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River City Drumbeat: A Discussion with Filmmaker Marlon Johnson

7:00pm – 8:00pm
  • Virtual
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Click Here to Watch River City Drumbeat before the Feb. 8 event with director Marlon Johnson.

A Discussion with Director Marlon Johnson.
Moderators: Prof. Beth Bronk and Dr. Chris Bollinger

Official Heartbeats of Freedom Event: An Ethnomusicology Documentary Series

This year, the TLU School of Music is hosting three unique and powerful stories of music as a catalyst for change against systemic legacies. Each film will be available for screening for a period of 14 days on TLU Cinema. As part of the series, there will be a Q&A Zoom session with the director of each film. Zoom link will be available soon.

The film will screen on TLU Cinema from Tuesday, January 26 until Monday, February 8.

River City Drumbeat is a powerful story of music, love, and legacies set in the American South. Edward "Nardie" White devoted his life to leading the African-American drum corps he co-founded with Zambia Nkrumah in Louisville, Kentucky three decades ago. Together they inspired youth from their West Louisville neighborhood to thrive by connecting them with the art and cultural traditions of their African ancestors. Now Albert Shumake, whose destiny was shaped by the drumline, must take up the mantle for the next generation. Meanwhile, student drummers Imani, Jailen, and Emily navigate adolescence and life changes. RIVER CITY DRUMBEAT follows this creative community of mentors, parents, and youth making their way in a world where systemic forces raise obstacles to fulfilling their dreams.

Marlon Johnson

Marlon Johnson is a ten-time Emmy award-winning producer and director. He has worked on award-winning documentary films exploring music and cultural issues like Symphony in D (2017); Emmy-winning Sunday’s Best (2010) and Coconut Grove: A Sense of Place (2005). The Ford Foundation commissioned Marlon to direct the documentary Breaking the Silence (2006) which chronicled the rise of HIV infection in the Black-American South. Marlon served as Head of Production and Senior Producer/Editor for Plum TV and helped create TeleAmerica Broadcasting Network. His documentary Deep City: Birth of the Miami Sound (SXSW 2014) aired nation-wide on PBS. He has a B.S. in Communications from The University of Miami.