In February, ML Diversity was very excited to screen work by Topper Carew, a distinguished filmmaker and producer whose work has spanned civil rights documentaries to network TV comedy. He has been an ML Visiting Scholar in Changing Places, Lifelong Kindergarten, and other groups. He’s also playing a key role in ML’s effort to increase its own diversity.

Below is our original program announcement:

Topper Carew, a Visiting Scholar at the Media Lab, will screen and discuss some of the films he has made in recent years and how the work intersect with his life. He will also talk about how his research at the Lab is informing, challenging him and influencing the next generation of his film and art.

The screening will include clips from “A Dream Deferred,” a film about the survivors of gun violence. “The Fine Art of Frying Chicken” is about a 95 year old friend who made a career out of frying chicken. “We Don’t Die: We Multiply” is about an urban comic, Robin Harris. Many say he was the second greatest urban stand-up of all time. “Trauma” is about the impact of gun violence on entire communities. “Presence” and “Translucence” are films about beauty.  And, “A Tale of Two Rivers” compares the lives of people who live along the Charles and Mystic Rivers.

Carew is a 2013 recipient of a MIT Martin Luther King Leadership Award for the way in which his media, art, and service exemplify the ideals of Dr. King. He is a Master Storyteller and an award winning producer/writer/director. His work has been screened on HBO, Showtime, NBC, ABC, Fox, PBS, Nickelodeon, the Disney Channel, TBS, TV One, MTV, at festivals and in movie theaters.