We just had the great pleasure of hosting Matthieu Verdeil, a French film director whose work is dedicated to unearthing forgotten figures and movements in cultural history. He showed us his most recent film on the pioneering poet Claude McKay, a key figure of the Harlem Renaissance who spent many creative years in the French port city of Marseille, and spoke to our students about the research and aesthetic decisions that go into his film productions. Verdeil highlighted the importance of McKay's political work and integrated a dazzling array of contemporary paintings and music to bring his novel Banjo to life. This event was coorganized with the English Department and made possible by a gift by Harold and Terry Meyers in honor of Terry's wife Sheila (W&M '78).
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We just had the great pleasure of hosting Matthieu Verdeil, a French film director whose work is dedicated to unearthing forgotten figures and movements in cultural history. He showed us his most recent film on the pioneering poet Claude McKay, a key figure of the Harlem Renaissance who spent many creative years in the French port city of Marseille, and spoke to our students about the research and aesthetic decisions that go into his film productions. Verdeil highlighted the importance of McKay's political work and integrated a dazzling array of contemporary paintings and music to bring his novel Banjo to life. This event was coorganized with the English Department and made possible by a gift by Harold and Terry Meyers in honor of Terry's wife Sheila (W&M '78).