How did you first become interested in Harry Belafonte's story?

"Somewhere in this moment my soul, all that I have felt, all that I have experienced demanded me to ask, 'what do you do now.'" These words, this plaintive plea, are spoken by Harry Belafonte at the end of Sing Your Song, the film I made 14 years ago about his extraordinary life as an artists and activist. The film’s storyline began in 1927 and ended in 2010— at which point the next chapter, Following Harry was about to begin. Shortly after Sing Your Song premiered at Sundance in 2011, Harry invited me to share space within his brand-new office located on the top floor of the Martin Luther King Building in Manhattan.

In 2011, I began a face-to-face daily conversation with Harry Belafonte that lasted 12 years. My hope was to answer his question, “What do you do now?” With the murder of Trayvon Martin in February of 2012, Harry hit the ground running, and I was there to capture all that ensued. As he ruminated about the past, the present and the future, interacting with so many artists and activists, across generations, I recognized how immensely valuable it would be to share and preserve Harry’s impassioned and profound insights, his urgent call to action. My intention has always been to make sure that Harry Belafonte’s wisdom and clarity would reach across a divided landscape and especially resonate with the young and generations to come.

How did you secure funding to make the film?

After filming on my own for many years, I showed a clip to Producer Frankie Nasso, who I had worked with previously on Sing Your Song. He was excited by just those few minutes and immediately committed himself to the project by securing financing for me to finish Following Harry, and has been my lead producer on the film ever since. Edward Zeng, a private equity fund manager who immediately took an interest in supporting the film because of his own experience fighting for Democracy as one of the students protesting during the 1989 Tiananmen Square Uprising. Edward provided me with generous funding that allowed me to continue filming and editing. That left the cost of post-production and archival. The forever resourceful and determined Frankie was able to secure additional funding from other supporters along the way and the film was finished in time to premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival.

What voices and stakeholders did you find it necessary to convene in order

bring your vision to fruition?

Harry Belafonte is the center of the film, and I had already developed a longstanding friendship with him built on tremendous trust that allowed for me to engage in so many very honest and unguarded conversations over the years. I could also be a "fly on the wall" filming at some of the most unexpected times.

Were there any unique obstacles you had to overcome in order to complete

your film?

There were two major obstacles. The first was the arc of history, the political climate between 2011 and 2024. This was a period of increasing division in the country and the rise of the visibility of white supremacy and fascism, the MAGA movement. There was a tremendous amount of rapidly escalating fear. I worked very hard at maintaining trust with all the young activists I would be filming, particularly in strategy meetings— the Women’s March was created in our office. I reminded them not to hold history hostage. There was so much for future generations to learn from their struggle.

What has been the reaction from audiences as you have held screenings?

As Following Harry appears in numerous festivals and screenings, making its way across the country and the world in consistently packed audiences and standing ovations, I am especially heartened by the response given by the range of audience members. After a screening at the Sedona International Film Festival, a gentleman came up to me with tears in his eyes and said, “I voted for Trump and would like to thank you for reminding me of our common humanity.” After the screening at the ACT: Human Rights Film Festival in Fort Collins, Colorado, a 12-year-old boy came up to me and said, “I am biracial. Thank you for making me think about things I didn’t know I should be thinking about.” What we hear consistently after each screening is, “Everybody has to see this film.” Harry offers hope and courage during a time of such despair.

How can Harry Belafonte's story help inform contemporary discourses?

Following Harry speaks directly to this moment in history and reaches young minds in ways that would fill Harry’s heart. Harry had the curse of Cassandra – the gift of prophecy. His words, his vision and all the passionate, motivated people walking alongside him woven throughout the film provide a blueprint for the future. When Harry says, “Each generation is responsible for themselves,” he is challenging young people to reach out to their community, to dig deep within themselves to find a way to create the world that they imagine.