Directed by Grace Lee Produced by Grace Lee, Caroline Libresco, Austin Wilkin Unrated. Running Time: ! minutes Additional festivals: AFI Docs, Milwaukee Film Festival, Doc NYC, Hawaii International Film Festival, Hot Springs Documentary Festival, Habana Film Festival, Athena Film Festival, Doc Week Adelaide, Freep Film Festival, Wisconsin Film Festival, Chicago Asian American Showcase, Wisconsin Film Festival White River Indie Festival, Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival, DocAviv Film Festival, DocEdge Auckland, Crossroads Film Festival Graz 1The most "un you'll e#er have in a history lesson.3 –Village Voice National broadcast ,remiere on P6+2s a'ard7'inning P85 9Point o" 5ie': documentary series on &onday, ;une <=, !=>? at >= ,.m. 9c-eck local listings:. '''.,bs.org@,o# www.americanre#olutionary.lm.com T'itter: @GLBoggs$ilm www.facebook.com/americanre#olutionary.lm @anot-ergracelee 1BC7year7old Detroit .Dture Grace Lee Boggs doesn’t Fust eDplode the docile7Asian-"emale stereotypes Lee set out to question 'ith her earlier picH she makes an inspiring case "or sel"7determination and intellectual "ortitude regardless o" background.3 4Variety 1Boggs is still li#ing the kind o" li"e that makes you 'onder 'hat you’#e been doing 'ith your o'n.3 77Washingtonian 1 The most "un you'll e#er have in a history lesson... one o" our best documents o" the ci#il rights era, but it is also a portrait o" someone 'ith a singular perspecti#e, a big mind, and a Foyous aptitude "or conversation.3 – Village Voice 1A deeply mo#ing eDamination o" the po'er o" a single indi#idual to af"ect change.3 – The Holly'ood Reporter A cinematic primer on ho' to make a mark on the 'orld. – Kam Williams 1$or anyone 'ho has ne#er had a clear understanding o" Fust 'hat a re#olutionary is beyond the typical #iolent protestor, seeing and listening to Boggs 'ill open your eyes and "eed your mind.3 77$ilm Pulse AMERICAN REVOLUTIONARY: THE EVOLUTION OF GRACE LEE BOGGS PRODUCT%ON NOT/+ Grace Lee Boggs is a B 7year7old Chinese American 'oman 'hose #ision o" re#olution 'ill surprise you. A 'riter, acti#ist, and philosopher rooted "or more than 70 years in the African American mo#ement, she has de#oted her li"e to an e#ol#ing re#olution that encompasses the contradictions o" America’s past and its potentially radical "uture. SYNOPSIS AMERICAN REVOLUT%ONARY: THE EVOLUT%ON 8$ GRACE LEE BOGGS plunges us into BoggsEs li"etime o" #ital thinking and action, traversing the major U.S. social mo#ements o" the last century: "rom labor to ci#il rights, to Black Po'er, "eminism, the Asian American and environmental Fustice mo#ements and beyond. BoggsEs constantly e#ol#ing strategy – her 'illingness to re7e#aluate and change tactics in relation to the 'orld shi"ting around her – dri#es the story "or'ard. Angela Davis, Bill &oyers, Bill Ayers, Ruby Dee and Ossie Davis, Danny Glo#er, BoggsEs late husband ;ames and a host o" Detroit comrades across three generations help shape this uniquely American story. As she 'restles 'ith a Detroit in ongoing transition, contradictions o" #iolence and non-#iolence, &alcolm X and &artin Luther King, the 1967 rebellions, and non-linear notions o" time and history, Boggs emerges 'ith an approach that is radical in its simplicity and clarity: re#olution is not an act o" aggression or merely a protest. Re#olution, Boggs says, is about something deeper 'ithin the human eDperience – the ability to trans"orm onesel" to trans"orm the 'orld. As it kinetically unfurls an e#ol#ing li"e, city, and philosophy, AMERICAN REVOLUT%ONARY takes the #ie'er on a Fourney into the po'er o" ideas and the necessity o" eDpansi#e, imaginati#e thinking, as 'ell as ongoing dialectical conversation, to propel societal change. Produced and directed by Grace Lee 9;ANEANE $ROM DES &8%NES, THE GRACE LEE PROJECT:, produced by Caroline Libresco 9SUNSET STORY) and Austin Wilkin 9BOB AND THE &ONSTER), edited by Kim Roberts 9$OOD %NC, WAIT%NG $OR SUPERMAN, %NEQUAL%TY $OR ALL:, and 'ith a lush score by Vi#ek &addala 9KABOOM, *%GHWAY), AMERICAN REVOLUT%ONARY: THE EVOLUT%ON 8$ GRACE LEE BOGGS, has been 12 years in the making. %t incorporates a rich archi#al tro#e "rom the 1920s to the present and #isual e""ects to reinforce BoggsEs statement that history 1is the story o" the past as 'ell as the "uture.3 Animated graphics by Syd Garon and Casey Ryder "rom Studio Number One bring BoggsEs 'hirring mind to li"e, illustrating her #ie' that ideas are not .Ded, but that once they become .Ded, they are dead. %n an age 'hen