• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

HBCU Lifestyle – Black College Living

  • HBCUs
    • What is an HBCU?
    • History
    • List of HBCUs
    • Notable Graduates
  • Jobs
  • Parents
    • HBCU Rankings
    • Black College Tours
    • College Admissions
    • Financing
    • College Scholarships
    • College Planning
  • Current Students
    • College Life
      • Greek Life
      • Sports
      • Dorm Living
      • College Survival
    • Careers
      • HBCU Career Hub
      • Internships
      • Career Profiles
      • Entrepreneur
    • Research Paper Resources
      • Research Paper Topics: 50 Ideas to Get Started
      • How To Write An Annotated Bibliography
      • Journalism Research Paper Resources
  • Alumni
    • HBCU Shirts
    • Podcast
    • Alumni Spotlight
    • HBCU Merch
    • Jobs
  • Shop

You are here: Home / HBCUs / HBCU Alumni Spotlight / Indie Filmmaker and FAMU Grad Akil DuPont earns two Student Emmys

HBCU Alumni Spotlight

Indie Filmmaker and FAMU Grad Akil DuPont earns two Student Emmys

Akil DuPontWhat’s the difference between a musical and a story told through song?

Akil DuPont, director of the short film “Underground,” would say a musical would net a few raised eyebrows. A story told through song, however, could reel in two Student Emmy Awards.

“Every filmmaker hopes their film will do well,” DuPont said. “That’s always like a dream. In this case, it’s like the dream came true.”

“Underground” is the winner of two Student Emmy Awards and six film festival awards. Music is used to tell the story of three slaves named Bali, Dembi and Young Emala, played by Ken Wester, Tomi Townsend and Nike Eaton, respectively. The music was performed primarily by Florida A&M University’s Gospel Choir.

DuPont, a Tallahassee native, self-proclaimed “20-year Rattler” and a graduate of Florida State University’s acclaimed film school, refused to market the project as a “slave musical” because of what he says musicals tend to represent to most people. His attention to detail and meticulous planning helped him bring “Underground” — a slave narrative told through music — to life.

“You don’t know how it’s going to be received when you say, ‘I’m going to make a slave musical,'” DuPont said. “When people hear the words ‘slave musical,’ they think of people dancing around and that isn’t ‘Underground.'”

ACCOLADES for ‘Underground’

[list type=”arrow”]

[li]Student Emmy Award Winner, First Place, “Best Use of Music” — 2011[/li]

[li]Student Emmy Award Winner, “Bricker Humanitarian Award” — 2011[/li]

[li]Student Emmy Award Nominee, “Best Composition” — 2011[/li]

[li]First Place (out of 109 films), Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival — 2010[/li]

[li]Best of Brouhaha, Florida Film Festival, Orlando — 2011[/li]

[li]Best Short Film, San Diego Black Film Festival — 2011[/li]

[li]First Place (out of 287 films), Palm Beach International Film Festival — March 2011[/li]

[li]Best Short Film, Texas Black Film Festival — 2011[/li]

[li]Best Student Short, Tallahassee Film Festival — April 2011[/li]

[/list]

[list type=”clip”] [li] Full article at: Tallahassee.com [/li] [/list]

[notification type=”standard”] Total aggregation of Tallahassee Democrat [/notification]

May 31, 2011 by HBCU Reports

Primary Sidebar

Search

Follow Us

  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Quick Links

  • Newsletter
  • Jobs and Internships
  • Shop
  • HBCU Colleges List: 107 Great Education Options to Consider
  • HBCU Rankings 2022
  • HBCU College Tours
  • Contact Us
  • About Us

Popular Posts

  • Happy female college student working on research paper topics. Research Paper Topics: 50 Ideas to Get Started
  • HBCU Sororities and Fraternities to Consider The Divine Nine: Sororities and Fraternities on HBCU Campuses
  • A female African American HBCU student poses while smiling and holding her book in her arms. HBCU Rankings 2023: The Top 25 Black Colleges from U.S. News
  • Bowie State's nursing program students check a patient in class simulation. Top 10 HBCU Nursing Schools Rankings for 2022 by RN to BSN
  • The oldest HBCUs: Cheyney University students pictured from the early 1800s. Cheyney is one of the first five Historically Balck Colleges established in the Nation. The First HBCU: Remembering The Oldest Black Colleges In the Nation

Before Footer

Follow Us

  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Subscribe to our newsletter

Sign up to receive weekly HBCU news, jobs, and advice in your inbox.

Sign Me Up

Footer

About HBCU Lifestyle

The spirit and camaraderie of black college living is a lifestyle - the HBCU lifestyle! We're committed to keeping you connected to the black college living experience, bringing you the latest on everything, from scholarships and dorm living to Greek life and alumni giving.


Contact Us

Latest from the Blog

  • NBCU Academy: 3 HBCUs Added to NBC’s Journalism Program
  • JSU Student Success Awarded $9 Million
  • PVAMU’s College of Nursing Helping to Cultivate Inclusive Classrooms
  • HBCU Go Partners With Award-Winning Movie ‘Freedom’s Path’
  • Newsletter
  • Jobs & Internships
  • Shop
  • List of HBCUs
  • HBCU Rankings
  • HBCU Scholarships
Copyright © 2010-2022 HBCU Lifestyle, LLC. All rights reserved.
Contact Us | Sitemap | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy
Get the best of the Black college experience delivered to your inbox.
Your email address:*
Name:*
Subscribe to (select all that apply):*





Please wait...
Please enter all required fields Click to hide
Correct invalid entries Click to hide
No spam, ever. Promise. Powered by FeedBlitz