Keepers of the Flame

On the eve of the 1913 inaugural Women's Suffrage parade, the formidable activist Mary Church Terrell, along with two leaders of historic African American Sororities, Alpha Kappa Alpha and Delta Sigma Theta, confront and challenge parade organizer Alice Paul, regarding the racist, exclusionary practices of the white suffragette movement, in order for black suffragettes to participate in the parade.

  • Shari Lynette Carpenter
    Director
    Queen Sugar, Single Black Female, Three’s Complicated, Mary J. Blige’s Strength of a Woman
  • Judy Tate
    Writer
    4 Emmy Awards for writing, As The World Turns, One Life To Live, Days Of Our Lives
  • Ed Wheeler (Executive Producer)
    Producer
    Law & Order, Head of State, Mickey Blue Eyes, Presumed Innocent, Broadcast News
  • Messeret Stroman Wheeler (Executive Producer)
    Producer
    The Best Man: The Final Chapters, Law & Order, The Sopranos
  • Tia Dionne Hodge
    Producer
    Not Okay, The Blacklist, First Shift, FBI: Most Wanted
  • Shari Lynette Carpenter
    Producer
    Queen Sugar, Single Black Female, Three’s Complicated, Mary J. Blige’s Strength of a Woman
  • Messeret Stroman Wheeler
    Key Cast
    "Mary Church Terrell "
    The Best Man:The Final Chapters , Law & Order, The Sopranos
  • Celestine Rae
    Key Cast
    "Nellie Quander"
    A Brother’s Honor, The Blacklist
  • Montana Lampert Hoover
    Key Cast
    "Alice Paul"
    Let Me Assist You, Vroom Vroom, Brother Sister
  • Noelle Ramsay
    Key Cast
    "Edna Brown"
    Ilea, the Tonight Show Featuring Jimmy Fallon
  • MAYDECEMBER PRODUCTIONS, INC.
    Production Company
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Genres:
    Period Drama centering Black Suffragettes, History
  • Runtime:
    17 minutes 10 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    May 5, 2023
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    4K
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Orlando Urban Film Festival
    Orlando
    United States
    September 1, 2023
    Best Actress Award (Messeret Stroman Wheeler) , 1st Runner-Up for Best Short Film & Best Director Nomination
  • DC Black Film Festival
    Washington , D.C.
    United States
    August 18, 2023
    Official Selection
Director Biography - Shari Lynette Carpenter

Award winning writer/director Shari Lynette Carpenter says she came out of the womb with a pencil in hand, a born storyteller
and her film career all began with a fan letter written to Spike Lee. During her decade and a half tenure as script supervisor to
Spike, and many other notable directors, Carpenter was building her own writing and directing portfolio, making a series of
shorts and indie features. In 2021 Ava DuVernay invited Carpenter to direct her first episode of television on the critically
acclaimed series, Queen Sugar. Carpenter has also recently directed three made for television movies, Three’s Complicated,
Single Black Female and Mary J. Blige’s Strength of a Woman. Her television pilot script, TRANSLATE was selected for The Writer's Lab. Carpenter is a member of the Paramount Directors Initiative, the DGA Women’s Steering Committee Squad and is a Stowe Story Lab Board member and alumna.

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