Film by South Carolina native Justin O.
Cooper also submitted to Oscars and IDA
Awards, narrated by two-time GRAMMY
winner Ann Nesby
Filmmaker Justin O. Cooper, a Kingstree, South Carolina native and Benedict College graduate with honors in Mass Communication, has announced that his documentary short CIRILO, A Legacy Untold, is officially submitted for consideration in the 57th NAACP Image Awards in the category of Outstanding Documentary Short.
The recognition is the latest step in the film’s awards campaign, which also includes submissions to the 98th Academy Awards (Documentary Short Film) and the 41st IDA Documentary Awards (Best Short Documentary). On the festival circuit, the film has been featured at Diversity
in Cannes, the San Antonio Black International Film Festival, Freedom Festival International, the Seattle Latino Film Festival, the Liberación Film Festival (NYC), and the Detroit Black Film Festival, where it is nominated for Best Documentary Short.
Narrated and executive produced by Ann Nesby, a two-time GRAMMY Award winner and actress known for The Fighting Temptations and Queen Sugar, the film tells the story of Cirilo McSween, a Panamanianborn civil rights and business leader whose legacy bridged communities from Panama to Chicago. Nesby and Cooper’s 25-year creative collabora-
tion also extends to her latest album ANNiversary, currently under GRAMMY consideration in multiple categories. Cooper is also under consideration for his first GRAMMY as Art Director for Best Album Packaging Design.
“To bring Cirilo McSween’s story from
Panama and Chicago back home to South Carolina is deeply meaningful to me,” Cooper said. “This recognition from the NAACP Image Awards represents not just the film, but also the communities that shaped me.”
For more info, visit www. lomcsweendoc.com.
