Media

Films

SMITHSONIAN BENIN BRONZES — WHERE ARE THEY? A MISSION IMPOSSIBLE INVESTIGATION

SMITHSONIAN MUSEUMS UNCONSTITUTIONAL TRANSFERS OF BENIN BRONZES TO NIGERIA

COMING SOON to a Film Festival Near You….

In “3X Freedom,” a powerful 3 part anthology, the unyielding fight for freedom among descendants of enslaved Africans unfolds through three gripping narratives directed by Tylon “Usavior” Washington:

Disappearing Freedom: The Decline of Justice – John “Divine G” Whitfield battles being falsely imprisoned in the criminal injustice system and co-founds the Rehabilitation Through the Arts (RTA) Program at Sing Sing maximum security prison.
Dry Bones: Corporate Complicity in Slavery – A young woman exposes Wall Street’s buried ties to slavery and fights to make them pay.
They Belong to All of Us: The Benin Bronze Slave Trade Story – Slavery reparations leaders challenge the restitution of iconic Nigerian treasures to slave trader heirs and are inspired to build their own Benin Kingdom Museum.

Justice Pilgrimage: Reparations Leader Documents Benin Bronzes Controversy in Washington, D.C.

Deadria Farmer-Paellmann, Executive Director of the Restitution Study Group, a 24-year-old New York City-based reparatory justice organization, recently visited Washington, D.C. on a mission to pray for justice for enslaved ancestors, truth, and the future of Afrodescendants. The visit was in anticipation of an upcoming decision by the US Supreme Court to review a writ of certiorari challenging the Smithsonian’s transfer of 29 Benin bronzes to Nigeria.

Farmer-Paellmann tours the controversial Benin bronze exhibit displaying 8 of 9 bronzes “on loan” at the Smithsonian. She highlights hidden and misleading information in the museum captions and carries the spirit of her enslaved ancestors to the Supreme Court with hope that justice will prevail.

The journey to D.C. is highlighted in a new video series entitled “The Benin Bronzes Chronicles,” edited by Tylon Washington, with the first episode, Journey to Justice, now available for viewing here:

Dry Bones – Corporate Complicity In Slavery

Trailer

Logline: An 18th Century burial ground is unearthed on modern-day Wall Street filled with the bones of enslaved Africans. A young woman wages a cutthroat battle to reveal the role that existing corporations played in slavery and to make them pay. This is the documentary.

Director/Executive Producer: Tylon Usavior Washington

Writer/Executive Producer: Deadria Farmer-Paellmann

WINNER of the Cannes International Cellphone Cinema Competition!

Director: Tylon Washington
Executive Producer/Writer: Deadria Farmer-Paellmann

Logline:
A punitive expedition in 1897 leaves a powerful African kingdom demolished and void of its most precious cultural property — 10,000 iconic relics worth $30 billion in today’s currency. A law student unearths the untold narrative of the Benin bronzes and upends a corrupt repatriation effort. This is the documentary.

In Development:

Dry Bones – feature film

An 18th Century burial ground is unearthed on modern-day Wall Street filled with the bones of enslaved Africans. A young woman wages a cutthroat battle to reveal the role that existing corporations played in slavery and to make them pay. A legal thriller narrative feature, based on a true story.

Buy script book on Amazon.

Cousins – documentary reality series

Descendants of enslaved Africans from around the world go back to their African homelands to unite with cousins who found them through DNA tests — an African Family Reunion. The connections, lost due to the Transatlantic Slave Trade, are full of joy, pain, and promise.

Selected Books Featuring Restitution Study Group and Deadria Farmer-Paellmann