches closer, their creative partnership is in tatters. The writers are stuck battling over a single page of the script, failing to see eye to eye over contentious issues of race, social justice, politics and creative agency. The argument threatens to ruin the show — and their friendship. Both raised in the South, but as part of entirely different cultural communities, Wright and Green must reckon with their prejudices and claw their way towards empathy and understanding. With expert director Shaun Dozier at the helm, and two stellar performances by the lead actors, this film artfully explores the timeless question: Whose story is it, and who has the right to tell it?
