WHILE I BREATHE, I HOPE
Film poster for "While I Breathe, I Hope" with silhouette of man standing in between two columns.
WHILE I BREATHE, I HOPE
Film poster for "While I Breathe, I Hope" with silhouette of man standing in between two columns.
what it means to be young, Black, and Democrat in the American South

WHILE I BREATHE, I HOPE

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HIGHLY RECOMMENDED - Educational Media Reviews Online | BEST FEATURE DOCUMENTARY - San Antonio Black International Film Festival | THE PEOPLE'S GRIT - Indie Grits Film Festival

African American Studies • American South • U.S. History • Civil Rights • Political Science • Democracy + Social Movements • Ethnic Studies

Date of Completion: 2018 | Run Time: 53 & 72 minutes​​ | Language: English | Captions: Yes (72 minutes)Includes: Transcript Director & Producer: Emily Harrold Producers: Lauren Franklin, Diane Robertson & Xuan Vu | Executive Producers: Marco Williams, Jedd Canty, Charlamagne Tha God & Karen Kinney

What does it mean to be young, Black, and a Democrat in the American South? WHILE I BREATHE, I HOPE follows South Carolina politician Bakari Sellers as he runs to become the first African American candidate elected statewide in over a century. The film begins by following Sellers as he makes his 2014 bid for Lieutenant Governor, through the Charleston Shootings, and during the removal of the Confederate flag in 2015. Through his experiences, this timely film offers audiences a window into the legacy of race in politics in the United States today.

Educational Media Reviews Online (EMRO) | Gisèle Tanasse, Librarian, University of California Berkeley
"The film is highly recommended for use in history, political science, civics and government, as well as ethnic studies and American studies courses. The flag removal portion in particular would prove a good addition for courses addressing monument removal. However, its greatest strength is as an engaging portrait of a politician and community organizer who, despite losses of life--stolen through racist violence--and losses in politics--at the hands of racist voters--persists to find success wherever he can, remaining true to his 'duty to continue,' for 'Dem Spiro, Spero.'"

Emily Harrold is a documentary filmmaker from Orangeburg, South Carolina. Her films have screened at festivals including the Tribeca Film Festival, DOC NYC, the Melbourne International Film Festival, and the Telluride Film Festival. Emily's directorial feature debut, WHILE I BREATHE, I HOPE about South Carolina politician and CNN contributor Bakari Sellers, won a 2020 regional Emmy Award. The film premiered at the 2018 New Orleans Film Festival, where it won the Audience Award for Feature Documentary, and broadcast as a part of World Channel’s 2019 AfroPop series. Emily's other recent credits include PBS’s upcoming VOICE OF FREEDOM, National Geographic’s REBUILDING PARADISE (Sundance 2020), Discovery’s TIGERLAND (Sundance 2019), Hulu’s MONKEY BUSINESS, CNN’s THE END: THE LAST DAYS OF THE OBAMA WHITE HOUSE, PBS’s THE WHITE HOUSE: INSIDE STORY, and PBS’s AMERICA BY THE NUMBERS WITH MARIA HINOJOSA. Harrold is a graduate of New York University, where she earned honors majoring in Film Production and US History.