The previously teamed to produce the documentary The Wonder Year, which followed a year in the life of CEO, NAACP ambassador, Duke University professor, husband, father, son and Grammy Award winning producer 9th Wonder, from his childhood home, to late nights in the studio and everywhere in between.
Now they (director Kenneth Price and 9th Wonder) are returning for a second film, also with 9th Wonder as the subject, but this time the focus will be on hip-hop's place in academia – specifically, the film will follow 9th Wonder's year as a Harvard Fellow – hence the title, The Havard Fellow.
Synopsis reads:
The Harvard Fellow follows one of hiphop's most dynamic artists, 9th Wonder through a year of lecturing and research at Harvard University. While at Harvard, 9th will have an office on campus, teach a class on the history of hiphop, complete a research project and further explore hiphop's history and culture in an academic setting.
I'm sure folks like Cornel West and "the Hip-Hop Intellectual" himself, Michael Eric Dyson, will dig this.
As for why they consider this film important, the filmmakers had this to add:
The film will explore hiphop's place in an academic setting and why it is important to protect and archive its history. There has never been an active member of the hiphop community who has spent a year immersed in the the study of hiphop at an Ivy League school like Harvard University. Making this film will allow audiences around the world to experience this important academic and cultural journey alongside 9th Wonder.
Production on the film began just 2 days ago, with planned locations in South Africa and, or course, at Harvard, in Cambridge, MA.
An early 2014 release date is planned. So here we go… color me definitely curious.
The Wonder Year was good; I enjoyed and appreciated it. Glad these 2 are working together again, and on this particular subject.
You can follow their progress via Facebook HERE, or Twitter HERE.
$25,000 was recently successfully raised to kickstart production.
Watch a promo:
