What Happened to Bass Street

What Happened to Bass Street is a short documentary film produced by Vanderbilt professor Angela Sutton and Jeneene Blackman, CEO of Nashville’s African American Cultural Alliance. Directed by $eck, the film follows Blackman's personal investigation into the history of her childhood neighborhood.

Founded by Black Civil War veterans at the base of Fort Negley, the largest inland stone fortification of the war, this community's story was nearly lost when it was forcibly relocated for interstate construction during 1950s-60s "urban renewal."

Now that Fort Negley Park is a UNESCO Site of Memory undergoing renovation and reinterpretation, Blackman enlists a team of archaeologists, historians, and descendants who race to uncover the disappeared neighborhood's untold story.

  • $eck
    Director
  • Angela Sutton
    Writer
  • Jeneene Blackman
    Writer
  • Angela Sutton
    Producer
  • Jeneene Blackman
    Producer
  • Jeneene Blackman
    Key Cast
    "herself"
  • Learotha Williams, Jr.
    Key Cast
    "himself"
  • Angela Sutton
    Key Cast
    "herself"
  • Dennis C. Dickerson
    Key Cast
    "himself"
  • Daryl A. Thompson, Sr.
    Key Cast
    "himself"
  • Vernice Scruggs
    Key Cast
    "himself"
  • Jackie Scruggs
    Key Cast
    "herself"
  • Andrew R. Wyatt
    Key Cast
    "himself"
  • Clelie Cottle Peacock
    Key Cast
    "themselves"
  • Linda T. Wynn
    Key Cast
    "herself"
  • Daniel J. Sharfstein
    Key Cast
    "himself"
  • Cindy Yahola
    Key Cast
    "herself"
  • Betsy Phillips
    Key Cast
    "herself"
  • Gary M. Burke
    Key Cast
    "himself"
  • Project Type:
    Documentary
  • Genres:
    history, social issue
  • Runtime:
    12 minutes 30 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    June 19, 2024
  • Production Budget:
    5,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - $eck

A self-taught director, DP, photographer, and painter from Nashville by way of Brooklyn and Senegal, $eck's dynamic music videos and short films have a rich, energetic style that is entirely his own.

Add Director Biography