Sapelo: Matriarchal griot, Cornelia Walker Bailey, guides her adopted sons as they come of age in the last remaining enclave of the Saltwater Geechee people.
On the barrier island of Sapelo, two brothers, JerMarkest and Johnathan, are growing up in the last remaining enclave of the Saltwater Geechee people. Their greatest joy is exploring the island like their adoptive mother, Cornelia Walker Bailey, did as a child. As Sapelo’s storyteller and elder matriarch, she works to preserve what remains of this unique community established by her ancestors. Reflecting on the complicated splendor of her youth, Cornelia strives to shepherd her young sons through theirs. At the dawn of adolescence, the brothers inherit her hope, but their bond is tested as they begin to face the wider world.
Awards l Visions du Réel 2020 Sesterce d’or Bets Feature Film l BendFilm: A Celebration of Independent Cinema 2020 Best Documentary Feature l Cinema On The Bayou 2021 Speacial Jury Award l Solothurner Filmtage 2021 Prix De Soleure Nominee
- Year2020
- Runtime92 mins
- LanguageEnglish
- CountrySwitzerland
- DirectorNick Brandestini, Co-Director Taylor Segrest
- ScreenwriterTaylor Segrest
- ProducerVesna Eckert
- FilmmakerNick Brandestini
- CastBahni Turpin (narration performance), McIntosh County Shouters (ring shouts)
- EditorNick Brandestini
- Sound DesignGuido Keller
- MusicMichael Brook
Sapelo: Matriarchal griot, Cornelia Walker Bailey, guides her adopted sons as they come of age in the last remaining enclave of the Saltwater Geechee people.
On the barrier island of Sapelo, two brothers, JerMarkest and Johnathan, are growing up in the last remaining enclave of the Saltwater Geechee people. Their greatest joy is exploring the island like their adoptive mother, Cornelia Walker Bailey, did as a child. As Sapelo’s storyteller and elder matriarch, she works to preserve what remains of this unique community established by her ancestors. Reflecting on the complicated splendor of her youth, Cornelia strives to shepherd her young sons through theirs. At the dawn of adolescence, the brothers inherit her hope, but their bond is tested as they begin to face the wider world.
Awards l Visions du Réel 2020 Sesterce d’or Bets Feature Film l BendFilm: A Celebration of Independent Cinema 2020 Best Documentary Feature l Cinema On The Bayou 2021 Speacial Jury Award l Solothurner Filmtage 2021 Prix De Soleure Nominee
- Year2020
- Runtime92 mins
- LanguageEnglish
- CountrySwitzerland
- DirectorNick Brandestini, Co-Director Taylor Segrest
- ScreenwriterTaylor Segrest
- ProducerVesna Eckert
- FilmmakerNick Brandestini
- CastBahni Turpin (narration performance), McIntosh County Shouters (ring shouts)
- EditorNick Brandestini
- Sound DesignGuido Keller
- MusicMichael Brook