Traveling While Black

Traveling While Black is a Canadian-American coproduced virtual reality documentary film project, directed by Roger Ross Williams and released in 2019.[1] An examination of racism in the United States, the film is an immersive experience which places the viewer inside the context of African-American travellers seeking safety and security with the help of the Negro Motorist Green Book;[1] Williams has contrasted it with the 2018 film Green Book, labelling it as "a totally different story because this [Traveling While Black] is a story of life or death, and danger, and community, and all of those things. But it’s our story. It’s for us to tell. It’s not for anyone else."[2] The film is based on a 2010 play called The Green Book.[3]

Traveling While Black
Film poster
Directed byRoger Ross Williams
Produced byAyesha Nadarajah
Jihan Robinson
Lina Srivastava
Music byJason Moran
Production
company
Felix & Paul Studios
Release date
  • January 25, 2019 (2019-01-25) (Sundance)
Running time
20 minutes
CountryCanada
United States

The film premiered in the New Frontier program at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival,[3] before being released later in the year on Oculus VR platforms.[4] In 2020, the film was selected for inclusion in the online We Are One: A Global Film Festival.[5]

The film was shot in Ben's Chili Bowl, a famous restaurant in Washington, D.C., founded in 1958.

Awards

The film received an Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Interactive Program at the 71st Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards in 2019,[6] and won the Canadian Screen Award for Best Immersive Experience at the 8th Canadian Screen Awards in 2020.[7]

References
  1. Dream McClinton, "Traveling While Black: behind the eye-opening VR documentary on racism in America". The Guardian, September 3, 2019.
  2. Matthew Carey, "Director Roger Ross Williams On Emmy-Nominated VR Film ‘Traveling While Black’: “It’s A Big Moment”". Deadline Hollywood, August 26, 2019.
  3. Kite-Powell, Jennifer. "Why You Need To See This VR Documentary 'Traveling While Black'". Forbes. Retrieved 2020-07-17.
  4. Tambay Obenson, "‘Traveling While Black’: Roger Ross Williams’ VR Doc Reclaims ‘Green Book’ Narrative". IndieWire, August 28, 2019.
  5. Dino-Ray Ramos, "We Are One: Global Film Festival Unveils Lineup Including Ricky Powell docu; Talks With Francis Ford Coppola And Bong Joon-Ho". Deadline Hollywood, May 26, 2020.
  6. Abrar Al-Heeti, "Emmy-nominated VR film Traveling While Black puts you in the Jim Crow era". CNET, September 22, 2019.
  7. "CSAs ’20: “We Will Stand Up” wins Best Feature Length doc". RealScreen, May 26, 2020.
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