Donald Byrd

Movies

Brownie Speaks
Self
A native of Wilmington, Delaware, jazz trumpeter Clifford Brown made an outstanding and influential contribution to music. In an era when many musicians were emulating Charlie Parker’s drug abuse, Brown inspired others to achieve greatness while living a clean life. Ironically, he was killed in a car accident at the age of 25. This feature-length documentary presents a richly detailed account of Brown’s life, and examines his historical importance in the context of three criteria–innovation, influence, and individuality.
The Next Step
Austin
A professional chorus line dancer is about to learn that his days of playing around with women’s hearts is headed to an abrupt end.
Stolen Moments: Red Hot + Cool
Self
A musical documentary accompaniment to the 1994 benefit compilation album concerning AIDS in the African-American community.
Medina
Music
An extraordinary, lucid and lyrical documentary of Morocco, unique in that it conveys both the exterior and interior values of the country. "The richest, boldest and most subtly disciplined evocation of a place that I have ever seen on film. It is as if all the impulse toward lyrical pattern had found an objective correlative in the walls, the steps, the tiles, the dense calligraphic decoration, the shaded windows and veiled eyes of the city." – Roger Greespun, New York Times