Fraser brothers in swimming documentary at CayFilm
Shaune (L) and Brett Fraser
(CNS): Cayman Olympic swimmers and brothers, Brett and Shaune Fraser, are among athletes featured in The Black Line, a documentary to be shown at the CayFilm Cayman International Film Festival, taking place from 1-4 July. The filmmakers, Joshua Bratter and Stan Jakubowicz, will be in Cayman to talk about the making of the swimming documentary, which is co-executive produced by Shaune Fraser.
The movie takes viewers on a journey from the West African pearl divers of the 1700s, through the 1800s US Jim Crow era, and the stratification of US swimming, to the indigenous athletic tradition of the Caribbean swimmers, to the epidemic drowning levels in African-American communities, according to information contained on the film’s website.
Bratter, who said he’s not an anthropologist, sociologist, historian, swimmer or black but has always been interested in contradictions, added, “How come black people don’t swim? Why is drowning the number one cause of death in African American children under the age of 7? How did a people, who lived in the coastal communities of Africa, live on island nations in the Caribbean, and seem to excel in most other athletic forms, arrive at a moment in time, when drowning is considered a national epidemic? Not child diabetes, not HIV, not drug addiction…drowning. The inability to swim.”
Bratter explained the movie is a broad analysis of the origins of the myth that “Black men don’t swim” and that the idea for the film was actually borne out of an extended conversation with his friend Shaune Fraser.
“The Black Line is the historical narrative of a people whose enigmatic relationship with water is more than a story about a sport; it’s a story about humanity – our failings, triumphs and hopes with a brotherhood and sisterhood behind it; shouting, pushing and swimming for the future of this sport, this country, this humanity,” he said.
Other Olympic swimmers featured in the film include Rowdy Gaines (US), Roy Burch (Bermuda), Jamie Peterkin (St Lucia), Ariana Vanderpool (Bahamas) and Alia Atkinson (Jamaica). The Black Line will be shown on Sunday, 3 July at 6pm at The Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman. Rita Estavanovich will moderate a question-and-answer session immediately following the screening.
Festival director Tony Mark said The Black Line is just one of many compelling films that will be shown at the festival.
“For just $50, Festival-goers have access to 200 films from over 50 countries in addition to workshops and panels conducted by some of the top industry professionals in Hollywood. It is an amazing value for money,” he said. “From short films to documentaries to animated features, underwater films and environmental projects, there is something for everyone.”
CayFilm events will be held at The Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman, the National Gallery and the Harquail Theatre, and includes daily film screenings, question-and-answer sessions with filmmakers, panel discussions, workshops, exclusive premiere screenings and two celebrity gala events.
