FAMILY AFFAIR

a film by Chico Colvard

“At 10 years old, Chico Colvard shot his older sister in the leg. This seemingly random act detonated a chain reaction that exposed unspeakable realities and shattered his family.

Thirty years later, Colvard ruptures veils of secrecy and silence again. As he bravely visits his relatives, what unfolds is a personal film that’s as uncompromising, raw, and cathartic as any in the history of the medium."

- Sundance Review

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To schedule a screening or speaking engagement for BLACK MEMORABILIA or FAMILY AFFAIR please contact:

Maddy O'Leary | info.clinefilms@gmail.com

FAMILy affair

License

Now available to stream on Vimeo

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Reviews

» The Hollywood Reporter "Chico Colvard's film should be the starting point for many provocative discussions about violation, guilt and reconciliation. In examining his own family's history, Colvard does not go for easy answers."

» The WITNESS Blog list FAMILY AFFAIR as one of "three must-see documentaries".

» The St. Louis American "Of the more than 70 films included in the 19th Annual St. Louis International Film Festival - few will leave the lasting impression Colvard's first person documentary."

» The Independent Weekly strongly recommends FAMILY AFFAIR to Full Frame audiences and writes that Colvard's "naked honesty and respect for all involved keep the film from feeling exploitative, and his sisters... emerge as heroes."

» The Baltimore Sun FAMILY AFFAIR "rivals the whirlpool of family complications in Andrew Jarecki's Capturing the Friedmans and... Dan Kores' Crazy Love."

» Stranger Than Fiction Blog Thom Powers writes "The subject of incest is hard to tackle and Chico conquers it in a beautifully intimate way, never overwhelming the audience with too much information.... This could have been a film that sends the audience into a downward spiral of horror and shock.... Well done."

» New York Times - Critics’ Pick. “… in a field [of docs] becoming more crowded by the year, Family Affair emerges as one of its more complex and unsettling examples.”

» Video Librarian 2011 Best Documentaries Highly recommends FAMILY AFFAIR for colleges, universities & public libraries; adding that the film "mirrors the literature of Alice Walker and Maya Angelou."

» The Boston Globe declares FAMILY AFFAIR "one of the most psychologically complex movies ever made about either racial identity or abuse of any kind."

» Variety "The documentary [Colvard] has made will shock even the most jaded audiences, disgust many and generate righteous indignation in an era when such sentiments might seem passé."

» Filmmaker Magazine hails the film as "emotionally wrenching in the extreme and observant of a milieu that just about never gets represented in cinema. Chico Colvard's FAMILY AFFAIR is a small revelation."

» PopMatters names FAMILY AFFAIR a very nearly perfect film. Cynthia Fuchs writes that the film "doesn't judge the horrors that shape Chico Colvard's family. Instead, it wonders at their trauma and celebrates their survival."

» The Boston Globe FAMILY AFFAIR "is nearly perfect... a melodrama and psychological thriller... The movie is provocative and shocking in the way a piece of nonfiction ought to be. It's a stunning story that's stunningly told."

Chico Colvard - Director | Producer

Chico Colvard teaches Race, Law and Media related courses in the Boston area. He was the Founding Curator of the UMB Film Series. Chico is the founding member of C-LineFilms, which produces short and long form documentaries as well as online commercial content. His feature doc, FAMILY AFFAIR, premiered in competition at Sundance and was the first film acquired by Oprah Winfrey for her cable channel, OWN. The film streamed on Netflix, iTunes and other online outlets. The film screened at festivals and aired on TV stations around the world. He is a two-time Sundance Fellow, WGBH Filmmaker-in-Residence, Firelight Media Fellow, and Flaherty Fellow. Chico is a frequent guest speaker, moderator, festival panelist and juror. His recent film, BLACK MEMORABILIA examines the manufacturing, consumption and reclamation of these objects. The film premiered at MoMA and screens at festivals and museums nationally and internationally.