Sankofa Chicago: The Untold
Vanessa Page Wright
About the Filmmaker
"Vanessa Page Wright is a former Talent Agent turned Filmmaker with a lifelong vision to create documentaries that preserve Black legacies via multifaceted historical storytelling. Through an empathetic, candid lens, she also aims to critically analyze race, culture, and identity within the Black community. Currently, she serves as the Founding Director of Tellers Untold and an Adjunct Professor at Columbia College Chicago.
Vanessa’s most recent creative venture is the award-winning documentary SANKOFA CHICAGO, which was sponsored by the Illinois Arts Council. Since its debut, this film has already received numerous awards, including “Best Educational Film” from Cannes World Film Festival (June 2021), the “Outstanding Achievement Award” from the Black Swan International Film Festival, and “Best Educational Film” from Druk International Film Festival (October 2021). This quickly earned success inspired her to turn SANKOFA CHICAGO into a full-blown docuseries.
She is also the behind-the-scenes Creator, Director, Writer, and Cinematographer of a web series called Your Kid Professors that provides children with a fun and engaging way to learn more about Black history.
Prior to that, Vanessa Page Wright was the Director of a documentary thesis project called Big Ten Athletes. Another multi-award-winning film that also aired on an ABC affiliate station, featured prominent former NFL and NBA athletes from The Ohio State University."
From the Filmmaker
Sankofa Chicago: The Untold
Director: Vanessa Page Wright
Producer: James Parrish Smith
Sankofa Chicago: The Untold is a powerful documentary that is the second part of a three-part series exposing the inadequacies of American History curriculums in Chicago Public Schools, a problem across the US. It highlights the overlooked contributions of Black and Brown people in American history. It explores methods of enhancing the current History and Social Science curriculum and alternative avenues for incorporating this vital history into other academic disciplines. The film stresses the significance of accurate representation and continuous learning, inspiring viewers to question conventional narratives and seek a more comprehensive understanding of American history.
To bridge this education gap, we explore methods of enhancing the current History and Social Science curriculum and examine alternative avenues for incorporating this vital history into other academic disciplines.
The film emphasizes the significance of accurate representation and continuous learning, encouraging viewers to question conventional narratives and pursue a more nuanced understanding of American history. Sankofa Chicago: The Untold challenges the conventional narrative and encourages viewers to question traditional narratives and seek a more comprehensive understanding of our past and present.
While Chicago and the state of Illinois are not fully there yet with this effort, they have made significant strides compared to other cities and states. They serve as leaders of change.
The doc is about Chicago Public Schools and all things Chicago, including the title and it was shot here, and all the cast and crew live in Chicago.