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By
Najla T. Williams
University News
February 4, 2011
Howard
Alumnus Succeeds
at Sundance
WASHINGTON
– Bradford
Young (MFA ‘04)
won the 2011 Sundance
Film Festival
Excellence in
Cinematography
Award in the dramatic
short film category
for Pariah.
Young
worked with writer
Dee Rees and Spike
Lee, who produced
the film. Pariah
follows the story
of a young Brooklyn
woman juggling
conflicting identities,
friendships, family
and heartbreak
in a search for
sexual expression.
Young said he
learned of the
award while at
a concert with
his wife and in-laws.
“[This
award] came out
of left field.
It was totally
unexpected,”
Young said. “I
don’t strive
for awards, I
strive to grow.
This award is
just a bonus and
an award to all
of us.”
Young
received his Masters
of Fine Arts in
2004 from Howard
University’s
School of Communications
with a specialization
in film production.
In 2009, he was
featured in
Filmmaker Magazine
as one of its
“25 New
Faces of Independent
Film.”
Young
said Pariah,
like many of his
collaborations,
explores the depth
of Black people
as a race. He
suggested that
the film’s
success in cinematography
was based on his
method of shooting,
which allowed
the characters
to “lead
the camera.”
Young served as
the cinematographer
for Restless
City, which
was also submitted
to the Sundance
Film Festival.
According
to pariahthemovie.com,
the goal of the
movie is to “uplift
LGBT youth and
promote better
understanding,
acceptance, and
dialogue within
families.”
Although Pariah
follows the story
of a lesbian teenager,
Young said the
portrayal of the
father figure
represented a
depiction unlike
any seen in a
Black film in
a long time.
Young
is currently collaborating
on projects in
Houston, Tennessee,
Arkansas, Chicago
and New York.
His work can be
seen in Mississippi
Damned, which
will be released
on Showtime
this month.
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