WMM New Acquisition STORMING CAESARS PALACE Makes World Premiere at BlackStar!

This inspiring new documentary from from Hazel Gurland-Pooler opens BlackStar Film Festival on August 3.

Premiering on Opening Night of BlackStar Film Festival! STORMING CAESARS PALACE Directed by Hazel Gurland-Pooler We are excited to announce that WMM new acquisition STORMING CAESARS PALACE (dir. Hazel Gurland-Pooler), which received substantial funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Ford Foundation, ITVS, and Black Public Media, will have its world premiere at BlackStar Film Festival! This inspiring documentary chronicles the extraordinary life of Ruby Duncan, an activist who fights the welfare system and becomes a White House advisor. The film will open the festival on August 3 with filmmaker Hazel Gurland-Pooler and protagonist Ruby Duncan in attendance. And on Friday, July 29 at 2pm ET, Hazel will join BlackStar's Imran Siddiquee for a special Instagram Live! Be sure to follow us on Instagram to get the notification. Based on a groundbreaking book and using lost archival material, STORMING CAESARS PALACE highlights the visionary leadership of Black women organizers whose courage, tenacity, and dreams could not be quashed against all odds. While the film focuses on a historical story, its message is current and relevant as it asks viewers to consider what can happen if we harness "poor people power!" A story of what one person can do without money or societal influence, this film is now available for screenings.   READ MORE ON OUR BLOG Tune into a special Instagram Live interview with STORMING CAESARS PALACE director Hazel Gurland-Pooler this Friday, July 29 at 2pm ET! She will be talking with BlackStar's Imran Siddiquee about her inspiration and process behind her new film. Watch the live and leave a comment for your chance to win a ticket to the screening! Make sure you are following @womenmakemovies to be notified when the interview goes live. Director's Statement "I was left at an orphanage for abandoned children in Bogotá as an infant. When I met Ruby 15 years ago, she said, "Hazel, a mother will do anything for her children," and that truth has fueled my passion for sharing Ruby's story ever since. Unlike my birth-mother who thought it best to "give me up," Ruby refused to let anyone take her children away — even mobilizing a grassroots anti-poverty movement in her community to provide for them. STORMING CAESARS PALACE shifts the narrative so low-income mothers are recognized as visionary political strategists standing up for America's principals of justice, democracy, and opportunity for all." - Hazel Gurland-Pooler, Director/Producer