Change was coming to America and the fault lines could no longer be ignored—cities were burning, Vietnam was exploding, and disputes raged over equality and civil rights. A new revolutionary culture was emerging and it sought to drastically transform the system. The Black Panther Party for Self-Defense would, for a short time, put itself at the vanguard of that change.

THE BLACK PANTHERS: VANGUARD OF THE REVOLUTION is the first feature length documentary to explore the Black Panther Party, its significance to the broader American culture, its cultural and political awakening for black people, and the painful lessons wrought when a movement derails. Master documentarian Stanley Nelson goes straight to the source, weaving a treasure trove of rare archival footage with the voices of the people who were there: police, FBI informants, journalists, white supporters and detractors, and Black Panthers who remained loyal to the party and those who left it. Featuring Kathleen Cleaver, Jamal Joseph, and many others, THE BLACK PANTHERS: VANGUARD OF THE REVOLUTION is an essential history and a vibrant chronicle of this pivotal movement that birthed a new revolutionary culture in America.

Stanley Nelson (Director, Producer, Writer) is an Emmy Award-winning documentary filmmaker, MacArthur “genius” Fellow, and member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. He was awarded the National Humanities Medal by President Obama in August 2014. THE BLACK PANTHERS: VANGUARD OF THE REVOLUTION is Nelson’s 8th film to premiere at Sundance Film Festival. He is also the co-founder and Executive Director of Firelight Films and co-founder of Firelight Media, which provides technical support to emerging documentarians.

Marcia Smith served as President of Firelight Media for most of its first decade. During her tenure, Firelight produced over 18 hours of film for national broadcast on PBS, and garnered every major award in television, including multiple Primetime Emmy, Peabody, Sundance, DuPont, and International Documentary Association (IDA) awards.

Yvette Alberdingk Thijm (Executive Director, WITNESS) Yvette envisions a citizen-driven human rights movement that effectively utilizes media and technology, and WITNESS as a human rights organization that bridges the worlds of human rights, media and technology by incorporating cutting edge innovations into traditional approaches to advocacy. Before becoming its ED, Yvette served on the WITNESS Board, worked globally in start-ups (incl. the technology start-up JOOST by the founders of Skype) and established companies in media, content and new technologies (incl. MTV Networks).

She is a member of the Board of Trustees of the Foundation Center, a leading authority on organized philanthropy. Yvette is a Board Member of Access, a global movement for digital freedom; Mideast Youth, a creator of powerful platforms to amplify voices of dissent; and the Public Good Projects. She is also an Advisory Board Member of Uncensored Interview, a digital platform for independent musicians.

Dante Barry (Executive Director of Million Hoodies Movement for Justice)is a grassroots organizer and communications strategist. Dante leads Million Hoodies Movement for Justice, a national racial justice network of students, artists, and young people organizing to end mass criminalization and gun violence. Previously, Dante led organizing and leadership development programs building new leaders for a participatory democracy at the Center for Media Justice, the Roosevelt Institute, and School Based Health Alliance. Dante is committed to creating a safer and more just society valuing the leadership and dignity of all Black and marginalized communities.

Dante has appeared on the Daily Show with Jon Stewart, NPR, MSNBC, and is a frequent commentator on Al Jazeera America. Dante has written extensively on racial justice and democracy for the Nation Magazine, MSNBC, Huffington Post, EBONY, Truthout, and more. As a student organizer, Dante graduated from Monmouth University with a degree in Political Science and Communications and now currently sits on the board of the Andrew Goodman Foundation and is an Opportunity Agenda Fellow.