A Place of Our Own

Rank

Bottom 20% of all time (see others with this rank)

Festival Year

2004 (click here to see all competition films from this year)

Category

Documentary Competition

Non-Cast Credits

Stanley Nelson, Marcia Smith, Carol Bash, Sandra Christie, Helen Yum, Kathryn Bostic, Carol Bash

Description

Summer resorts are more than just settings for rest and recreation. They are pristine places where the culture of a community can thrive with the nourishment of leisure and celebration. For filminaker Stanley Nelson, the resort community of Oak Bluffs on Martha's Vineyard is even more. Caught between a largely impoverished African American population and a racist white society, his family was part of the first generation of black doctors, lawyers, and journalists who often found themselves alone on a hostile frontier. This New England haven was the only place where they could find a sense of safety, identity, and community as affluent, well-educated African Americans.

An intimate and groundbreaking film with a tender heart, A Place of Our Own is a powerfully told personal documentary about Nelson's experiences while spending the last 40 summers on the shores of Oak Bluffs. Wonderful archival footage blends with personal images of the filmmaker and his family to reveal a black uppermiddleclass world that is rarely seen. However, the scope of this profound film extends well beyond the color line. A Place of Our Own speaks to the essence of community, the importance of safety in nourishing culture, and the price of change in a constantly evolving society.

Reviewer

Shari Frilot (see other films reviewed by the same reviewer)

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