Film Screening to be Held at Xenia High School
Posted on 02/15/2023
AMMAK Productions, in conjunction with Xenia High School Athletics and the Xenia Rotary Club, are co-sponsoring the film screening of “The Bright Path” on February 27, 6:30 p.m. at the Xenia High School Auditorium in celebration of Black History Month.
The Bright Path: The Johnny Bright Story, tells the virtually unknown story of Johnny Bright, a Black athlete from Fort Wayne, IN who emerged as one of the first Black football stars in an era of racial injustice of the 1940s and 50s. A frontrunner for the Heisman Trophy playing for Drake University, Bright was knocked unconscious by an intentional blow to the head in a game. The 1951 incident changed the course of Bright’s life but didn’t diminish his dreams.
“There are so many interesting and important stories to be told of Black Americans being a part of our nation’s history,” said Dr. Eric Winston, founder of AMMAK Productions. “Documentaries such as these need to be seen and understood as more than Black History.”
The film was written and directed by Indianapolis filmmaker Jerald Harkness. The film has been recently purchased by CBS Sports to be nationally broadcast. The son of former Indiana Pacer Jerry Harkness, Jerald Harkness has made a name for himself creating films about sports, race and more.
Following the film, Winston will moderate a Q&A session featuring Harkness and Xenia High School football coach, Maurice Harden.