seemingly insurmountable injustices and contradictions "ace us, AMERICAN REVOLUT%ONARY inspires concerned citi0ens and dreamers o" all ages 'ith ne' thinking to sustain their struggle and engagement. DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT % first met Grace Lee Boggs in 2000 'hile filming The Grace Lee ProFect, a documentary about the many 'omen 'ho share our common name and the model minority stereotype o" Asians Americans. $rom the moment % met Grace, % kne' % 'ould have to make a longer film Fust about her. 8#er the years, % 'ould return to Detroit, hang out in her kitchen and li#ing room and 'atch her hold e#eryone "rom Fournalists to reno'ned acti#ists to high school students in her thrall. % recogni0ed mysel" in all o" them 77 eager to connect 'ith someone 'ho seemed to embody history itsel". As someone 'ho came o" age in the era o" identity politics, itEs hard to ignore the "ascinating details o" ho' this Chinese American 'oman became a Black Po'er acti#ist in Detroit. But Grace 'ould constantly use our inter#ie' sessions to turn the questions back on me. What do you think about thatM Ho' do you "eel about 'hatEs happening in Korea? Tell me more about your o'n story, she 'ould say as soon as the cameras turned o"". &y o'n identity is more 'rapped up in GraceEs story than she kno's. And itEs not because 'e share the same name. GraceEs presence – in Detroit, in the 'orld, and in my imagination – has helped trans"orm my o'n thinking about ho' to tell a story about someone like her. The Fourney to bring this film to li"e has been an e#olution. %tEs not an issue film, nor is it about a celebrity or urgent injustice that rallies you to take action or call your Representati#e. %tEs about an elderly 'oman 'ho spends most o" her days sitting in her li#ing room thinking and hatching ideas about the neDt American re#olution. But i" you catch 'ind o" some o" those ideas they Fust might change the 'orld. ABOUT THE FILMMAKERS GRACE LEE, Director/Producer Grace Lee’s most recent "eature .lm, set during t-e !=>! ,residential campaign, ;A(/A(/ FR8& D/+ &8%(/+, ,remiered at t-e !=>! Toronto %nternational Film Festival. Prior to t-at, she 'rote and directed A&/R%CA( N8&6%/, '-ich ,remiered at +lamdance and +J+W before being released by Cinema Libre. +-e also ,roduced and directed TH/ GRAC/ LE/ PR8;/CT, a "eature documentary t-at 'as broadcast on +undance C-annel and is distributed by Women &ake &ovies. Grace received -er &FA in Directing "rom UCLA Film +chool, '-ere -er t-esis .lm 6ARR%/R D/5%C/, 'on a +tudent Academy A'ard and Directors Guild of America a'ard. +-e is t-e reci,ient of t-e *enry *ampton A'ard "or /xcellence in Digital &edia, a Rockefeller &edia Arts grant as 'ell as "unding "rom t-e Center "or Asian American &edia, C-icken and /gg Pictures and t-e Ford Foundation. +-e is currently ,roducing and directing a documentary "or P6+ about Asian American "ood culture and is developing ot-er .ction and non7.ction ,rojects. CAROLINE LIBRESCO, Producer +ince !==>, Caroline Libresco -as been +enior Programmer "or t-e +undance Film Festival, '-ere she selects "eatures and acts as a conduit bet'een artists and industry. +-e serves on t-e leadershi, teams of +undance's Creative Producing, Women2s %nitiative and Film For'ard ,rograms. Prior to +undance she served as an executive at %TV+, +an Francisco Film Festival and t-e +an Francisco ;ewish Film Festival. Among multi,le credits, along 'it- A&/R%CA( R/58LUTI8(AR), she ,roduced t-e a'ard7'inning documentary +U(+/T +TOR) and co-wrote/,roduced t-e indie "eature FA(C%2+ P/R+UA+%8(. Caroline serves as consultant to *ot Docs, *arvard2s Iennedy +chool, Nurich Film Festival, and on t-e boards of Women &ake &ovies and %DA 9%nternational Documentary Association:. +-e -olds graduate degrees "rom *arvard University and UCLA Film +chool and -as a,,eared 'idely on ,anels and Furies internationally. AUSTIN WILKIN, Producer Austin Wilkin is a Los Angeles based independent ,roducer and 'riter. Producing credits include t-e "eature-lengt- documentaries A&/R%CA( R/58LUTI8(AR) and 686 A(D TH/ &8(+TER, about ,unk rock musician and recovery specialist 6ob Forrest, '-ich ,remiered at +J+W and screened at *ot Docs, +ilver Docs, +-ef.eld and %DFA. *e also served as associate ,roducer on t-e "eature-lengt- documentaries 6UR( 9!=>! Tribeca Audience A'ard 'inner:, about Detroit .refig-ters, and W/ LI5/ %( PU6LIC 9+undance !==B Grand ;ury Prize 'inner: and -as 'orked on ,roductions "or net'orks and companies ranging "rom C((, (6C, *68 and THJ.