New Noel Calloway Indie Film Captures Fatherlessness in Black Community
*Writer and director Noel Calloway comes from the stereotypical single parent home.
Born and raised in Harlem with an absentee father, Calloway landed in foster care when both parents were incarcerated.
Despite a difficult childhood, Calloway chose the books, and finished high school at the Frederick Douglass Academy and headed South to study film at Clark Atlanta University in Atlanta.
Single parent homes aren’t so uncommon across the nation. Years of research and life experience have shown that the lack of a father figure in the household has a tremendous impact on Black boys (and girls). From a struggling single mother to a path to the streets, boys are frequently forced to make serious life choices at a young age. The U.S. Census Bureau says 24 million children in America are living without the presence of their biological father.
Calloway, who can testify to the challenges of a difficult childhood, uses his own life story to capture a national epidemic in his debut film, “Life, Love, Soul.”
He tells the story of a young man estranged from his father who is forced to re-connect when tragedy strikes home. As the emotional tale unfolds, “Life, Love, Soul” tugs at feelings of abandonment, resentment, and loss in a story of a son left behind.
The film has been tapped as the opener for the first annual Fatherhood Image Film Festival on August 8 at 8 p.m. at the MIST Harlem Theatre, located at 46 W. 116th Street in Harlem, New York.
The four-day festival will focus on the state of fatherhood, beginning with the images portrayed in the media.
“Life, Love, Soul” will be released on DVD Aug. 27, 2013 and will be available on In Demand as well as iTunes.
It’s never been a better time for a film like this, given the plight of Black America.
“Life, Love, Soul” enters the conversation with an ensemble cast, including Chad Coleman (“The Walking Dead” and “The Wire”), Jamie Hector ( “Night Catches Us” and “The Wire”), Terri J Vaughn (“Meet The Browns”), Tami Roman (“Basketball Wives”), plus Grammy-winning singer/songwriter Valerie Simpson (of musical duo Ashford and Simpson) in her acting debut and newcomer Robbie Tate-Brickle.
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