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Black Daddy The Movie

Being an artist comes with great responsibility. Being able to control the narrative is even more important. As a father I have come to know some amazing men who use love, great caution and wisdom at the core of their masculinity. A huge component of how they raise their children, the next wave of black brilliance. Oftentimes we celebrate our heroes without ever knowing the backstory of the men and women from which they come.

Black Daddy is unadulterated storytelling from the black father's point of view because it is often overlooked and the assumption is that black fathers are not involved in their children's lives. Black Daddy: The Movie is a passion project covering a space that is near to our hearts; black fatherhood. I followed the lives of a few like-minded men as they told compelling stories of the joy, pain and the complexity of what it means to be a black father in America. The project has original music by Dame Drummer and new music in collaboration with other Oakland-based musicians Mike Blankenship, Kev Choice, Karega Bailey, and Ryan Austin to name a few.

  • Damon Jamal Taylor
    Director
  • Damon Jamal Taylor
    Writer
  • Damon Jamal Taylor
    Producer
  • Kev Choice
    Key Cast
  • Karega Bailey
    Key Cast
  • Felicia Gandolf Bailey
    Key Cast
  • Dame Drummer
    Key Cast
  • Michael Austin
    Key Cast
  • Kevin Allen
    Key Cast
  • Tommy Soulati Shepherd
    Key Cast
  • Tommy Shepherd Jr.
    Key Cast
  • Mike Blankenship
    Key Cast
  • Wayne Hardwick
    Key Cast
  • Tammy Hardwick
    Key Cast
  • Timothy Cheatwood
    Key Cast
  • Sheri Cistrunk
    Key Cast
  • Tiana Taylor
    Key Cast
  • Kenneth Gilliam
    Key Cast
  • Victor Rainey
    Key Cast
  • Riqhavok
    Key Cast
  • Damon Jamal Taylor II
    Key Cast
  • Demi Sauce Taylor
    Key Cast
  • Jonathan Davis
    Key Cast
  • Cemal Goss
    Key Cast
  • Atom Borne
    Key Cast
  • Bryan Bassett
    Key Cast
  • De'Vante L Ray
    Key Cast
  • Bryon Mason
    Key Cast
  • Martin Luther McCoy
    Key Cast
  • Ambrose Carrol Sr.
    Key Cast
  • Ambrose Carrol Jr.
    Key Cast
  • Mani Draper
    Key Cast
  • Brookfield Deuce
    Key Cast
  • Tariq Bailey
    Key Cast
  • Lamar Bailey
    Key Cast
  • Salvatore Fullmore
    Editors
  • Darius Riley
    Editors
  • Damon Jamal Taylor
    Assistant Editor
  • Damon Jamal Taylor
    Production Manager
  • Leilani Amolo
    Production Assistant
  • Dame Drummer
    Original Music & Score
  • Salvatore Fullmore
    Camera Operator
  • Darius Riley
    Camera Operator
  • Damon Jamal Taylor
    Camera Operator
  • Damon Jamal Taylor II
    Assistant Camera Operators
  • Demi Sauce Taylor
    Assistant Camera Operators
  • Salvatore Fullmore
    Cinematographer
  • Darius Riley
    Cinematographer
  • Darius Riley
    DP Assistant
  • Darius Riley
    Steadicam Operator
  • Dame Drummer
    Sound Design
  • Dame Drummer
    Sound Engineers
  • Mike Blankenship
    Audio Engineer
  • Mike Blankenship
    Title Song "J's Lullaby"
  • Leilani Lei
    Photographer
  • Cast of Fathers
    Photographic Assets
  • SLVTR FILMS
    Graphic Designer
  • Damon Jamal Taylor
    Creative Director
  • Damon Jamal Taylor
    Project Managers
  • Leilani Jamal Amolo
    Project Managers
  • Dan Danimal Castro
    Car Supplier
  • East Bay Community Foundation
    Special Thanks
  • East Side Art Alliance
    Special Thanks
  • Susanne Takehara
    Special Thanks
  • Katie Calloway
    Special Thanks
  • Juanita Taylor
    Special Thanks
  • Grand Nationxl
    Special Thanks
  • Timothy Martin Taylor
    In Loving Memory To
  • Steven Zumbi Gaines
    In Loving Memory To
  • Salvatore Fullmore
    Co-Director
  • Project Type:
    Documentary, Feature, Music Video
  • Runtime:
    1 hour 20 minutes 21 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    September 27, 2021
  • Production Budget:
    125,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:10
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Black Swan Film Festival
    Kolkata
    India
    February 14, 2022
    WINNER! (Best Documentary)
  • Black Art and Film Festival
    Tampa
    United States
    February 26, 2022
    WINNER! (Best Documentary)
  • World Film Carnival
    Singapore
    Singapore
    March 3, 2022
    WINNER! (Best Documentary)
  • Royal Society of Television & Motion Picture Awards
    West Bengal
    India
    March 7, 2022
    WINNER! (Best Documentary)
  • PARAI MUSICAL INTERNATIONAL AWARDS
    Chennai
    India
    March 8, 2022
    WINNER! (Best Musical Film)
  • Queens Underground Film Festival
    Queens
    United States
    April 9, 2022
    Best Documentary
  • Black Feedback Festival
    Los Angeles
    United States
    March 31, 2022
    WINNER! Best Feature Film
  • Greater Cleveland Urban Film Festival
    Cleveland
    United States
    September 16, 2022
    Ohio
    Audience Choice Award
  • Soul West Fest
    Phoenix
    United States
    October 22, 2022
    Arizona
    Audience Choice Award
Director Biography - Damon Jamal Taylor

With persistence and diligence Damon Jamal Taylor aka "Dame Drummer" is making his way in the music industry. His musical contributions have reached people all over the world. Born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio and since moving to California he has toured and worked with a long list of artists including Martin Luther, Aisha Fukushima, DâM Funk, Zion-I, Kev Choice, Grammy Nominated: Los Rakas, Prince protege and Soul-Train Award winner Liv Warfield and 3x Grammy Award winner Fantastic Negrito. In 2019 Dame released his second self-produced full length album entitled "Loveolution" and in June of 2020 released “Aye Yai Yai”, his third self-produced album. Dame is gearing up for his directorial debut in his first documentary entitled “Black Daddy”, a triumphant docu-musical about black fatherhood in America. Dame Drummer’s music and storytelling journeys into the world of the people he identifies with the most: The American Descendants of Slaves.

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Director Statement

"Any man can Father a child, but it takes a real man to raise one" - Damon Jamal Taylor