Paramount Network and award-winning filmmaker Derik Murray have joined forces for a new, original documentary on the life and legacy of our country’s legendary statesman, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
“I Am MLK Jr.” will premiere Wednesday, April 4 (9:00-10:30pm ET/PT) on Paramount Network and BET on the 50th Anniversary of his tragic assassination. The documentary tells the story and celebrates the life of this American icon from an engaging contemporary perspective structured around seminal events of the Civil Rights Movement.
“I Am MLK Jr.” features interviews with key figures, ranging from history-changing civil rights-era activists such as Rev. Jesse Jackson, Ambassador Andrew Young, Congressman John Lewis, and Rev. Al Sharpton, to contemporary writers, activists and influencers in sports, entertainment and media such as Van Jones, Carmelo Anthony, Nick Cannon, Shaun King, Malcolm Jenkins and more.
Dr. King used the power of his words to lead the movement in nonviolent acts of resistance such as protests, grassroots organizing, and civil disobedience in the fight to achieve equality for African Americans in the United States. From the Montgomery bus boycott to the Freedom rides to the March on Washington D.C., “I Am MLK Jr.” gives an in-depth look into these pivotal moments through the powerful lens of Dr. King and his closest confidents. The film will filter history through a human perspective and illustrate aspects of the private side of Dr. King’s work and life by exploring moments of personal challenge.
“I AM MLK Jr.” will connect the issues facing Dr. King then and the movement for equality today sparked by recent significant moments ranging from Ferguson, Mo. to Charlottesville, Va. and even to NFL sidelines.
The film is the latest from Network Entertainment’s Derik Murray, who has previously brought to the screen the lives of such iconic figures as JFK Jr, Muhammad Ali, Heath Ledger, Bruce Lee, and Paul Walker, coming this summer. “I Am MLK Jr.” is directed by Michael Hamilton and John Barbisan, and along with Murray, “I Am MLK Jr.” is Executive Produced by Paul Gertz and Kent Wingerak, and Co-Executive Produced by Dr. Clayborne Carson, Director of the Martin Luther King Jr. Research and Education Institute and Professor of History at Stanford University. Paramount Network’s Jon Slusser and Jaimee Kosanke also serve as Executive Producers.
