AFRICAN MIRROR REPORTER
THE DRAMATIC life of the US National Football League (NFL)’s player-turned-activist Colin Kaepernick is to be immortalised in film.
Kaepernick has been captured in a new limited drama series on Netflix. Titled “Colin in Black & White” is a scripted series that follows the life of the all-star football player, from adolescence through his influential high school years.
Academy Award Nominee and Emmy Award-winning director Ava DuVernay has teamed up with Kaepernick, who will also be the narrator, to create the scripted limited series, with Emmy Award Nominee Michael Starburry, who has previously worked with DuVernay in Netflix’s Emmy Award-winning limited series ‘When They See Us’, serving as the executive producer.
With his act of protest, Colin Kaepernick ignited a national conversation about race and justice with far-reaching consequences for football, culture and for him, personally,” said DuVernay. “Colin’s story has much to say about identity, sports and the enduring spirit of protest and resilience. I couldn’t be happier than to tell this story with the team at Netflix.”
CUT!: American director Ava DuVernay. Source: supplied
Conceived in 2019, the limited six-episode series will give Kaepernick fans an introspective look into his early life as a black child growing up with a white adopted family and his journey to becoming a successful quarterback while trying to define his identity. Both Kaepernick and DuVernay completed the writing for the limited series earlier this year in May.
“Too often we see race and Black stories portrayed through a white lens,” said Kaepernick. “We seek to give new perspective to the differing realities that Black people face. We explore the racial conflicts I faced as an adopted Black man in a white community, during my high school years. It’s an honor to bring these stories to life in collaboration with Ava for the world to see.”
PROTEST: Eric Reid #35 and Colin Kaepernick #7 of the San Francisco 49ers kneel on the sideline, during the anthem, prior to the game against the Carolina Panthers
Colin Kaepernick made headlines back in August 2016 when he sat on his team bench during the United States’ national anthem at a NFL football game, before moving to kneel in September of the same year against the Chargers. He also pledged to donate $1 million dollars to organisations that supported his aims. He soon became a free agent after the 2016 season.
“We’re proud to bring Colin’s experience and his creative vision to life as he joins Ava to share his powerful story and message with all our members around the world,” said Cindy Cindy Holland, Vice President, Original Content for Netflix. “It is an unparalleled union of two strong and defining voices coming together to tell the story about what it’s like to be Black in America.
