The Disappearance Of McKinley Nolan

Website

http://www.mckinleynolan.com

Topics

Human Development: International Cooperation, Poverty, Social Exclusion
Human Rights: Civil Rights, Indigenous Rights, Race Politics, Social Exclusion
Information & Media: Culture, Knowledge, Media
Peace and Conflict: Arms & Military, Conflict, Conflict Resolution, Landmines, Peace, Security, United Nations
Politics: Activism, Civil Society, Democracy, Ethics & Value Systems, Geopolitics, Globalization, Justice and Crime, Law

Project Geography

US: Texas
International: Asia

Identity Niches

African American, Asian, Asian American

Budget

Raised to date: $-2,147,483,648.00
Estimate to complete: $-323,855,360.00
Total Estimated Budget: $-2,147,483,648.00
The budget numbers above are accurate as of

Status

Post Production

Media Type

Video

Project End Use

Other: Documentary Film

Key Personnel

Henry Corra
Director

Henry Corra is a New York City based documentary filmmaker best known for his highlyacclaimed films Umbrellas (1995), George (2000), Frames (2004), Same Sex America (2005) and Emmy nominated NY77:The Coolest Year in Hell (2007). Corra's work is influenced by cinema verité filmmakers Davidand Albert Maysles (Salesman, Grey Gardens, Gimme Shelter) whom he collaborated with from 1981 - 1994. Since 1994, Corra has had a thriving productioncompany. He draws on the talents of some of New York's most innovative andoriginal filmmakers, editors, artists, musicians and designers who share acommitment to exploring and expanding new narratives in nonfiction filmmaking.

Corra's films have been exhibited worldwide in theatrical venues in New York City, SanFrancisco, Paris and Berlin, and in broadcast venues including HBO, SHOWTIME,LOGO, CBS, PBS, VH1, ARTE and CHANNEL 4. His work has also beenexhibited in museum and cultural venues internationally including The Museum ofModern Art, New York, THE LOUVRE in Paris and THE NATIONAL GALLERY OF ART, Washington, DC as well as the Pacific Film Archives in San Francisco.

He's done episodic TV projects for broadcasters including MTV, VH1, Bravo, and TheSundance Channel and he's been singled out as one of the foremost directors ofreality TV commercials in America creating highly successful campaigns forclients ranging from Gateway Computers, Proctor and Gamble, SC Johnson, Reebok,McDonalds and Ford.

Currently Corra is finishing his latest feature, The Disappearance of McKinley Nolan.

Celia Maysles
Producer

Maysles was born and raised in New York City and graduatedwith a degree in Hispanic studies from Lewis & Clark College in Portland,OR. Her first feature film, Wild Blue Yonder, about her search for her father,famed verite filmmaker David Maysles, premiered in November 2007 and was “oneof the most talked about documentaries at IDFA” (Variety).  WildBlue Yondercontinues to play on international television and is being exhibited inuniversities around the world.  She has also worked as a producer,developer, and real people recruiter for Corra Films since 2004, working onprojects including the feature documentary Jack, VH1 pilot “Proof,” MTV’s “True Life:I’m Amish,” and The Disappearance of McKinley Nolan to be released in 2010.  

Danny Glover
Executive Producer

Actor, producer, and humanitarian Danny Glover has been acommanding presence on screen, stage and television for more than 25years.  As an actor, his film credits range from the blockbuster LethalWeapon franchise to smaller independent features, some of which Glover also produced.  At the same time, Glover has also gained respect for his wide-reaching community activism and philanthropic efforts, with a particular emphasis on advocacy for economic justice, and access to health care and education programs in the United States and Africa. 

