Sunday Showcase

Truth Tellers
Directed by Richard Kane

Sunday, April 10, 3 pm  Cinema +

FREE

“Shetterly is an invaluable chronicler of 21^st century America.”—Bill Moyers

The documentary Truth Tellers delves into the lives of courageous Americans fighting for racial justice, climate change, and indigenous rights through the eyes of Robert Shetterly, a longtime activist and artist. The film explores the intersection of these timely issues stressing the urgency of coming tether to confront them and galvanizing our resolve to uphold our country’s founding ideals. 

Artist/activist Shetterly has the moral courage to confront issues of social, environmental, and economic fairness. He has painted 255 portraits of committed American activists, past and present, with their words inscribed into the dark background of the portraits. This series of portraits, American Who Tell the Truth, have been exhibited throughout the U.S. for almost two decades.

Truth Tellers is both a story of Shetterly’s art and activism and a history lesson in what it means to be a citizen of a democracy. 2021, U.S., DCP, 57 minutes. Recommended for 16+. Program length: 2 hours.

Co-presented with the Anne Braden Institute for Social Justice Research, University of Louisville.

Cinema + With a post-screening discussion with Dr. Michael Brandon McCormack, Director of the Anne Braden Institute for Social Justice Research (in person); Robert Shetterly, painter and activist featured in Truth Tellers (via Zoom), Maulian Dana, the first individual to hold the position of the Penobscot Nation Tribal Ambassador (via Zoom); and Bree Newsome Bass, filmmaker, musician, speaker and activist from Charlotte, North Carolina (via Zoom).