This is the story of Ed Dwight Jr., who was invited by his country to train to be the first African-American astronaut. Back in 1963, it was hot news. But the United States never sent Dwight to space. For decades, he has maintained that he was discriminated against during his time at the Aerospace Research Pilot School, a prerequisite to NASA run by the legendary pilot Chuck Yeager.
Dwight is now a prolific artist, building memorials and creating public art honoring African-American history. His footprints cannot be found on the moon. But his fingerprints can be found on sculptures across the country.
“Almost Famous” is a special Op-Docs series of short films directed by Ben Proudfoot featuring people who nearly made history — only to fall short. These are tales of overcoming disappointment at its most epic, from an astronaut who never flew to a superstar who never was.
See more from the “Almost Famous” series: https://nyti.ms/36STJx3
Credits
Director: Ben Proudfoot
Featuring: Edward Dwight Jr.
Producers: Gabriel Berk Godoi, Abby Lynn Kang Davis
Co-Producer: Jeremy Lambert
Cinematography: Brandon Somerhalder
Editor: Nick Garnham Wright
Composer: Nicholas Jacobson-Larson
Assistant Editor: Lisset Mendoza
First Assistant Cameras: Jana McLain, Joey Schusler
Colorist: Stephen Derluguian
Re-Recording Mixer: Sean Higgins
Archival Coordinator: Sarah Stewart
On-Set Digital Archivist: Tyler Somerhalder
Associate Producers: Jaimie Woo, Caley Fox Shannon
Post-Production Supervisor: Dillon Brown
Post-Production Coordinator: Elizabeth Brooke
Supervising Editor: Federico Conforti
Sound Effects Editor: Tom Boykin
Additional Orchestration: Roger Julià Satorra
Scoring Mixer: Brad Haehnel
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Op-Docs is the New York Times’ award-winning series of short documentaries by independent filmmakers. Learn more about Op-Docs and how to submit to the series. Follow The New York Times Opinion section on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram (@NYTopinion).
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