St. Louis Superman
(2020)
MTV Documentary Films Presents
An AJE Witness documentary
Academy Award Nominated Documentary Short Subject
Winner – Best Documentary Short - Indy Short Film Festival 2019
Winner – Legacy Award - Indy Short Film Festival 2019
Winner – Audience Awards for Nonfiction Short - Traverse City Film Festival 2019
Winner – First Prize Best Short Documentary - Rhode Island International Film Festival 2019
Best Documentary Short – 2019 Big Sky Documentary Film Festival
Special Jury Mention Documentary Competition - 2019 Tribeca Film Festival
Audience Favourite Short Award – 2019 Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival
Audience Award for Best Short – AFI DOCS 2019
Directors
Smriti Mundhra
Sami Khan
Executive Producers
Sheila Nevins
Fiona Lawson-Baker
Producer
Poh Si Teng
Co-Producer
Cheyenne Tan
Synopsis
Bruce Franks Jr. is a 34-year-old battle rapper, leading Ferguson activist and state representative from St. Louis, Missouri. Known as Superman to his constituents, he’s a political figure the likes of which you've never seen — full of contradictions and deep insights, who has overcome unspeakable loss to become one of the most dynamic and unapologetic young leaders in the country. This verite documentary follows Bruce at a critical juncture in his life. He’s forced to deal with the mental trauma he's been carrying for nearly 30 years, ever since his 9-year-old brother was shot and killed in front of him. Only by confronting his pain can Bruce find peace and truly fulfill his destiny as a leader for his community.
This verite documentary follows Bruce at a critical juncture in his life. He’s forced to deal with the mental trauma he's been carrying for nearly 30 years, ever since his 9-year-old brother was shot and killed in front of him. Only by confronting his pain can Bruce find peace and truly fulfill his destiny as a leader for his community.
Trailer
Awards
“St Louis Superman began as a search for purpose in politics. It led us to Bruce Franks Jr, an activist, elected official, father, brother and son who fights for his community with every breath of his being. Over the course of making this film, we learned so much from Bruce. Most notably, that the march towards justice requires collective action, not just individual heroism. As protestors around the world, from Hong Kong to Minneapolis, join the fight against systemic oppression and senseless death, we hope you will draw as much strength from Bruce's story as we have. But also recognise, as he did, that fighting comes in many forms: protesting, legal action, civic engagement, financial donations, artistic expression, self-reflection and, sometimes, just finding a way to stay alive another day. We hope this film will inspire you to find your path to helping create a more just world for all.”
— Smriti Mundhra and Sami Khan