Kevin Wilmott, Oscar-winning writer, to take part in MoWest speaking event in St. Joseph
ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) -- Cinema-goers and residents alike will get a unique opportunity this week to hear from Hollywood royalty at Missouri Western.
MoWest's Cinematic Arts Program is set to host a special clinical talk with Academy Award winning writer Kevin Wilmott at 2:30 p.m. on Thursday at the Bebe and Crosby Kemper Recital Hall located in Leah Spratt Hall room 101. The event is free and open to the public.
Willmott won both an Academy Award and British Academy Award for co-writing the feature film “BlacKkKlansman” with Spike Lee. The film was nominated for six Oscars including best picture, director, supporting actor and soundtrack.
Award-winning films written and directed by Willmott include “Ninth Street,” “CSA: Confederate States of America,” “The Battle for Bunker Hill,” “Jayhawkers” and “Destination Planet Negro.”
The program is part of a series of clinician speaking events sponsored by MoWest cinema, offering students and community members a chance to learn from top professionals in the film and media arts production industries.
Wilmott, a native of Kansas, is also a longtime film professor at the University of Kansas, reaching emeritus status earlier this year.
He and Lee co-wrote the feature film “Da Five Bloods” for Netflix which was named the best film of 2020 by the National Board of Review. He also co-wrote and is the executive producer of the critically acclaimed film “Chi-Raq,” also directed by Spike Lee.
Documentaries directed by Willmott include “From Separate to Equal: The Creation of Truman Medical Center,” “Gordon Parks Elementary,” “Fast Break: The Legendary Coach John McLendon,” “William Allen White: What’s the Matter with Kansas,” “No Place Like Home: The Struggle Against Hate in Kansas” and the upcoming “The Heroic True-Life Adventures of Alvin Brooks.”
