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Feb.17, 2025
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
The 1619 Freedom School to host Academy Award®-nominated Nickel Boys for special Waterloo, Iowa community screening followed by writer/director RaMell Ross and Pulitzer Prize winner Nikole Hannah-Jones in conversation
Waterloo, IA—The 1619 Freedom School will host Academy Award® - nominated writer/director RaMell Ross and a free community screening of Nickel Boys, the acclaimed film based on Colson Whitehead’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, in Waterloo, Iowa March 13. The 1619 Freedom School's founder, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and Waterloo native, Nikole-Hannah Jones, will be in conversation with Ross following the screening at Marcus Crossroads Cinema.
Ross will also hold a special workshop with younger students at the 1619 Freedom School, which is a free after-school literacy program that improves student's reading scores through a Black history curriculum.
"With Black history and Black books and Black stories coming under attack, exposing our community to this film that reminds us of our past could not come at a more critical time," said Hannah-Jones. "But just as important is the ability to affirm Black excellence for the children of my hometown by giving them the opportunity to learn and engage in conversation with an Academy Award® -nominated writer who looks like them. This type of exposure expands what our children believe they are capable of and has always been part of my dream of the 1619 Freedom School."
“Nikole and her team have given students from all backgrounds the opportunity to learn Black history through stories, which we have seen removed from public school curricula and local libraries nationwide. As an educator, it is a privilege to be able to share stories about making movies, creating visual art, and being a Black storyteller with these students, some of whom may want to be artists one day.” said RaMell Ross with great humility and excitement. “As a filmmaker, to be able to bring Nickel Boys to the community of Waterloo is truly gratifying. It is, after all, stories we use to learn legacy, history and try to better humanity for future generations.
Nickel Boys opened the 62nd New York Film Festival and played festivals all over including the Telluride Film Festival, BFI London Film Festival, AFI Fest, Rome Film Festival, CAMERIMAGE among others. It has opened the global film community and moviegoers alike to the decades-long cover-up of abuse and murder of Black boys at Florida’s Dozier Academy from the early 1900’s through the early 2000’s. Nickel Boys bears witness to their tragedy.
Earlier in the day, Ross will visit 3rd through 6th graders at the after-school literacy program to talk to them about art and filmmaking, and engage students in conversation about the importance of legacy, storytelling, and what making this film meant to him and his family.
Waterloo Mayor Quentin Hart added “I am proud to support the screening of Nickel Boys in Waterloo, hosted by the 1619 Freedom School. This powerful film sheds light on the painful realities of our history while encouraging important conversations about justice and resilience. If we do not learn from the lessons of the past, we risk repeating its mistakes. I applaud the 1619 Freedom School for their dedication to education and truth-telling, helping our community reflect, learn, and grow together.”
Based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Colson Whitehead, Nickel Boys chronicles the powerful friendship between two young Black teenagers navigating the harrowing trials of reform school together in Florida. Bilge Ebiri, film critic of New York Magazine and a member of the New York Film Critics Circle said “Nickel Boys changes the way we perceive the world itself.” The film is playing nationwide in movie theatres and is available for digital download.
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About the 1619 Freedom School
Launched in 2021, the 1619 Freedom School is a free, community-based, after-school literacy program where students improve literacy skills and develop a love for reading through liberating instruction centered on Black American history. The program serves Waterloo public school students grades 3-6 who are at least one grade level behind in reading.
Media Contact
Joy Harrington
1619 Freedom School
319-427-0314