Since filmmaker John Maggio jumped from PBS‘s “Frontline” to HBO, he’s remade himself into a documentarian par excellence. 2017’s “The Newspaperman” tackled the storied life and career of Washington Post journalist/editor Ben Bradlee. 2019’s “Panic: The Untold Story Of The 2008 Financial Crisis” got up close and personal with the Great Recession and its aftermath. Finally, last year’s “The Perfect Weapon” brought David E. Sanger‘s film about cyber warfare to a documentary setting.
Now, Maggio returns to video biography with “A Choice Of Weapons: Inspired By Gordon Parks.” The new film follows the life and career of Gordon Parks, from his beginnings as a photographer for Life Magazine to his later evolution as a novelist and film director.
Here’s the film’s official synopsis:
Best known for his iconic portraits of everyday Black Americans in all their pain, ordinariness and glory, photographer and filmmaker Gordon Parks shot everything from fashion to Malcolm X, Gloria Vanderbilt and Muhammed Ali. Long time photographer and first African American on the staff of Life magazine, Parks captured the deep humanity of anyone fortunate enough to be in front of his lens. Through his striking images, Parks disrupted conventional ideas of who was an American and, using his camera as a weapon, fought for social justice in the US and abroad, eventually evolving into a novelist and a Hollywood film director.
“A Choice Of Weapons” includes appearances by Spike Lee, Ava Duvernay, Kareem Abdul Jabbar, and Anderson Cooper. The film also features Devin Allen, LaToya Ruby Frazier, Jamel Shabazz, and Nelson George, among others. Alicia Keys serves as one of the film’s executive producers. The film had its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival this past June (read our review above).
Will John Maggio continue his run of success with HBO? Find out when “A Choice Of Weapons” premieres on HBO and HBO Max on November 15, 2021. Watch the trailer below.