I was just alerted to this new feature-length documentary from Antwone Fisher – yes, that Antwone Fisher, who was the subject of the acclaimed Denzel Washington-directed, Derek Luke starrer that bears his name.
The feature doc is titled This Life of Mine: The Fascinating Life of Leon T. Garr, and it centers on Leon T. Garr, born March 23, 1914, in Ruston, Louisiana, who, as the film’s synopsis reads…
… endured and witnessed unspeakable horrors as a young man growing up in America’s deep south. After serving in the U.S. Army during World War II, Mr. Garr migrated to Los Angeles, CA. With a third grade education, he entered the construction business and amassed millions, which he used to help enrich others. At the age of seventy six, Mr. Garr purchased a failed savings and loan, and transformed it into Founders National Bank. Mr. Garr became Chairman Garr, and with that, Founders Bank became the only National Bank owned by an African American west of the Mississippi. His documentary is a rich American tale of a driven man who, in his own words, tells of his life’s journey through nearly one hundred years of America’s most triumphant and tragic times.
Fascinating story, right? I’d say that, along with the documentary feature, Mr Garr’s life story could also inspire a scripted feature-length film.
In addition to directing the doc, Antwone Fisher also shot, produced, and edited the film; basically, he did it all!
Read more: Tambay A. Obenson, Indie Wire
