.
. OMAR
. OMAR SAMAD KODJO NINE A.M. SUSPERSTAR A FASCINATING NEW DOCUMENTARY
SPANS OVER TWENTY YEARS AND
FOLLOWS ONE FAMILY'S STORY
OF STRUGGLE IN WASHINGTON DC.
SEVENTEEN BLOCKS REFERS TO THE
DISTANCE BETWEEN THE HOME THAT
THE FAMILY LIVES IN AND THE
U.S. CAPITOL. JOINING ME THIS
AFTERNOON TO TALK MORE ABOUT
THIS DOCUMENTARY IS DIRECTOR
AND PRODUCER OF 17 BLOCKS. WE
HAVE DAVY ROTHBART JOINING US
LIVE. FIRST OF ALL, DAVID, GOOD
AFTERNOON. I'M GLAD YOU'RE HERE
SO THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME. YOU
MET THIS FAMILY ON A BASKETBALL
COURT WHEN YOU WERE IN YOUR
EARLY 20S. HOW DID THIS MEETING
TAKE PLACE? YOU KNOW,
BASKETBALL IS A GREAT GAME. YOU
CAN MAKE FRIENDSHIPS FOR LIFE
ON THE COURT AND I MET SMURF.
HE WAS FIFTEEN. HIS BROTHER
EMMANUEL WAS NINE. WE HIT IT
OFF. THEY INVITED ME ONE DAY
BACK TO THEIR HOUSE FOR DINNER.
I GOT TO MEET THEIR MOM AND
THEIR SISTER AND STARTED GOING
THERE EVERY NIGHT. THE FAMILY
LIKES TO SAY THAT THEY ADOPTED
ME WHICH IS REALLY HOW IT FELT
BECAUSE I WAS I WAS FAR FROM
HOME FOR THE FIRST TIME AND IN
NEED OF SOME FAMILY. SO THIS
FAMILY REALLY TOOK ME IN. HOW
DID YOU CONVINCE THIS FAMILY TO
DOCUMENT THEIR LIVES? NOT FOR A
WEEK OR A MONTH BUT TWENTY
YEARS. THERE WAS NO PLAN
STARTING OUT TO FILM FOR TWENTY
YEARS I HAD JUST GOT MY FIRST
VIDEO CAMERA. I WAS INTERESTED
IN FILMMAKING AND I WAS
LEARNING HOW TO USE THE CAMERA
AND SO THE KIDS THEY WERE NINE,
12, 15 YEARS OLD AT THE TIME
THEY LEARNED WITH ME SO WE JUST
INTERVIEW EACH OTHER AT HOME.
WE IT WAS ESSENTIALLY HOME
VIDEOS FOR TEN YEARS WE BECAME
VERY CLOSE BUT EVERYTHING
CHANGED AND MEMBER OF THE
FAMILY WAS WAS KILLED IN A
SHOOTING IN THEIR NEIGHBORHOOD
WHICH IS SOMETHING SO COMMON IN
THIS NEIGHBORHOOD THAT IS JUST
17 BLOCKS LIKE THE TITLE OF THE
FILM. IT'S JUST 17 BLOCKS
BEHIND US CAPITOL BUILDING
EVERYTHING CHANGED FOR THIS
FAMILY AND AS YOU MENTIONED
BEFORE, SADLY THIS WAS NOT
UNCOMMON TO THEIR NEIGHBORHOOD.
EMMANUEL, WHO YOU MET WHEN HE
WAS ONLY NINE, DAVID HE
APPEARED TO BE THE NUMBER
OF THE FAMILY WHOSE LIFE WAS
REALLY ON SOLID GROUND. HE
REALLY WAS HE WAS A GREAT
STUDENT, VERY STRICT, KIND OF A
STRAIGHT ARROW. HE WAS TRAINING
TO BE A FIREFIGHTER AND HE WAS
ENGAGED TO BE MARRIED. SO IT
WAS I MEAN ANY ANY LOSS OF LIFE
IS TRAGIC BUT IT WAS ABSOLUTELY
HEARTBREAKING. IT'S TRAJECTORY
SEEMS SO POSITIVE BUT THAT'S
THAT'S THE NATURE OF GUN
VIOLENCE IN NEIGHBORHOODS LIKE
SOUTHEAST D.C. AND ANYONE CAN
BECOME A VICTIM AND AND WAS AT
THAT TIME THAT CHERYL, THE
MOTHER EMANUEL'S MOTHER SAID
SHE WAS SHE RECOGNIZED THIS IS
THIS IS AN OPPORTUNITY BECAUSE
FOR PEOPLE WHO DON'T LIVE IN
NEIGHBORHOODS LIKE THIS, IT'S
HARD TO REALLY WRAP YOUR HEAD
AROUND THE KIND OF GUN VIOLENCE
THAT HAPPENS SO ROUTINELY, SHE
SAID. BUT THIS IS DIFFERENT
BECAUSE EMANUEL HAS BEEN FILMED
SINCE HE WAS NINE YEARS OLD.
WE'VE ALL BEEN FILMING EACH
OTHER. WE HAVE ALL THIS FOOTAGE
MAYBE WE CAN FINALLY SHARE A
STORY OF A KID WHO FALLS VICTIM
TO A CRIME LIKE THIS BUT
TRACING HIM FROM BOYHOOD ALL
THE WAY INTO ADULTHOOD. WHAT
WAS SORT OF THE LIGHT BULB
MOMENT FOR YOU, DAVID? WHEN YOU
LOOK AT THE PLIGHT THAT SOME
OF THESE INNER-CITY FAMILIES
ARE DEALING WITH, WHAT CAN WE
LEARN FROM THIS FILM? YEAH, YOU
KNOW I MEAN AND THE SANFORD
FAMILY SHOWS GREAT COURAGE AND
RESILIENCE BUT THE DECK IS
REALLY STACKED AGAINST PEOPLE
THAT LIVE IN NEIGHBORHOODS LIKE
THIS AND GUN VIOLENCE IS JUST A
SYMPTOM. YOU KNOW, THERE'S
THERE'S UNJUST SENTENCING LAWS
THROW PEOPLE IN PRISON FOR A
LONG TIME. THERE'S THE SCHOOLS
ARE UNDERFUNDED. RECREATION
PROGRAMS ARE UNDERFUNDED. SO SO
THE FILM ALTHOUGH IT'S REALLY
CENTERED ON THIS FAMILY'S LIFE
IS A BIT OF A POLITICAL
CHALLENGE TO THE PEOPLE IN
POWER. SEVENTEEN BLOCKS AWAY IN
THE CAPITOL BUILDING TO PAY
ATTENTION TO NEIGHBORHOODS LIKE
THIS THAT JUST DON'T GET THE
LOVE THAT THEY NEED. WELL, I
HOPE THAT THIS FILM NOT ONLY
SPARKS CONVERSATION BUT MORE
IMPORTANTLY SPARKS CHANGE. DAVY
ROTHBART