As someone who is passionate about his community activism and philanthropic efforts, Glover is deeply involved with the Vanguard Public Foundation based in San Francisco. In 2001, he assumed the board chairmanship of Trans Africa Forum, the African-American lobbying organization on Africa and the Caribbean; and heactively serves on the board of The Algebra Project, a math empowerment program developed by civil rights veteran Bob Moses.  Internationally, Glover has served as UNDP Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Development Program from 1998-2004, focusing on issues of poverty, disease, and economic underdevelopment in Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbean, and currently serves as UNICEF Ambassador.  In recognition of his lifetime dedication to public service Glover was honored with the 2002 Marian AndersonAward, 2003 NAACP Chairman’s Award, and 2004 BET Lifetime Achievement Award, as well as the 2006 Director’s Guild of America Humanitarian Award.

 In 2005, Glover co-founded Louverture Films, dedicated to the development and production of films of historical relevance, social purpose, commercial value and artistic integrity. The New York based company has a slate of progressive features and documentaries including the award winning African feature Bamako, the Academy Award nominated Trouble the Water, the music documentaries AfricaUnite and Soundtrack for a Revolution,and the forthcoming Salt of this Sea.

Outreach/Engagement Plan(s)

While our team has a stronghistory of bringing projects through completion to broadcast and theatricalrelease, we have decided to take on a more innovative, grassroots approach for TheDisappearance of McKinley Nolan.

With the help of AlexandraJohnson, a well-known social media strategist, we will pursue a multi-prongedstrategy aimed at building buzz in order to attract fans and partners at majornonprofit and faith-based organizations. While some of our base audience isindisputably the tastemakers, film buffs, and documentary fans located in majorcities and urban centers, we think there’s huge potential for this movie tostrike with the military and faith-based communities who are more scattered andunlikely to see it at a festival or a New York/LA theatrical release. In order to engage this audience, we plan to bringthe film directly to them.

Therefore, kicking off thissummer and running through Spring 2011, we will capitalize on this niche marketby working with our partners to hold a national series of screenings (on aflat-fee basis) at churches, universities, community centers, and in militaryenclaves. The test run will be a private screening for the Nolan family andtheir friends at Mary Nolan’s juke joint in Washington, TX, which was also alocation in the film. This event will also mark Juneteenth, a Texas holidaycelebrating the emancipation, and has garnered some press attention that willbe useful for the full roll-out.

So far, organizations thathave been involved and interested in this film include Vietnam Veterans ofAmerica, Genocide Watch, Amnesty USA, TransAfrica, the National League ofPOW/MIA Families, and the International Judicial Monitor. Through them, we’llbe able to plan and tailor screenings directly to our base, as well as usetheir networks to get the word out in communities that are lessmass-media-oriented.

In Asia, we are also workingclosely with DC-Cam, the organization in charge of the ongoing Khmer RougeTribunals in Cambodia. Thanks to the work of their founder, Youk Chhang,McKinley has been declared one of the only American victims of the Khmer Rouge,and Michael will travel to Cambodia in Fall 2010 to testify against hisbrother’s captors. Not only is this a chance to capture the internationalpress, but it’s a great opportunity to get the film out to the people ofCambodia and Vietnam, where so many of the atrocities took place. Working withYouk Chhang, our co-producer Rithy Panh (S21: The Khmer Rouge Killing Machine), and the government officialswe met through the shooting process, we will hold a small semi-theatricalrelease in cities, at historical sites, and near the killing fields.

After we’ve built upawareness of the film, we will plan a dvd/streaming release (tentatively forsummer 2011). Our research shows that the military market (including veterans,their families, researchers, etc.) is currently the biggest home video marketin America, and we plan to use this to our advantage by self-distributing tothem. On our past films, we have made inroads with Amazon, Netflix, and otherdistribution websites that will let us sell and market the film easily.

In making McKinley Nolan, our intention was to make a work of art and emotionthat will have a deep, lasting effect on audiences; we aimed to make a filmthat will be relevant for decades to come. We believe that our slow-buildtechnique, coupled with the passionate audience we have already found, we willget the reaction and staying power that we are looking for.

Funders

Location