Mat Hames
When I Rise is a feature-length documentary about a gifted black music student at the University of Texas—Barbara Smith Conrad—who is thrust into a civil rights storm that changes her life forever. In 1957 Conrad is cast in an opera to co-star with a white male classmate, fueling a racist backlash from members of the Texas legislature. When Conrad is pulled from the cast, the incident escalates to national news, prompting unexpected support from pop superstar Harry Belafonte. This small-town girl, whose spirit stem from her roots in East Texas, struggles against the odds and ultimately ascends to the heights of international opera. When I Rise is an inspirational journey toward finding forgiveness within oneself.
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March 10, 2010: SXSW Documentary Film: When I Rise
