MOUNT VERNON – Students filled the Phylicia Rashad Auditorium at Denzel Washington School of the Arts in anticipation of a visit from music and film mogul Dame Dash, who visited to screen the trailer of his new film “Prince of Detroit,” on Tuesday, October 17, 2023.
Dame Dash was joined by Dr. Dennis B. McKesey, founder and CEO of Off School Grounds – an organization committed to combating educational inequity – and a former school principal, and Raquel M. Horn, author and Dash’s wife. They shared the trailer for the new film and then talked with the students about the entertainment industry.
Dash spoke about the representation of Black people in the media and the reasons why he wanted to begin his film career and inspire the next generation.
“These visuals that you see are important because you don’t really think you can do something until you mentally see someone else do it,” said Dash. “So, I wanted to make movies about us making money not in sports or rap.”
He also announced the youth film festival that he is bringing to Denzel Washington School of the Arts. Students at DWSA will compete with other high school students by creating a 10-to-15- minute short film. The winner will be chosen at the end of the year and will have their film streamed on Dash’s streaming service, America Nu Network, and Tubi with a chance to receive money from streams.
“It’s about making sure that the next generation is fed and making sure that the next generation puts art out there so that it can live on forever,” said Andrea Thomas, principal of DWSA.
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