In 2015, EJS connected with Judi Hampton, president of Blackside, and sister of the late Henry Hampton (1940-1998), to share Eva Paterson’s idea to translate the 14-hour “Eyes on the Prize” documentary series by Blackside into Spanish and Mandarin. Through the translations, we hoped to make the long struggle to end decades of discrimination and segregation more accessible to other communities.
Although the translation effort didn’t progress past our conversations, EJS continued to evangelize “Eyes on the Prize” and we’re thrilled for Part III to be shared with a country that so desperately needs to understand the stories of the Black experience in America and the long struggle for civil rights.
From an article in Deadline: Almost 40 years ago, Eyes on the Prize set the standard for the cinematic exploration of the Black experience in America and the long struggle for civil rights. At a time when ideals of equity and racial justice may have gone out of favor, HBO is returning with a new installment of the documentary series: Eyes on the Prize: We Who Believe in Freedom Cannot Rest 1977-2015.
The six-part series, featuring the talents of many of the country’s top nonfiction filmmakers, premieres on HBO February 25 and will be available to stream on Max.
“Inspired by Henry Hampton’s legendary documentary series Eyes on the Prize: America’s Civil Rights Movement, this new installment of the groundbreaking 1987 series illuminates the bold stories of people and communities who continue to work for equity and racial justice in the years since the birth of the American civil rights movement,” notes a synopsis.
Dawn Porter serves as executive producer of the series. Individual episodes are directed by Geeta Gandbhir, Samantha Knowles, Muta’Ali, Rudy Valdez, Smriti Mundhra, and Asako Gladsjo.
HBO Documentary Films presents Eyes on the Prize III: We Who Believe in Freedom Cannot Rest 1977-2015, an Anonymous Content and Blackside production in association with Trilogy Films; series producer Asako Gladsjo; executive produced by Dawn Porter, Joy Gorman Wettels, Bedonna Smith, Patrisse Cullors, Mervyn Marcano, Judi Hampton, Sandra Forman. For HBO: executive producers Nancy Abraham, Lisa Heller, and Sara Rodriguez.