O.J. : Made in America (Episodes 4-5)

O.J. : Made in America (Episodes 4-5)

April 22nd, 2017

12:00pm - 3:00pm - Episodes 4-5

3:00pm - 4:30pm - Discussion with Director Ezra Edelman, moderated by Nicholas Forster

Admission: FREE but registration is required.

Join us for the award winning feature O.J.: Made in America (2016), a 5-part documentary on what many have come to know as the trial of the century: The People of the State of California v. Orenthal James Simpson. Widely Considered the birth of the 24-hour news cycle, this trial marked a clear and present divide between White America and Black America in the mid-Nineties. O.J.: Made in America is both O.J.’s story and ours—a narrative that transcends to directly address issues facing contemporary American society.

Director Ezra Edelman dissects the football legend’s image while incorporating a comprehensive history of race relations, situating the O.J. we now know in a historical context. Like an elegant Russian doll, Edelman crafts a scenario that repeatedly reveals levels of complexity as it unmasks aspects of American culture: wealth, privilege, policing, self-creation, domestic violence, the judicial system and the news media.Edelman suggests a connective tissue through history that serves to spin a journalistic masterpiece of cinematic art so completely and poignantly on target.Following the screening of episode 4 & 5 on April 22nd, Director and Oscar winner, Ezra Edelman will be present to field questions and have a discussion.  

Oscar winner for best documentary and 4 Critics Choice Documentary Awards including Best Documentary and Best Director, and Winner of the Gotham Award for Best Documentary. Nominated for four Cinema Eye Honor Awards for Outstanding Achievement in Nonfiction Filmmaking, Direction, Editing, Production, and Original Score.

This event is funded by the VCUarts Inclusion Infusion Initiative. The initiative funds visiting artists, designers, performers and scholars whose work offers a catalyst for student dialogue about diverse aspects of identity–culture, class, race, gender, sexuality, religion.