Private Project

Forgotten Founders: David Hempstead, Senior

Forgotten Founders: David Hempstead, Senior, is a short-form documentary that highlights the life of David Hempstead, Senior on the East End of Long Island, tracing him from slavery to freedom. Hempstead, Senior’s children were founding members of the Eastville community in Sag Harbor. It also documents the story and work of the Plain Sight Project, which works to uncover the legacies of enslaved, indentured, and free people of color on the East End of Long Island and beyond.

  • Sam Hamilton
    Director
    Sag Harbor Stories at Sag Harbor Cinema
  • Julian Alvarez
    Director
  • William N. Collage
    Producer
    Emancipation, Assassin's Creed, Accepted
  • Donnamarie Barnes
    Executive Producers
  • David Rattray
    Executive Producers
  • Meghan K. McGinley
    Executive Producers
  • Genevieve Villaflor
    Executive Producers
  • Ellen Young
    Executive Producers
  • Donnamarie Barnes
    Featuring
  • Michael A. Butler
    Featuring
  • David Rattray
    Featuring
  • Meghan K. McGinley
    Featuring
  • Jennifer L. Morgan
    Featuring
  • Jeremy Lewis
    Sound Design and Mixing
  • Project Type:
    Documentary
  • Runtime:
    27 minutes 10 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    February 24, 2023
  • Production Budget:
    30,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital HD, 1920x1080
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • "Forgetting to Remember" Black History Celebration (Previous Cut)
    Sag Harbor, New York
    United States
    February 25, 2023
    New York Premiere
  • "Forgetting to Remember" Black History Celebration (Previous Cut)
    Sag Harbor, New York
    United States
    March 4, 2023
  • "Forgetting to Remember" Black History Celebration (Previous Cut)
    Sag Harbor, New York
    United States
    March 5, 2023
Distribution Information
  • Sag Harbor Cinema Arts Center
    Distributor
    Country: United States
    Rights: All Rights
Director Biography - Sam Hamilton, Julian Alvarez

Sam Hamilton is a filmmaker and the Communications Manager at Sag Harbor Cinema. He received his BA in Film Studies from Columbia University, and has worked as an assistant editor on projects for HBO, YouTube Originals, Roku and other private clients. Sam directed and edited the Cinema’s Our Own Main Street Fire, a short documentary chronicling the fire that destroyed the old Sag Harbor Cinema. Since 2021, Sam has created Sag Harbor Stories, an ongoing series short documentaries featuring local individuals.

Julian Alvarez is a director and cinematographer based in NYC. After falling in love with visual storytelling as an apprentice for National Geographic and Los Angeles Times photojournalists, Julian went on to graduate with a BFA from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. While there, he won technical 13 achievement awards in cinematography. In his work, Julian aims to bring documentary and naturalistic sensibilities to his subjects.

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