Private Project

He Sings Country Too

In many ways Michael Night is the archetypal country singer. He's a blue collar guy with some personal demons who also looks great in a cowboy hat. But as a Brooklyn-born 65 year-old African American guy recording from a home-made studio in his mother's basement in Queens, he might as well be a million miles from Nashville.

  • Charles Hailer
    Director
  • Charles Hailer
    Producer
  • Michael Night a.k.a. The New York Cowboy
    Key Cast
  • Project Type:
    Documentary
  • Runtime:
    11 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    June 22, 2019
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Charles Hailer

Charles Hailer is a marketer and educator currently working as a community organizer in the Hudson Valley. Before that he worked in marketing at BRIC Arts Media and Viacom where he managed marketing efforts for major film studios across MTV, VH1 & Comedy Central.

He's taught filmmaking and run media education programs at places like DCTV, the Museum of the Moving Image and Robert College in Istanbul. He's also served on the screening committees for the Hamptons International Film Festival and Tribeca.

Outside of media, he's active in his community as an elected member of the Brooklyn Democratic Party County Committee and as an adult literacy tutor at the Brooklyn Public Library.

'He Sings Country Too' is his first attempt at making a documentary of his own.

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Director Statement

My favorite documentary filmmaker is Les Blank, particularly 'The Maestro' about an eccentric cowboy artist and 'In Heaven There Is No Beer?' about polka culture. I hoped to take a similar approach with Michael Night's story, using a mix of verite and interview to capture the weird energy of his music while getting to the bottom of my most pressing questions: what's his creative process? who's he making all this stuff for? why country music? More than anything, I’m lucky to call myself a fan of Michael's one of a kind music and personality. I am so thankful that Michael shared a bit of his life with me and my camera and I hope I was able to capture what makes him such a compelling figure.