Don't Be Nice

Nominee
John Schlesinger Award
Palm Springs International Film Festival
Captures the revitalization of the artist in a world filled with doom.
-- Candice Frederick, TheWrap

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Don't Be Nice

The upstart Bowery Slam Poetry Team, made up of five young African-American, Afro-Hispanic and queer poets, prepares for the national championships. Mentored by a demanding coach who pushes them past their personal boundaries to write from a painfully honest place, the poets break down, break through, and ultimately write their masterpiece. Will their soul-searching pieces about police violence and the whitewashing of Black culture be able to compete against choreographed crowd-pleasers for the title?

WINS
Best Documentary, Macon Film Festival
Best Documentary Feature, Atlanta DocuFest
Jim Ewing Young Director Award, Port Townsend Film Festival
Best Director, River Bend Film Festival
Audience Favorite, Roxbury International Film Festival
Best Documentary, Vail Film Festival
Best Documentary Feature, Middlebury New Filmmakers Festival

NOMINATIONS
Best Documentary, BronzeLens Film Festival
John Schlesinger Award, Palm Springs International Film Festival
Not Rated
Genre
Documentary
Runtime
97
Language
English
Director
Max Powers
Awards:
Nominee, John Schlesinger Award, Palm Springs International Film Festival
FEATURED REVIEW
Frank Scheck, Hollywood Reporter

The title of Max Powers' documentary, about a group of twentysomethings competing in a poetry slam competition, comes from the advice offered by one of their coaches. "Don't be nice, be necessary," Lauren Whitehead advises the five-person team comprised of African-American, Afro-Hispanic and gay ...

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